Timo Bernhard returned to racing to pay tribute to the final Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport ever produced in Zuffenhausen. Driving the #718 car in a special ‘75 Years of Porsche Motorsport’ livery together with Jörg Bergmeister, they competed in the SP10 class and finished fourth in NLS7. After taking the chequered flag, the car was handed over to the Porsche Museum, as the German manufacturer prepares to transition in 2027 to the newly developed Porsche 911 GT4 R.
Years of Experience; Facing a New Special Challenge
Driving a GT4 car is, despite his many years of experience, something new for 45‑year‑old Timo Bernhard. “I only did a couple of laps; I’m still learning. The race will be long for me.”
His teammate Jörg Bergmeister is also new to racing in a GT4. But having the 50‑year‑old alongside him, both former Porsche factory drivers and now ambassadors, is something he looks forward to, as they share a long history together.
“We won the Nürburgring Langstrecken‑Serie championship twice, one time overall. We did a lot of things together. We were both in the Carrera Cup. We both won the Carrera Cup, so it’s a really good situation. We both share the same ideas about motorsport; it’s nice to have him in the car.”
Taking part in the race driving for his own team, Team75 Bernhard, and both being ambassadors for the iconic manufacturer, getting this chance to pay tribute to the Cayman is something that doesn’t come around often.
“It’s a project with the Porsche Museum and we do a lot together with them, so getting this opportunity is something special. It’s the last ever built 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. To do it with my team is something super unique.”
Elaborating further to GT REPORT on why his team was picked to be the one, the former multiple endurance champion says:
“We have a close relationship with the Museum, but also when we spoke the idea came and we did a lot of things together. The first DTM‑winning car, the Porsche; we built it up together after the crash with the Museum and we made it into the collection of the Museum, so there’s a close relationship.”
Click here to watch the video of the first Porsche DTM-winning car
The Last 718: Honouring History at Full Speed
The Cayman entered the GT4 category in 2016, Since then Porsche has developed and produced more than 1,500 racing cars based on it. With this being the last one and dressed in a special livery, the car will be on display after the race.
“It’s cool because the Porsche Museum is such a great place and all the cars are there to be driven so it’s a very good history. After the race we can go and have a look at the result. People really enjoy this car, they enjoy the livery.”
But to have the car in its original racing state, it needs to be kept in one piece until the chequered flag drops; driving the race slower and safer than usual isn’t in the mind of the experienced German driver.
“We’re not going for the last result. We’re both brand ambassadors, so we represent the brand and we want to do a good job; we’re still racers after all.”
Finishing in fourth place out of the nine other SP10 competitors, the heart for racing is still clearly beating. Doing a project like this is a one‑timer, but in terms of racing again in the future it remains a question unanswered.
“We’ll see. We have a lot of things to do in the future.”
