Bernd Schneider (racing driver)

Bernd Schneider ( born July 20, 1964 in St. Ingbert, Saarland ) is a German racing driver. He started 1986-2008 to over 200 races in the DTM (formerly German Touring Car Championship ) and won a record number of five league titles there. From 1988 to 1990 Schneider also dabbled in Formula 1, but remained happiness and success.

Career

He began his career in karting, the he ran from 1976 to 1983. He was here in 1980 German champions, European champions two years later with the national team and 1983 African karting champion. In 1984 he moved to Formula Ford and Formula 3 in 1986, where he was able to win the 1987 German Cup. For Ford, he played from 1986 to 1989 also touring car races on a Ford Sierra. He launched occasionally in the German Touring Car Championship and won the 1989 24 - hour race at Spa-Francorchamps.

In the years 1988-1990 Schneider drove for the German Zakspeed team and for the Arrows team in Formula 1, but qualified at this time for only nine Grand Prix. Since 1992 he drove in several racing series for the team AMG Mercedes, among others in the German Touring Car Championship and the FIA ​​GT Championship. In the 2008 DTM season he drove in the HWA team for Mercedes -Benz.

His achievements include winning the DTM in the years 1995, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006 and winning the FIA GT Championship in 1997. Moreover, in 2002 he was runner-up in the DTM behind Laurent Aiello, 1998 Vice world Champion in the FIA ​​GT Championship behind Klaus Ludwig and 1995 champion in the ITC and 1996 runner-up in the ITC behind Manuel Reuter. With five titles Schneider is the most successful DTM driver, as well as on the number of pole positions and race wins. In the eternal points standings, he ranks second behind Klaus Ludwig.

On October 21, 2008 Schneider announced his retirement from motor sport end of the season. He announced to act as ambassador, instructor and test driver for the AMG -Mercedes in the future. Bernd Schneider was at the time of his resignation, the senior factory driver at Mercedes -Benz.

In the years 2010 and 2011, Schneider was involved as a test driver crucial to the development of the Mercedes -Benz SLS AMG GT3, and starts since then occasionally in endurance races such as the 24 -hour race at the Nürburgring and at Spa -Francorchamps, but also in some race of the VLN and the Australian GT series.

In 2013 he won both the 24 - hour race in Dubai as well as the 24 -hour race at the Nürburgring with the SLS AMG GT3 Black Falcon team. With an SLS AMG GT3 team Erebus Motorsport, he won the 12 - hour race at Bathurst .. He also won the 24 - hour race at Spa -Francorchamps in a SLS AMG GT3 HTP Motorsports team for themselves. Even the 12 - hour race at Abu Dhabi could Schneider, again in a SLS AMG GT3 of the Black Falcon team win.

Le Mans results

Private

Schneider lives with his partner and their daughter in Monaco and since 2008 in Bottighofen on Lake Constance.

With wife Nicole Bierhoff ( sister of the footballer Oliver Bierhoff ), of which he lives apart, he has a daughter and a son.