LMP2 –
Podiums – 31 drivers. Most – 4
(Merriman/Dalziel/Zilisch, Robinson/Fraga, Thomas)
Wins – Era Motorsport (Daytona and Sebring), Richard
Mille AF Corse (Watkins Glen), Inter Europol by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports
(CTMP), United Autosports USA (Road America), TDS Racing (Indy and Petit Le
Mans)
Champions –Nick Boulle and Tom Dillmann. Inter Europol
by PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports.
MEC Champions – TDS Racing. Steven Thomas, Mikkel
Jensen, and Hunter McElrea. TDS Racing.
14 cars entered, 10 cars full season. Only full season cars
no podium Tower Motorsports 8 and HighClass Racing 20.
Qualifying:
Most Points for Qualifying: 222 for Hyett
Fewest Points for Qualifying: 143 for Farano
Add 79
to Farano and he finishes 7th in the championship, +2 places.
Poles – Hyett (Sebring, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Road
America), Keating (Daytona and Petit), Boulle (Indy)
Most Positions Gained Q to F – Era Motorsport +34
Most Positions Lost Q to F – AO Racing -30
Driver of the Year – Bronze: Ben Keating
A close
look at the Bronze driver’s performances in 2024 shows a divide in the class.
Keating displayed pace that was frequently better than HALF of the silvers
entered in the category. His Average Pace of 1.9 off Fastest Lap was better
than Seth Lucas, Josh Burdon, Kuba Smiechowski, Michael Dinan, and Bijoy Garg,
to name a few. But then when you read further, so was that of Nick Boulle and
PJ Hyett. Keating scored the first and final poles of the season, but pole man
extraordinaire was PJ Hyett, who really had a breakout year. PJ flourished in
Spike the Dragon, and the one podium he earned feels like more of an omen of
what’s to come than a true representation of what the driver and team are
capable of achieving. I can’t overlook our 2024 champion, Nick Boulle, either.
Nick was barely off Ben’s average position or pace, and often kept up with his
super speedy co-champion. The other driver who really impressed me though is
someone who didn’t get a lot of time in the spotlight. He only earned one
trophy all year, but Dan Goldburg’s time off his Platinum rated DTM Champion
co-driver was the best of all Bronzes, and he qualified 2nd three
times in a row.
Driver of the Year – Silver: Connor Zilisch
Yes, I
know, it looks like I’m on the Connor Zilisch Fan Club bandwagon. And I am, honestly
have been for a few years now. But looking at the Silver performances from
2024, it’s a 2-man show for most impressive driver. Connor takes it because out
of the 4 races in which he drove in 2024 (the car crashed on the opening lap of
Watkins Glen, so he never got behind the wheel), Connor set the Fastest Lap for
the car in 3 of them. Hunter McElrea, the other driver who’s in the
conversation for breakout superstardom, was fastest in his car twice, but
that’s almost more impressive since he was sharing a car with Mikkel Jensen.
Hunter’s average position and average pace were both almost half of Connor’s
(2.8 compared to 5.0, and 0.18 versus 0.348)…and less is better in both of
these situations. Connor thoroughly demolished his co-drivers, whereas Hunter
rose to the level of Mikkel Jensen, and I don’t know which performance is more
impressive. Connor won Daytona and Sebring on debuts, whereas Hunter won Indy
and Petit. I’d say Connor takes the award simply based on adaption time to the
car, because he came out of the gates super strong, but Hunter might have more
eyeballs on him going forward as a superstar of sportscar racing’s future!
Driver of the Year – Pro: Mikkel Jensen
Much
like the silver category, there were two drivers who stood out this year from
an LMP2 Pro driver perspective: Tom Dillmann and Mikkel Jensen. Tom was
unexpected. I’ve most known him from being associated with the ByKolles effort
at Le Mans, where he has 4 starts and 4 DNFs. Needless to say, I was completely
wowed by his performances, particularly at CTMP where he proved to be the
standout driver, setting the Fastest Lap and taking the team to its first win.
That weekend, it should be noted, was when a lot of the regular pros were
missing. Of all the full season pairings, only Ben Hanley, Ryan Dalziel, and
Felipe Fraga were present. This makes Dillmann’s performance perhaps even more
impressive, battling against the likes of GTP stars van der Zande, Albuquerque,
Derani, and Deletraz. Battling is one thing, but dominating is another, and
that’s exactly what he did that weekend. His fiercest competitor all year for
pace was Mikkel Jensen, and Jensen was the only driver all year to set Fastest
Lap of a race twice. Mikkel, a lot like last year, was metronomic in his
performances. He led TDS Racing to win the coveted Michelin Endurance Cup. He
helped Steven Thomas get even stronger as a Bronze, and worked to help make
Hunter McElrea a weapon. This team building aspect, along with his precision in
terms of lap times, is why he earns my nod as the best in LMP2 for 2024.
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