Bernd Mayländer
Encyclopedia
Bernd Mayländer (born May 29, 1971 in Waiblingen
Waiblingen
Waiblingen is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart Region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital of the Rems-Murr district...
) is a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
racing driver.
Racing career
Bernd started his career in karting sport at the end of the 1980s. In the following years he made his way to the Formula FordFormula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
, the Porsche Carrera Cup
Porsche Carrera Cup
Porsche Carrera Cup is a number of one-make sports car racing series competed with Porsche 911 Carreras, including the following:-Regional:...
and the original DTM
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
. In 2000, he won the 24 Hours Nürburgring
24 Hours Nürburgring
The 24 Hours Nürburgring is a touring car and GT endurance racing event on the Nürburgring Nordschleife . With a lap length of over , it allows the participation of more than 200 cars, and over 700 drivers.-Overview:...
in a Porsche 911 GT3-R. When the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters
The Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters is a touring car racing series based in Germany, but also with rounds elsewhere in Europe....
(DTM) series was resumed in 2000, he was driving for Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
.
Safety car driver in Formula One
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
driver for all Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
races, with his busiest being the 2006 Australian Grand Prix
2006 Australian Grand Prix
The 2006 Australian Grand Prix was the third race of the 2006 Formula One World Championship. It was held on the weekend of 31 March–2 April 2006 at Albert Park, Melbourne...
, where he led more laps than everybody but the winner Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso Díaz is a Spanish Formula One racing driver and a two-time World Champion, who is currently racing for Ferrari....
.
He has driven the Formula One safety car
Safety car
In motorsport, a safety car or pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track. During a caution period the safety car enters the track ahead of the leader...
since 2000, except for the 2001 Canadian Grand Prix
2001 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2001 Canadian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on June 10, 2001. It was the 8th round of the 2001 Formula One season.-Race:...
, when he was injured and was replaced by Marcel Fässler.
He also did a notable job at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix
2007 Japanese Grand Prix
The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September, 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The race, contested over 67 laps, was the fifteenth round of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held at the recently revised track in very heavy rain and misty conditions...
, when he led the race for almost 20 laps of heavy rain and also at the 2010 Korean Grand Prix
2010 Korean Grand Prix
The 2010 Korean Grand Prix was the seventeenth round of the 2010 Formula One season. It took place at the Korean International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla, South Korea on 24 October 2010...
where he led 26 laps in heavy rain. At the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix
2011 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2011, was the seventh round of the 2011 Formula One season and was held on 12 June 2011 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...
he led 28 laps, while race winner Jenson Button
Jenson Button
Jenson Alexander Lyons Button MBE is a British Formula One driver currently signed to McLaren. He was the 2009 World Drivers' Champion.Button began karting at the age of eight and achieved early success, before progressing to car racing in the British Formula Ford Championship and the British...
led only half a lap, the last half of the last lap.
Other
In May 2005, he was one of six Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
drivers taking part in a record drive. Three stock E320 CDI
Mercedes-Benz W211
The Mercedes-Benz W211 is a mid-size luxury car–executive car which was produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 2002 to 2009, under the E-Class model names. The W211 models replaced the W210 E-Class models and were superseded by the Mercedes-Benz W212 in 2009...
cars drove 100,000 miles in 30 days around the clock, which resulted in an average speed of 139.7 mph (224.8 km/h).