"I learn something new every weekend."
Mike Rockenfeller of BAM!
by Margot Orenchuk 
Photos courtesy Lisa Salazar and Margot Orenchuk

SEBRING, Florida (March 21, 2004) – Well, fans and friends, the race at Sebring is now in the history books, and young Mike Rockenfeller of BAM! has added his part to that history.  On Thursday afternoon, with only 40 minutes in the 2003 car on a dry Sebring track, “Rocky” went out and not only took pole in GT, but made a mockery of the record time, qualifying .6 seconds faster than the rest of the field, including the Alex Job Racing team who were in 2004 RSRs. And even after a technical ruling sent him to the back of the grid, and despite the team needing to replace the windshield and to change and arrange the rear spoiler three separate times during the race, Mike kept his focus and added his shoulder (and his right foot) to the team effort and brought the car home 5^th in class.  After the race, he said, “First of all, thanks to Leo and Peter, who gave me a chance to do my first 12 Hours of Sebring.  And thanks to the guys – we had two little incidents during the race and they fixed the car really, really fast.  And without those incidents we could have finished on the podium.  I’m really, really happy with my first race here!” 

RFM’s Margot Orenchuk had a chance to get a few words with Mike before race day, and get his thoughts about the upcoming race and his 2004 expectations.  

Margot Orenchuk: Mike, how does the 2004 RSR compare with the Orbit car you drove at Petit last year? 

Mike Rockenfeller: We had different conditions [in testing], so it's hard to compare with last year. The 2004 RSR is faster, not from the engine, but the handling is better. The gearbox is quicker – you can shift quicker and it's easier to shift. 

MO: Have there been any discussions of you being able to drive at Le Mans this year?  

MR: No, not yet. 

MO: Do you think your endurance experience from Daytona will be of any help to you coming into Sebring, considering they are 2 entirely different tracks? How do you approach, strategy-wise, these 2 types of races? 

MR: I'm not the most experienced driver at Sebring, but now I know how endurance racing works. It's not like Atlanta where I got all my firsts. Now I feel really confident; I know the team. The only thing new is the track, but everything else should be okay. I have a good feeling for the race. The most important thing I learned is not to make a mistake. It's always the case, but in endurance racing, it's more important. It's such a long race, you can give away two or three seconds on one lap and it doesn't matter at the end of the race. What counts is to stay on the track and not make a mistake or break something on the car. 

MO: Have you ever driven at Sebring before? 

MR: No. 

MO: Do you ever do computer simulation driving? 

MR: No, for me it doesn't really help. 

MO: Mike, can you tell us about the classes that you took at the Porsche School? What do they teach you there? (Besides driving very fast?) 

MR: There's no school, just racing and working with an engineer. I've done two years there now on the Porsche Junior team and I learn something every race, every weekend.  

MO: How much of a distraction do you find the different classes (in the ALMS series) of cars on the track? Is it something that you even have to think about? 

MR: In Atlanta, it wasn't easy because we had the Audis and all the prototypes and they are so much faster. But I don't think about that. 

MO: How do you compare driving at nighttime to driving during the light? Was there any way for you to prepare for it? 

MR: It's more difficult, for sure, but I have good eyes! I like driving in the dark, so for me it doesn't matter. 

MO: What has been the most pleasant surprise for you driving over here in North America? 

MR: It's quite the same as in Europe – you do your best, drive as fast as you can and try to win the race. Maybe it's a bit more relaxed than in Germany. In the Supercup races with Formula One, there are no spectators in the paddock. In the Carrera Cup races, it's like in America. There are a lot of people who try to talk to us and I like that! 

MO: What do you like to do when you arrive at a new track, to learn your way around? 

MR: I like a close view when I visit a track for the first time.  At Sebring I took my early morning runs on the track.  I run the track because you can see more when you stop in the corners and have a look at the curbs.  In the car you can’t see these things.  I can see all the tricky things of the track and I can have a deep look at the bumps. It helps with the race, and we have to do exercise anyway, so it’s two [for the price of] one.” 

Mike hopes to join BAM! at the big race in Le Mans, but we will certainly see him at Petit Le Mans and perhaps selected other races as the Porsche Factory Team allows.  He has one more season in Carrera Cup, and then watch out world of racing.  Mike Rockenfeller is on the move and we’ll be cheering him on for many years to come.