"I would like to try everything from Dakar to NASCAR."
Jörg Bergmeister of Alex Job and Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing
By Margot Orenchuk
Photos courtesy David Babcock, Noel Bradford and Margot Orenchuk

VANCOUVER, Canada (May 1, 2004) -- Jörg Bergmeister comes into 2004 as senior driver for Alex Job Racing alongside his powerhouse teammate, Timo Bernhard. But his much more important role in the month of June will be the third part of a trilogy of perfect Porsche drivers for Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing in their quest for a 2^nd win in a row (in class) at Le Mans, France. It’s obvious Porsche has absolute confidence this is the driver to do the job; and teamed with the 2003 Le Mans defending GT champion (Sascha Maassen) and their rising star (Patrick Long), this combination should be a serious contender for the class win come June 12th. Along with the unwavering leadership of Mike (Petersen) and Dale (White), who have had a steadfast commitment and passion and dedication to see this team through to a win in the end; but mostly to see the team through to the end to win together, it’s an unstoppable combination. That’s what has made this a team one that most fans now sit up and take notice of; because where last year fans would have said “what? Who are Petersen’s?” Now they can most assuredly tell you who they are. And so finally, here is one of the last in our series of “Winter Interviews” as Jörg reflects on his none-too-shabby 2003, and looks forward to his role in the “Big Show” in June with PWL Racing!

Margot Orenchuk: How did an economics major end up a racing car driver? When did you first start racing?  

Jörg Bergmeister: It’s more like how did a race car driver become an economics major! During my military service I was in a sports-company, and there I was a bit unchallenged so I decided that I would go to UAS. 

I started karting at the age of 3 when my brother and I got a Kart for Xmas from my grandpa. (So it’s been 25 years of motorsport already!) 

MO: Can you sum up your year for 2003? Did you feel satisfied with second place (In the GT class in the ALMS)?  

JB: 2003 had a good start (and a stunning overall win in a GT Porsche GT3 class car with the Racer’s Group at Daytona in the Grand Am series) and a good end (at Petit Le Mans in the ALMS despite a crash early on with a Ferrari) In between there were many ups and downs. So overall 2003 was ok… For sure I always want to win but last year we were not in the position to win the (ALMS) championship due to several problems we had. Therefore second place was ok. 

MO: What is the first thing you like to do when you leave the track?  

JB: I don’t know… nothing special. 

MO: What is the funniest thing that has happened to you during a race weekend? 

JB: As Timo already mentioned in his (earlier RFM exclusive) Winter Interview.“TB: Germans are always serious!! We don't laugh....” 

MO: Is there any racecar that you have wanted to drive that you haven’t? 

JB: There is no particular one, I would try everything. 

MO: What was the most special racing memory you have of 2003, the highlight?  

JB: The (GT class) win at the Petit Le Mans, because after Timo´s incident with the Ferrari I thought the race is over, or at least we can’t win it anymore. Somehow we made it. 

The other one was Daytona; that was my first overall win. 

MO: What was the lowlight? If you care to share that with us? 

JB: Definitely Miami. I slightly touched the wall with the inside wheel and the suspension was damaged. My mistake! 

MO: Do you train (physically) during the off-season? 

JB: Yes, same like during the season. At least 5 times a week. Plus karting. 

MO: If you were not a race car driver, what would you want to be? 

JB: A race car driver. 

MO: Who is the one person you admire the most?  

JB: Racing cyclists that are doing things like the Tour de France. 

MO: What is the most challenging part of your job? Do you consider this a job? Or is it a blessing?  

JB: For me the most challenging part of the job is to use the peak of the tires in qualifying and get together “a perfect lap”. 

I think it’s always nice if you can do your hobby as a profession. For sure there is more pressure at a race weekend than it is when I go karting in between the races. But I really like what I’m doing and I don’t want to imagine that I have to do something else. 

MO: What is the craziest thing a fan has asked you to do? Did you do it? 

JB: Some guys asked me to sign their passports. I did it. 

MO: Is there any other types of racing you would like to try one day? Dakar, perhaps? 

JB: I would like to try everything from Dakar to NASCAR. 

MO: How do you adjust your driving style to drive at night? Do you enjoy night time racing? 

JB: I try not to adjust it at all. I try to keep the same brakepoints and so on so the times should stay the same like in daylight.  

MO: Going into Sebring 2004, did you know you would be too ill to drive? Did you get any time on the track at all?  

JB: I came to Sebring with a cold. I did some laps and everything was going well until Friday when I was doing 15 laps in a row. Afterwards I was really exhausted and had pretty high fever coming from the flu that a lot of Porsche people had in Sebring. On Saturday Doctor Lindemann from Porsche gave me infusions to bring the temperature down and that worked well. Just when I got to the pit getting ready for my 25 laps Marc (he was suffering the same flu but not that bad) came out of the 24 car and was really worn out. So, Mr. Ampferer decided that I will not drive because it’s too risky and he didn’t want to take the responsibility for that. At this moment I was very disappointed, but now I think the decision he made was right… After Sebring it was good that we didn’t race because it took me more than a month to recover. 

MO: Jörg, tell us about Pre Q this past weekend, how did you find the track, and how you rate your chances of being on the top step this time out, to give Petersen’s a 2-peat! 

JB: The Pre Q went good. The car was really well prepared and we spent most of the time working on the race-setup. For the race I think we should have a good car. The team is doing a great job in preparation and my teammates (Patrick Long and Sascha Maassen) are very good as well so think we have a good chance of winning, we just need some luck. 

RFM would like to thank our knight in shining armour, Tom Moore of Darkhorse Autosport for literally rendering me speechless by pulling this rabbit out of the hat. Stay tuned for ongoing, live coverage of the defending Le Mans GT Champions as we watch them defend their title at the greatest road race on the planet in June.