Timo Bernhard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Timo Bernhard |
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Bernhard in 2014
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| Nationality |  German |
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| Born | 24 February 1981 Homburg, West Germany |
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| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
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Timo Bernhard (born 24 February 1981) is a former racing driver from Germany. He was a top sports car driver for Porsche. For a short time in 2009 and 2010, he also raced for Audi.
Timo is famous for being the ninth driver to achieve the unofficial Triple Crown of endurance racing. This means he won three major long-distance races: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
On June 29, 2018, Timo made history. He broke the all-time lap record at the challenging Nürburgring Nordschleife track. He drove a special Porsche 919 Evo car and completed the lap in just 5 minutes and 19.546 seconds. This was the fastest lap there in 35 years!
Contents
Early Racing Days
Timo Bernhard was born in Homburg, Saarland, Germany. He started his racing journey in karting in 1991. In 1995, he finished 5th in the CIK/FIA Junior World Championship. He also became the German junior karting champion that year. Over the next two years, he placed 6th and 3rd in the German Karting Championship.
In 1998, Timo moved on to Formula Ford cars. He finished 6th in both the German series and the Eurocup. In 1999, his last year in open-wheel racing, he finished 3rd in the German Formula Ford series.
Sports Car Career
In 2000, Timo joined the Porsche Supercup as a young driver for UPS Porsche. He finished 3rd in the championship. In 2001, he raced in the American Le Mans Series for the first time at the 12 Hours of Sebring. He finished 2nd in the GT class. That same year, he won the Porsche Carrera Cup championship.
Winning in 2002
Timo started 2002 with a big win. He won the GT class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He then finished second overall at the 24 Hours Nürburgring race. The biggest achievement of 2002 was winning the GT class at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also won his first American Le Mans Series race and finished 4th in that championship.
More Wins in 2003
In 2003, Timo won the 24 Hours of Daytona race outright, meaning his team was the overall winner. He and his teammate, Jörg Bergmeister, won three American Le Mans Series races. This included the Petit Le Mans race. They finished second in the championship. He also finished 3rd at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Championship Year: 2004
In 2004, Timo and Jörg Bergmeister teamed up again in the American Le Mans Series. They won six out of nine races and became the GT class driver's champions. Their wins included class victories at Sebring and Petit Le Mans. Timo also finished on the podium at the Nürburgring 24 Hours for the third year in a row.
2005 Season
Timo raced with Romain Dumas in the American Le Mans Series in 2005. They won four class races, but finished second in the championship. Timo also finished 2nd in the GT2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Moving to LMP2 in 2006
In 2006, Timo moved to the LMP2 class of the American Le Mans Series with Penske Racing. He drove the new Porsche RS Spyder car. Timo and Romain Dumas won the overall race at Mid-Ohio. This was a big deal because it was the first time an LMP2 car won overall. He also won the LMP2 class at Petit Le Mans. He had four class victories in total and finished 3rd in the championship. In 2006, he also won the 24 Hours Nürburgring race.
Racing for Audi in 2009 and 2010
In 2009, Timo and Romain Dumas moved to Joest Racing and raced the new Audi R15 TDI. In 2010, Timo, along with Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller, won the overall 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was a huge win for Timo, and it set a new distance record for the race. Their car drove over 5,410 kilometers! This victory also helped Timo complete the "Triple Crown" in endurance racing.
Timo's Racing Successes
- ALMS LMP2 class champion: 2007, 2008
- ALMS GT class champion: 2004
- 24 Hours of Le Mans GT class winner: 2002
- 24 Hours of Le Mans Overall winner: 2010, 2017
- 12 Hours of Sebring GT class winner: 2004
- 12 Hours of Sebring Overall winner: 2008
- Petit Le Mans LMP2 class winner: 2006
- Petit Le Mans GT class winner: 2003, 2004
- 24 Hours of Daytona overall winner: 2003
- 24 Hours of Daytona GT class winner: 2002, 2003
- 24 Hours Nürburgring winner: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
- Porsche Carrera Cup Germany champion: 2001
See also
In Spanish: Timo Bernhard para niños
