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BERNHARD & DUMAS: Watkins to Le Mans
Written by: Timo Bernhard & Romain Dumas   
06/11/2009
Le Mans, FR
 
(Welcome to the third joint column from multiple sportscar driver champions Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, following their third place finish in the Grand-Am Rolex Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 race at Watkins Glen, driving the #12 Verizon Wireless Penske Porsche Riley. With their long tenure as teammates, the two choose to do the same with their column -- they write it as a team. Timo's text is standard, and Romain's is in italics. ~Ed.)
After another podium at Watkins for the Penske Porsche team, Bernhard & Dumas flew off to France for the 24 Hours of Le mans. (Porsche) » More Photos

We gave everything we had right from the start at Watkins Glen. It was a very hard but very fair race with strong competition and it was great fun. I’m pleased to bring home a podium result. Nothing more was possible. For us, it was our maximum effort due to the engine restrictions on the Porsche engine. Regardless, we are doing better every week.

We were close, but it was not yet enough for victory. With Porsche and the Penske team we are trying everything to go that last little step. But we just can’t overtake on the straights – that’s where the rev limitations hurt the most. Our advantage was to have a good strategy once again and our fabulous crew that put the best possible car on the track for us today. They work extremely hard to improve the car from race to race.

We ate some good Japanese food and we got a podium finish at Watkins Glen, so that was a good effort. Now it is on to Le Mans!

I am honored to have the opportunity to drive for three very prestigious teams this year: Penske, the number one team in the USA, Audi at Le Mans and Manthey-Racing. I mean it’s very nice to go back to Le Mans to have such a big race in Europe. For me, for a lot of years I am running my main championship in the US, so I am traveling a lot. I enjoy a lot driving in the US but for sure like to have a few races in Europe, too. It is a chance for my friends and family to see me race.

For me, I enjoy going to Le Mans because Le Mans is the premiere sports car race in the world with such procedures and historical race. Right now I say we, and I can say we because Romain is together with me again, we have a good driver lineup and a good team, for the number three Audi car for Joest Racing. We have a chance to win overall, but such as it were, with the rest of the factory drivers for Audi and Peugeot there are six-seven cars fighting for the victory. I assume it will be a very quick race, a race where you really can’t make mistakes but you have to show the speed. In the end, I will try to make the best job I can do.

For sure I am honored to drive for Audi. Porsche and Audi have done a good thing putting this together.

I've been driving at Le Mans since 2001. I raced for Pescarolo in an LMP1 car in the last two years. But I've never sat in a car with a real chance of winning. I was third two years ago. We knew that Audi would be unbeatable before the start. As a race driver you obviously always want to fight for overall victory. After last year's race I said that I must do everything possible to sit in a car capable of winning in 2009. Now I'm one of the
lucky ones who have such a chance. However, a 24-hour race is long. I hope that the Audi R15 TDI takes overall victory. If our car should succeed then it's even better. To compete for such a team at Le Mans as a Frenchman is already a great event, from which I will hopefully benefit.

Two years ago I finished third overall in not the very best car. For a French guy, this is a very important race – the number one in the world. With Timo with me will be another French guy, Alexandre Premat, so it will be two Frenchmen and a German in a German car. It’s well balanced! We have a good chance. It is very important for me to have a good result there, so we’ll see.
The duo hope to earn more hardware this weekend after 24 hours of racing. (Porsche) » More Photos

Like Sebring and the Rolex 24, Le Mans is very competitive. You have to stay on the track and don’t have to stop. You have to push maximum the whole time and if you stop one time for a small failure, I’m sure you cannot win any more. The race I think we have a very good chance. It we have no problem, we could win. If we have a problem, we cannot win. From a performance side, the Audi is very strong. We have to have no problems and stay on the track. That’s it.

I made the double (Rolex 24 and Le Mans victories) in 2002 in the same Porsche. I still have the inspection sticker from Daytona. That is a nice souvenir. I did Le Mans three times, but I haven’t been there in three years because of testing. This will be my first time in an LMP1. Look to the entry list it’s very competitive, it’s absolutely crazy.

Because we had to get to Le Mans by Monday, we did not do the testing at Watkins Glen. For sure lot of stress, but it is our job and we love it. It is a busy time because we leave right after – hopefully – the victory party to fly back to the US for Mid-Ohio. At Nurburgring we were against Audi and now we are with Audi. That is strange, but that is racing.

~Timo and Romain.

The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEEDtv.com, SPEED, FOX, or NewsCorp.

Porsche factory drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas comprise one of the most formidable duos in motorsports. Competing in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and co-driving the No. 7 DHL Penske Porsche RS Spyder in the LMP2 class, Germany's Bernhard and France's Dumas compiled 14 wins as a tandem and shared two consecutive class driver championships (2007, 2008). The pair, along with Emmanuele Collard, captured the overall victory at the 2008 12 Hours of Sebring.

Now racing for Porsche and Penske with their Verizon Wireless Porsche-Riley in the Rolex Grand-Am Daytona Prototype championship, the two friends are making their mark amongst the toughest teams the series has to offer.

Learn more about the team at PenskeRacing.com and their manufacturer at Porsche.com
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