Earl Bamber

Works drivers

“I found it hard not being able to compete for the overall victory in Le Mans in 2016,” Earl Bamber confesses. After his monumental success in the Porsche 919 Hybrid on June 14, 2015, when together with Nico Hülkenberg and Nick Tandy he secured the brand’s 17th overall victory, he had returned to Porsche’s GT programme. But the memory of the high point of his career to date has remained fresh: “It was an overwhelming feeling, holding that cup in my hands and being applauded by so many people,” says the New Zealander. “If you were dreaming about winning Le Mans, that would normally be the moment when you’d wake up. I was amazed that in real life the dream kept going.” For the 2017 season, he is back at the wheel of the Porsche Class 1 prototype and now shares it as a regular driver with fellow countryman Brendon Hartley and old hand Timo Bernhard.

“Timo is a great guy, and two kiwis in one car – of course that’s something pretty special. Brendon and I grew up in the same kart club.” His sense of anticipation is huge, as is his respect for others in the race: “Toyota will be a really tough opponent, and our sister car will be very strong as well.”

Bamber accomplished his rise to the top tier of endurance racing in record time. As winner of the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship, one of the most wide-ranging and thorough youth development schemes in the automotive industry, in 2014 he took both the overall victory in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and, for the second time in a row, in the Carrera Cup Asia. Time and again, he has impressed: in Barcelona when he won his début race in the Supercup; at Silverstone when he came in third despite a mistake in qualifying; at Spa when he controlled the car after a sideways skid coming out of Eau Rouge and still took the victory. And in his first race in the 911 RSR, he also put up a convincing performance, coming in second in the Petit Le Mans, the American endurance classic held at Road Atlanta. On the basis of these wins, in December 2014 he was promoted to works driver for the new season.

It was looking good. But it was going to get even better: One day before Christmas, he received an invitation to test the Porsche 919 Hybrid in Abu Dhabi in January 2015. “A tremendous honour,” he recalls. “Every racing driver in the world wanted to drive this car.” Bamber quickly got to grips with the complex prototype, was soon achieving good lap times – and was promptly put in the LMP1 squad.

Earl Bamber has chosen to take up residence in Kuala Lumpur. In terms of flight miles, the Malaysian capital sits roughly halfway between his home in New Zealand and the home of Porsche. Bamber grew up on a farm, 75 kilometres from the nearest town of Whanganui on the southern tip of the North Island. Wellington is two hours away. He has been sitting behind a wheel since the age of two. First he steered his dad’s pick-up truck as far as the post box sitting on his father’s lap, and later he drove karts and single seaters. “The development I got through Porsche was the big opportunity of my racing career,” he says. “And after the Le Mans win in 2015, I’ve reached a new level in all areas.”

Personal info

Date of Birth: 9th July 1990
Place of Birth: Wanganui (NZ)
Nationality: New Zealander
Residence: Beijing (CN)
Marital status: Single
Height/Weight: 1.83 m/74 kg
Hobbies: fitness, surfing, skiing
Internet: www.earlbambermotorsport.com
Twitter: @earlbamber

Le Mans starts: 2 (1 overall victory)

Earl Bamber competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the Le Mans 24 Hours, in a Porsche 919 Hybrid for Porsche.

Career

2017 Porsche works driver WEC, LMP1
2016

Porsche works driver, GT
IMSA SportsCar Championship: 1 win (Austin,
four 3rd place finishes (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, Virginia);
4th FIA GT World Cup Macau;
2nd Sepang 12 Hours (Intercontinental GT Challenge)

2015

Porsche works driver
overall victory Le Mans 24 Hours;
three 2nd place finishes TUSC, class GTLM: Watkins Glen,
Road America, Virginia

2014

Winner Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship
Winner of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup (2 wins, 7 podiums)
Winner of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (8 wins, 10 podiums)
2nd Petit Le Mans (GTLM)
Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland (2 wins)

2013

Winner Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (4 wins, 8 podiums)
Winner Audi R8 LMS Cup Korea
2nd Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Abu Dhabi

2012 3rd World Time Attack Challenge (overall)
2011

7th Superleague Formula
10th World Time Attack Challenge
3rd Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge race in New Zealand

2010

2nd Toyota Racing Series NZ (6 wins)
Winner New Zealand Grand Prix

2009

A1GP Series for New Zealand
(3 podiums, A1GP award for best overtaking move)
GP2 Asia Series

2008

Winner Toyota Racing Series International Championship
2nd Toyota Racing Series NZ
2nd Formula Renault V6 Asia,

2007

7th Toyota Racing Series NZ
11th Formula Renault V6 Asia

2006 Winner Formula BMW Asia (10 wins)
2005 4th Formula Ford NZ
2004 Karting