How an unplanned test by team boss Timo Bernhard ensured that his Porsche squad was suddenly fighting for the podium and why the input was so important
It took two race weekends before the knot burst for Porsche and the Bernhard team in the DTM: In Imola, Thomas Preining fought for a podium finish for the first time, followed by a commanding victory at the Norisring – and thus the great Porsche finest hour.
What only a few people know, however: The trigger for the upward trend at the Bernhard team, which has so far outshone the top team SSR Performance, was a private test day by team boss and ex-Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard before the Imola weekend.
“I wanted to help, because I have not only done set-up work in the past, but also helped to develop cars,” said the two-time Le Mans overall winner, who had actually ended his active career at the end of 2019, explaining his motives for the test in Hockenheim.
“We found maybe two tenths “
That doesn’t mean the veteran doesn’t trust Preining, who is only 23, to work with the team, he said. “That was simply input that we could use to solve a few little things with the set-up and alignment. That was agreed with Thomas – and that also helped us in terms of the change in performance from Imola onwards,”
In fact, the team made a leap forward after that, especially in qualifying, as an 18th place on the grid at the Lausitzring was the highlight of the first two race weekends before Preining put the 911 GT3 R in third place on the grid at Imola.
“If you break it down, we found maybe two tenths,” Bernhard points to his test. “But that gives you a jump from P15 to P3 in qualifying. That can make the difference and it’s really those little details that matter in the DTM. So we found some pace – and then Thomas was able to execute that and drive the car the way he likes it. “
Timo Bernhard: Why he can give important input
Why Bernhard could give important input in this respect? Preining is “super fast”, the team boss clarifies. “And he sensed exactly the right thing. But when you’re 23 years old, you have less experience than I do with my 41 years when it comes to how to make things happen and how to combine things. “
This “detail and set-up work” was something Bernhard had already “enjoyed in his active career. It was good times developing cars – whether LMP1 or GT cars. I’ve had a lot of practice at that – and I can make a difference,” he says.
Bernhard is now convinced that the test day at Hockenheim, which they had divided into different segments, “really helped” and provides a good basis for the second half of the season. “When we came to Imola, we had a good balance – and only changed the set-up in detail on the remaining weekend,” he gives some insight.
The Norisring may have been a Porsche track, “but we can still be a strong contender for the Top 5 in the remainder of the season – and we want to be on the podium,” Bernhard sets the agenda.
