HE has won the Le Mans 24 Hour twice and had success as a driver for Porsche Motorsport, but now Earl Bamber is chasing victory from behind the scenes.
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The New Zealand-born driver arrived in Bathurst on Tuesday ahead of the Bathurst 12 Hour, which his team, Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM), will field two entries in.
The last time Bamber was here was for the 2018 Bathurst 1000, partnering Shane van Gisbergen in the #97 Holden Commodore ZB.
When this Sunday’s endurance race rolls around, however, Bamber won’t be behind the wheel of either Porsche 911 GT3-R.
“Every time that you come here you want to drive Bathurst, but this year it wasn’t possible to get in one of the pro cars,” he said.
“Obviously, Porsche has their full season IGTC (Intercontinental GT Challenge) line-up for the drivers, so I couldn’t go into one of the pro cars, which I’d love to be in, but I had a race in Carrera Cup and then the opportunity came up to run this and I couldn’t turn it down.”
It’s been a frantic time for Bamber, who not only had to organise the team and sponsors for the 12 Hour, but was also preparing to compete in last weekend’s 24 Hours of Daytona.
On Sunday, EBM’s #911 will be piloted by Romain Dumas, Sven Muller and Mathieu Jaminet, while Dirk Werner, Dennis Olsen and Matt Campbell will drive the #912.
Bamber said that three of the drivers have never raced at Mount Panorama before and they have hit the simulator to practice.
They’re also relying on the upcoming track walk to help the drivers familiarise themselves.
Their goal for Sunday is simple: that a Porsche wins.
Winning is, of course, never a guarantee with the 12 Hour, but the race being popular viewing certainly is.
Bamber himself recognises the growth that the event has been able to achieve and said it is a race that every driver wants to come to.
“I think the 1000 is something really big and really special, it was a dream to come and do it, but now I have the direct comparison,” he said.
“This event is growing and growing and growing. I’ve been here since 2014 ever year and it’s just rising in popularity with the fans, with everyone in Australia.
“It’s awesome that Supercars is getting behind it as well with the TV coverage and stuff like that. It goes all around the world and you can see that, from everybody, this is one of the races that everyone wants to come to and win and be a part of.”
The Bathurst 12 Hour will commence at 5.45am on Sunday, February 3. Tickets can be purchased from the event’s official website, or people can watch live coverage from start to finish on 7Mate.
