Less than two weeks after his overall victory with Porsche at Le Mans, Timo Bernhard has his eyes set on another endurance classic, as he announces his KÜS Team75 Bernhard will contest the 24 Hours of Spa on 29/30 July 2017.
KÜS Team75 Bernhard was founded by Timo and his father Rüdiger back in 2010 and debuted in the German Porsche Carrera Cup in 2013. After three successful seasons they moved to the ADAC GT Masters scoring four victories, two additional podiums and two pole positions in their debut season. This year the team extended their motorsport commitments to the VLN endurance racing championship at the Nuerburgring. Having won there numerous times himself, the expansion was the logic next step for Timo and his dad to further develop the team.
The participation at the 24 Hours of Spa will be a premier for the German team, when they contest the endurance classic with a Porsche 911 GT3 R in the PRO category.
Porsche will provide three of their top-class works drivers for the race: Michael Christensen (26, Denmark), Kévin Estre (28, France) and Laurens Vanthoor (26, Belgium).
Christensen and Estre are no strangers to the team: the Dane scored the first podium for them in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany in 2013 and Kévin won four races in the ADAC GT Masters for the team last year.
The endurance classic will be the first 24-hour race for the young team and Bernhard has realistic expectations: “We want to learn as much as possible, deliver a clean race and see the chequered flag. I’m very proud of our achievements to date. It was always our goal to race in the endurance category and with Spa we will make our debut at one of the classic venues.”
For Bernhard it will be a different experience as he will oversee the race from the pitwall rather than being directly involved as a driver: “It will definitely be a new experience for me to stay at the pit stand for 24 hours to follow the race. Klaus, my Dad and myself will share the tasks and duties during the race.”
Team manager Klaus Graf: “We’re very excited for the 24 hours of Spa. To be able to contest the race with such a top-class driver line up is a great sign of the trust that our partners put in us. The experience and speed of Michael, Kévin and Laurens will be hugely beneficial. We’ve got a packed program over the next few weeks to prepare ourselves as best as we can for the tough competition.“
Michael Christensen: “It’s been a while since I raced for the team, but it was a great experience and I look forward to racing in the 24 Hours of Spa with KÜS Team75 Bernhard. I’m sure it will be a cool race. I look forward to share the cockpit with Kévin and Laurens as I think it’s a strong line up.“
Kévin Estre: “I very much look forward to race in the 24 Hours of Spa with KÜS Team75 Bernhard. We had a great season last year in the ADAC GT Masters with four victories. The atmosphere in the team is great, everyone works together really well. It’s the first 24-hour race for the team and there will be a lot to learn. However with three experienced GT3 drivers like Michael, Laurens and myself we’re in a very good position to do a great job in a real endurance race. Spa is a mega track, the 24-hour race is really tough and there is strong competition. You also have to adapt to the ever-changing conditions in the Ardenne mountains. I’m really looking forward to the challenge and am confident that we can achieve a great result if we don’t make any mistakes in the race.“
Laurens Vanthoor: “I’m very excited to be racing at the 24-hours of Spa. When I entered the Porsche RSR program, I wanted to race in the four big GT3 races namely Bathurst, Nürburgring, Spa and Macau. Especially Spa, because it’s my home race and I won there in 2014. I’m really excited about this project. It’s the first 24-hour race for KÜS Team75 Bernhard, but I like the idea of a small team, where everyone is fully motivated and works closely together. We will be up against experienced works teams but I’m confident we can fight for victory.“
