Special feature
WEC 24 Hours of Le Mans
Bernhard column: How Porsche pulled off Le Mans comeback
In his latest Motorsport.com column, Timo Bernhard explains how the #2 Porsche crew bounced back from early mechanical gremlins to take a memorable win in the 85th running of Le Mans 24 Hours.
Timo Bernhard
Edited: Jun 21, 2017, 7:19 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
On Saturday evening, three and a half hours into the race, when our car lost its front axle drive, it looked like it was game over.
But a little under 21 hours later, I lifted the Le Mans winners' trophy for the second time in my career on the podium in front of a never-ending sea of fans, after a rollercoaster of a race.
Everyone who’s been at Le Mans before, whether as part of a team or as a fan, knows that there is nothing quite like it.
It’s a week-long celebration of motorsport to which over a quarter of a million fans come from different corners all over the world. The race is brutal and demands a great deal from man and machine.
However, there is also something magical about Le Mans, especially if you’re in the car at night or when the sun rises over the Dunlop arch.
The build-up to the race
The week kicked off with scrutineering in the centre of Le Mans, where thousands of fans came to watch the official proceedings with the cars and the team and driver presentations.
After the official commitments early in the week, we finally got down to business on Wednesday with the free practice sessions and then straight into the three qualifying sessions, which all went well for us.
We were able to optimise the car set-up in different track temperatures and gain important data with regards to the tyre choice for the race.
Qualifying at Le Mans is always a bit of a lottery. It’s quite a challenge with 60 cars on track. In the end I didn’t have a free lap, but our car balance was really good and we were in good shape to start the race from the second row.
After the drivers' parade on Friday, I had an early night to get as much rest as possible before the very long day ahead.
Disaster strikes early on
The grid at Le Mans is always packed – last-minute interviews, handshakes and well wishes. When finally the door closed behind me, I could get down to business and fully focus on the job!
We had a pretty uneventful start and remained in fourth until I handed over the car to Earl [Bamber] after 38 laps.
At 6.30pm, he had to come to the pits for an unplanned stop as our 919 Hybrid had lost its front axle drive. Our mechanics did a mega job in swiftly deciding what needed to be done and after an hour and five minutes the car was ready again.
Brendon joined the race 19 laps down and in 56th place overall. It was crucial that all three of us as well as the pit crew kept up the motivation.
In such a situation you have to blank out negative emotions and fully focus on the job to the get the maximum out of it.
The recovery
When two of the three Toyota’s retired after midnight, our sister car took over the lead. At that point we had moved up into 17th overall and we were able to further improve throughout the night.
When I got back into the car at 5.13am, we were already in 13th. I was able to make good progress through the traffic and handed over the car to Earl in 10th overall and second in the LMP1 class at 8am.
The race took a dramatic turn when our sister car had to retire from the race just after 11am. At that point we were the highest placed LMP1 car and suddenly our race had a different outlook.
I took over the car just after midday for the long last stint. At that point we were a lap down on the leading LMP2, the #38 DC Racing Oreca, and 20 laps before the end I was able to pass him.
The final bit was brutal. It was all in our hands but considering everything that had happened, nothing was certain. We did another pitstop for fuel seven laps before the end, and at 3pm, we achieved what had seemed unachievable.
I’ve always dreamt of becoming an overall winner with Porsche at Le Mans. I can hardly describe how I was feeling. It was the first time I cried on a cool-down lap.
I am so grateful to Porsche, the team and of course my brilliant teammates Brendon [Hartley] and Earl. It was an incredible moment which I will never forget.
Le Mans is the biggest and hardest endurance race in the world. When you crack it, you get handsomely rewarded for all your hard work.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Rusinov gets severe Nurburgring penalty for Le Mans crash
Next article Vanthoor turns down G-Drive WEC seat for Nurburgring
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Timo Bernhard
Bernhard column: Porsche bows out in style in Bahrain
WEC
WEC
Bahrain
Bernhard column: Porsche bows out in style in Bahrain
Bernhard column: Sealing a Porsche hat-trick in Shanghai
WEC
WEC
Shanghai
Bernhard column: Sealing a Porsche hat-trick in Shanghai
Bernhard column: Title celebrations on hold after Fuji washout
WEC
WEC
Fuji
Bernhard column: Title celebrations on hold after Fuji washout
More from
Timo Bernhard
Why Porsche reunited Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister for its final 718 Cayman
NLS
NLS
Why Porsche reunited Timo Bernhard and Jorg Bergmeister for its final 718 Cayman
The Porsche "twins" who usurped Audi's best
WEC
WEC
The Porsche "twins" who usurped Audi's best
How Bernhard's Porsche “underdogs” made DTM history
DTM
DTM
Norisring
How Bernhard's Porsche “underdogs” made DTM history
More from
Porsche Team
Antonio Felix da Costa defends Jaguar, says Pascal Wehrlein took Jake Dennis out “on purpose”
Formula E
Formula E
London ePrix II
Antonio Felix da Costa defends Jaguar, says Pascal Wehrlein took Jake Dennis out “on purpose”
Pascal Wehrlein: Jaguar wanted to "destroy my race” in controversial London finale
Formula E
Formula E
London ePrix II
Pascal Wehrlein: Jaguar wanted to "destroy my race” in controversial London finale
Pascal Wehrlein responds to Porsche’s team tactics after dominant London win
Formula E
Formula E
London ePrix I
Pascal Wehrlein responds to Porsche’s team tactics after dominant London win
Latest news
Colton Herta savours "super special" Austin homecoming as 2027 uncertainty remains
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
20 min
Colton Herta savours "super special" Austin homecoming as 2027 uncertainty remains
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
1 h
NASCAR Cup Talladega starting lineup: Chase Briscoe beats Austin Hill for pole
F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton pips Max Verstappen in FP3
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
F1 United States GP: Lewis Hamilton pips Max Verstappen in FP3
NASCAR plans to modify Phoenix dogleg to lessen driver loads
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
2 h
NASCAR plans to modify Phoenix dogleg to lessen driver loads
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe