Motorsport: Porsche promote Bamber to big time

Whanganui driver Earl Bamber (centre) was a Le Mans winner last year with Porsche Hybrid teammates Nico Hulkenberg and Nick Tandy. Picture / Photosport

It came as no real surprise that New Zealander Earl Bamber would be the one to replace Mark Webber in Porsche's LMP1 World Endurance Championship (WEC) programme.

The 26-year-old has been a standout performer over the two years he's been a factory GT pilot. Bamber will belt up alongside fellow Kiwi Brendon Hartley and German Timo Bernhard for the full 2017 WEC series, which includes a return to the Le Mans 24 Hour.

It was at this most famous of long distance races that the young man from Whanganui won on debut in 2015.

By clinching Porsche's first win in the top LMP1 class since 1998, Bamber reinforced his credentials after he won back-to-back Porsche Carrera Cup Asia titles in 2013 and 2014. Also in 2014, he took out the Porsche Supercup that earned him a factory contract.

"I've been so busy lately that I haven't really had time for anything. For me, the really cool thing is that I'll be teaming up with Brendon - that's going to be good fun," said Bamber from Germany. "It's great to have two Kiwis in the car. I don't think anyone thought that was possible earlier this year in that [LMP1] category.

"We grew up together and it's almost like we've come full circle, although on the other side of the world."

The LMP1 category is where teams can really experiment as the rules are not as rigid as in many other categories. As such, the cars are in a constant state of evolution so the 2017 version of the Hybrid 919 will be quite different to the 2015 model in which Bamber won Le Mans.

"I'm really looking forward to going back to Le Mans especially in this category and challenging for a world title as well. It won't be easy, as I've got a lot to learn. The car has got a lot more technical since I last drove it.

"The basics will be the same but the car I'll be testing will have a heap of technical changes. The others have been driving it as it has evolved but, for me, I have no idea what it'll be like.

"It's great to be able to step up again in to LMP1 and even more so to be able to do it full time. It's quite an honour really as they [Porsche] could have picked anyone they wanted," he said.

Bamber has been racing in the United Sportscar Championship in America for the past two years as well as guest events in Europe and Asia. While very happy to get the call to the main game, he will miss the GT category where hehad a lot of success.

"I'm a bit sorry I won't be able to do any more GT racing and moreso that I won't be able to race the new car. We did a lot of development work on that car [911 GT3].

"It would have been nice to drive and race that car," he said.

His co-driver, Hartley, has been a fulltime Porsche LMP1 driver for three years and already has a WEC title to his name as well as a podium finish at Le Mans.

"We're very sad to be losing Mark [Webber] from our crew but, at the same time, it's exciting to welcome Earl to the team," said Hartley.

"We will all have to step up our game with Mark leaving, but we think we are ready for that.

"It's also an incredible story that Earl and I raced karts together from the time we were seven years old and we were close friends during our early motorsport years.

"Nobody could have predicted that we would be teammates in a world championship 20 years later."