Penske's return will lift IMSA - Bernhard

In the wake of Team Penske announcing its sportscar return with an Acura-powered Daytona Prototype international, Porsche LMP Team driver Timo Bernhard thinks that the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will reach another level in 2018.

A decade on from his campaigns in the American Le Mans Series with Penske Racing a Porsche RS Spyder in the hotly contested LMP2 class, Bernhard (pictured above) told RACER that racing with Roger Penske still ranks among the top experiences of his lengthy career.

"It's one of the best team's I've ever driven for. I'm still in touch with Roger (Penske) – he has one of the biggest Porsche dealerships in Germany, and through that I'm connected to him.

"Even after the racing program stopped in 2009, I still worked with him in the dealership, and kept in touch. And we still see each other a lot to this day."

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During his time with Penske, Bernhard, along with teammate Romain Dumas won two LMP2 Drivers Championships in the ALMS, in 2008 (pictured) and '09, and helped the Penske team win the Teams Championship during those seasons too.

Both years were some of the best in ALMS history, with a full-factory effort from Audi with R10 TDIs battling with factory-backed Acura and Porsche teams, the latter being Penske.

"I'm a big fan of Roger; in terms of being a team owner, he's my hero, he's the idol, he's the bench mark. His operation is incredible, and what he pulled off with Tim Cindric was remarkable.

"The first time I drove for him, I thought I was a superstar. I was walking through the paddock and there were so many fans around us, but they were there to see him! He's an icon.

"Walking with Roger Penske to the pits after winning a big race meant you had all the attention on you. He's so famous, authentic, and how much history is behind him. How much he has achieved is remarkable, and to keep as human of a guy as he is, is unreal.

"He's so polite, but he has such a hunger for success. To drive for him was really awesome. It's a great sign for sportscar racing that he's coming back, it will lift the IMSA series to another level."

"On one side we had a reliable car in 2007 and 2008. The RS Spyder is one of the best cars I've ever driven. It was so versatile, in all conditions. It was very good to work on too. You can't compare it to today's LMP1s, but if I compare it to the Audi I drove after, before hybrids, the Spyder in terms of drivability was so close, so good, it was really special. I think in that sense it was ahead of its time.

"We used to think it was underpowered, but on the street circuits it was incredible. At Mosport too, if you had good wind, you could go flat out for Turn 1, 2 and 4, the corner speed was unbelievable.

"The RS Spyder was a key part of our success, but we weren't the only Porsches out there – the Penske operation was the difference. It was so smooth, in terms of preparation, I don't want to compare with anyone, but one of the best I've seen. So much dedication.

"Roger was calling one car, and Tim was calling my car with Romain and myself. And there was perfect synergy."

During his two title-winning seasons, Bernhard and the Penske team pulled off one of the major upsets in U.S. sportscar racing, winning the Sebring 12 Hours in 2008 (pictured above) overall, beating Audi and Peugeot's LMP1 factory teams.

"The two championships were remarkable, but our run at Sebring stands out," he said. "That year there were factory Peugeots, Audis, Acuras and us in the Porsche Spyders and we won overall. We had no problems, and I learned so much that weekend which helped me enter a program like I am in now with Porsche. Before I did GT racing, but Penske put me in the spotlight.

"He does it properly, you will see it next year – you will be reminded of what he can do in sportscars. The guys working with them, a lot of them were there when I raced with them. There's a real loyalty, that people stay at Penske, I mean, most of the guys I knew are still with them running IndyCars.

"For instance, my former crew chief is the number one mechanic of Simon Pagenaud in IndyCar. They're pure racers, a really special group of people."