The “Porsche-specialists” are known to be found in a different series every race weekend. Klaus Bachler isn’t an exception, having raced only this year in the World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, GT3 Le Mans Cup, Porsche Supercup, ADAC GT Masters and Dubai 24H, which only added to his two 24h Le Mans starts. In a rare moment outside of a racecar, Roksana Ćwik took the opportunity to speak with the young Austrian about his latest endeavours and opinions about GT racing.
Porsche Supercup starts are now just an addition to your normal job. But you still want to win. Tell us what happened in Monaco.
I work together with race:pro Motorsport since nearly 2 years. And the team is getting bigger every year. Their plan is to be part of Porsche Supercup in the future and therefore we did the guest starts together in 2016. Monaco was great. I made my Supercup comeback and the team had their first ever Supercup Race and we were fighting for the victory. In the end a P2 was a great result and showed that there is a lot more to come for the future.
How is it to drive streets of Monaco in rain? Is it true that the podium ceremony was delayed because you had to run to the podium?
Monaco is absolutely amazing. In the wet it is really tricky and it is very slippery. And yes it is true that there was a delay, because the way back was like you go through a labyrinth.
This year you are all over the place, driving GTE, GT3 and Cup versions of Porsche 911. Is there a big difference between them and do you have a favourite?
There are some differences. The driving style is similar but not 100% equal. There is a difference because the GT3 car has for example much more aero than the Cup. With the GT3 car you have ABS and traction control. The Cup car has no such aids for example. So there are some small differences but to be honest I like all of them.
Sprint or endurance racing?
Endurance.
Is it fun to work with gentleman drivers and watch them progress?
I like to see when people work really hard and when you see their progress.
Being gold yourself, do you feel disadvantaged over quick-silvers who get good seats in big races?
Yes! I think the system has to be rethink completely!
Porsche seems to have lost their mojo in GTE and GT3 racing recently. Is there a particular reason for that and how long do you think it will take them to bounce back?
I think it is not really true that they have lost it. For example the GT3 R has won quite many races this year [IMSA Monterrey, 12h Zandvoort, two GT Masters rounds]. In the end it depends, how is the BOP.
What is more challenging – driving or commentating the race?
Still driving.
What is your attitude towards penalties, especially for track limits and speeding under yellow, after how they were imposed in recent Formula 1 races and the 24h of Spa?
It is a difficult situation. There are some rules and normally when you break the rules you get a penalty. Maybe there is a way to change the rules a bit to make it less complicated.
There is a great debate about what can be done to the tracks to improve driving standards. Would you prefer run-offs to be incredibly slick or highly abrasive? Or are the aggressive kerbs the answer?
Highly abrasive.
Having seen you in almost every major GT series recently, is there a difficulty in jumping between cars, teams, team-mates and rulebooks?
For sure is it always difficult jump in into a new car and new team and perform immediately well. But that makes you as a driver more mature I would say.
Where do we see you for the rest of the year?
I see me still quite busy for 2016 in different series.
