Earl Bamber Bio
Earl Anderson Bamber (born 9 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional racing driver and racing team owner. He currently competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and Cadillac Whelen. Bamber is a factory driver for Corvette Racing, having previously held a similar role with Porsche. He is widely recognized as one of the most successful endurance racers of his generation.
Bamber is a two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having triumphed in 2015 with Nico Hülkenberg and Nick Tandy, and again in 2017 with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. He also lifted the overall FIA World Endurance Championship crown in 2017. Beyond his sports car achievements, Bamber captured the IMSA SportsCar Championship GTLM title in 2019 and the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2023.
Early Life and Background
Earl Bamber was born in Whanganui, New Zealand, to Paul and Maureen Bamber, whose maiden name was Johnson. He grew up on a farm and learned to drive in the small settlement of Jerusalem on the Whanganui River. His rural upbringing gave him early experience behind the wheel of farm vehicles, a foundation that later supported his transition to competitive motorsport.
Bamber attended Wanganui Collegiate School alongside his younger brother, William. He began his competitive career in kart racing and won his first title at the age of 12, taking the Junior 100cc Yamaha Restricted class at the North Island Sprint Championships. He followed that with his first national title at the 2004 Sprint Kart Championship meeting in Auckland, and later that year secured a podium finish at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Final in Portugal after dominating the Junior class in New Zealand.
Path to NASCAR
Bamber’s path to NASCAR began through his relationship with team owner Richard Childress, whose father had been hunting partners with Childress in the 2000s. In August 2020, Bamber joined Richard Childress Racing for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race on the Daytona road course. He had previously attempted to arrange a three-race deal after oval testing with RCR driver Ty Dillon, but the broader plan did not materialize.
Bamber started 29th in the 2020 UNOH 188 at the Daytona road course but finished 33rd after his car went airborne when it struck a kerb on the backstretch chicane. The single Xfinity start remains his only verified NASCAR national series appearance.
Earl Bamber Career
Early Career (2005-2010)
Bamber progressed through karts into single-seater racing and was ranked among the top future stars in the world by the recognized website driverdb.com in 2008. At the age of 15, he switched to the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship before moving to Asia two years later, where he won the Asian Formula BMW title. He added pole positions, fastest laps, and podium results in Formula Renault V6 and Australian Formula 3 while racing on a limited budget.
In 2008, Bamber captured two vice-championship trophies, finishing as runner-up in both the Formula Renault V6 Asia series and the Toyota Racing Series New Zealand. He represented New Zealand in several rounds of the A1 Grand Prix series in 2009, earning three podium finishes, and added another GP2 Asia podium at the age of 19. He repeated his Toyota Racing Series runner-up result in 2010, building a strong reputation in the Pacific region.
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Breakthrough (2013-2014)
In 2013, Bamber made his first appearance in a Porsche one-make series, joining Malaysian team Nexus Racing for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. He battled all season with Martin Ragginger and ultimately secured the drivers’ championship. That same year, he won the Bathurst 12 Hour in Class B with Grove Racing, alongside team owner Stephen Grove and Ben Barker, and closed his inaugural sportscar season with victory in the Carrera Cup Asia race at the 60th Macau Grand Prix, defeating nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb in the process.
Bamber was nominated by Porsche Carrera Cup Asia for the Porsche Motorsport International Cup Scholarship shootout in Oschersleben, Germany, where he beat seven other top pilots from Porsche one-make series around the world. He received 200,000 Euros in funding for his 2014 Porsche Supercup campaign. He went on to win the Porsche Supercup title with FACH Auto Tech, becoming the first New Zealander and the first rookie to claim the championship, while also retaining the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia crown.
Le Mans and WEC Era (2015-2017)
Prior to the 2015 season, Bamber signed with Porsche Motorsport as a works driver. He joined fellow works drivers Jörg Bergmeister and Frédéric Makowiecki for the 24 Hours of Daytona in January 2015, finishing seventh in the GTLM class. Later that year, he paired with Nick Tandy and Formula One driver Nico Hülkenberg in the Porsche LMP1 squad to contest the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a 919 Hybrid. After Porsche locked out the front three positions in qualifying, Bamber’s car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans comfortably.
Bamber continued as a Porsche factory driver in 2016, racing the 911 RSR in both the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship and at Le Mans. In December 2016, he was confirmed as a member of the Porsche LMP1 team for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship. Co-driving the No. 2 car with Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley, he won the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans and secured the overall FIA World Endurance Championship title.
Cadillac Era (2023-Present)
For the 2023 season, Bamber joined Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook in the Hypercar category of the FIA World Endurance Championship, piloting a Cadillac V-Series.R run by Chip Ganassi Racing. He also added the 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours to his trophy collection, further cementing his reputation as a top-tier endurance racer. He continues to balance his WEC duties with a full-season IMSA SportsCar Championship program.
His current Cadillac program expanded to include Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and Cadillac Whelen entries, marking a new chapter in his sports car career. As a factory driver for Corvette Racing, Bamber plays a central role in Cadillac’s push for overall victories in both IMSA and the WEC. The Cadillac era represents his first sustained Hypercar campaign since the Porsche 919 Hybrid days.
Driving Style and Strengths
Bamber is widely respected for his versatility across prototype and GT classes, having successfully raced in LMP1, GTE-Pro, and GTE-Am machinery within a single season. He is known for strong qualifying pace, including a debut GTLM pole at Road America in 2015, and for adapting quickly to different co-driver lineups. His race craft, particularly in traffic and changing weather, has made him a valued endurance driver for factory programs.
Notable Races and Milestones
Bamber’s signature moments include his two 24 Hours of Le Mans victories, his overall 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship title, and his IMSA SportsCar Championship GTLM crown in 2019. He has also enjoyed success at Mount Panorama with two Bathurst 12 Hour Class B wins, the Nürburgring 24 Hours in 2023, and a victory at the Macau Grand Prix Carrera Cup Asia race in 2013.
Earl Bamber Career Wins
Earl Bamber has collected major endurance racing victories across multiple premier series, highlighted by two wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship title. He is a former IMSA SportsCar Championship GTLM class champion and a Nürburgring 24 Hours winner.
IMSA and WEC Highlights
Bamber won the IMSA SportsCar Championship GTLM class in 2019 as a Porsche factory driver, adding to his earlier sportscar achievements. His WEC resume features the 2017 overall championship, won alongside Timo Bernhard and Brendon Hartley. He has also stood on the podium at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the Bathurst 12 Hour on multiple occasions.
Other Wins and Performances
Earlier in his career, Bamber was champion of the 2014 Porsche Supercup with two wins and three pole positions, and a two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion in 2013 and 2014. He was also a two-time runner-up in the New Zealand Toyota Racing Series and earned the 2008 Lady Wigram Trophy, recognizing his emerging talent in New Zealand motorsport.
Earl Bamber Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Earl Bamber is the son of Paul Bamber and Maureen Bamber, whose maiden name was Johnson. His younger brother, William, attended Wanganui Collegiate School alongside him. The Bamber family has deep roots in the Whanganui area, where Earl grew up on a farm and first learned to drive.
Personal Life
Bamber maintains a close connection to his New Zealand roots, often referencing his Whanganui upbringing and his friendship with fellow Kiwi racer Brendon Hartley, whom he credits as a childhood friend. His helmet design features a silver fern and the Southern Cross, symbols of his home country.
2025 Season Performance
Earl Bamber’s 2025 season centers on his Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and Cadillac Whelen programs in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. He is a key part of Cadillac’s Hypercar effort, which has continued to mature since the marque’s 2023 factory return. Results from the early part of the year have placed the Cadillac V-Series.R inside the top tier of Hypercar competition.
In the IMSA SportsCar Championship, Bamber has added further GTP-class results to his resume, including victory at the 2025 Petit Le Mans and the Battle on the Bricks. These wins highlight his continued strength in long-distance American sports car racing. His WEC program, meanwhile, has been focused on consistently scoring points across the championship calendar.
Looking ahead, Bamber’s partnership with Cadillac is expected to deepen as the brand pushes for overall victories at Le Mans and Daytona. With Corvette Racing factory support and established co-driver lineups, the 2025 season offers a clear opportunity to add to his already impressive list of endurance racing achievements.
