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Will Bamber, the younger brother of Porsche LMP1 factory star Earl Bamber, has been rewarded with his first full-time drive since leaving his native New Zealand two years ago.
Bamber has been named as the lead driver in the FAW T2M team in Class A for the 2017 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship with the team’s owner Jeffrey Chiang running a second Cup Car in Class B.
Confirmation of the season-long deal is what Bamber had been waiting for after dipping his toes in the Asian one-make Porsche series for the Thailand and Malaysian rounds only last year.
Having been based in Kuala Lumpur he has been earning a living by driver coaching across Asia in manufacturer events.
It is a similar path 26-year-old Earl Bamber took as he claimed Asia Carrera Cup titles in 2013 and 2014.
He then climbed the pinnacle of world sportscar racing by winning the Le Mans 24 Hour alongside Nick Tandy and Nico Hulkenberg in Porsche’s third LMP1 entry for La Sarthe in 2015.
In 2017 Bamber was finally promoted in a full-time seat with Porsche in the World Endurance Championship taking the place of the retired Mark Webber alongside fellow Kiwi Brendon Hartley and German Timo Bernhard in the 919 Hybrid.
Will Bamber is acutely aware of the opportunity a full-time drive in the Asian Championship presents given his brother’s rapid rise through the Porsche ranks.
“This is my first full season of racing since leaving New Zealand so it’s a huge opportunity in a Cup series which laid the foundation for Earl’s elevation through the Porsche pyramid,” Bamber told Speedcafe.com.
“I’ve grown up very aware of the possibilities but also the challenges along the way, so just as he did, I’ll be taking it one step at a time.”
“So over the past 2 years I have been driver coaching across Asia and also instructing in manufacturer events.”
Bamber was a keen spectator at the 2016 edition of the Le Mans 24 Hour classic, leaving him in no doubt that the blue riband event is his primary target.
“Definitely, that’s where my ambition lies. Having visited Le Mans I was truly hooked. I’m looking forward to see where my journey may take me.”
