2024 By the Numbers - BoP

Season Review – BoP

Last year I called BoP the “necessary evil to prevent a single manufacturer from spending large sums of money to create the perfect race car that everyone goes and buys to win.” That has not changed, but does it still work? The most prolific GT3 cars at Daytona were Ferrari, Lambo, and Porsche with 5 cars a piece. By Petit, Ferrari led the way with 7, and the next best represented was Lambo at 4 with Porsche down to 3. So did Ferrari prove it’s worth and value as the car to have for 2025? Let’s find out.

 

Acura – 66 Gradient Racing (GTD)

               Wins – 0

               Podiums – 1

               Poles – 0

               Fast Laps – 0

               Average Fast Lap – 11.6 (worst)

               Average Finish – 11.5

               Average Time off Pace – 0.78 (worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 23.9 (worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 11.6 (worst) 

               Best Race Pace  - Laguna Seca – McAleer 2^nd in class 5^th OA 0.461 off.

 

Aston Martin – Heart of Racing Team 23 GTD Pro, 027 GTD Pro, 27 GTD. Flying Lizard Motorsports 28 GTD Long Beach. Magnus Racing 44 Enduros.

               Wins – 2 (Heart of Racing Team - GTD Pro Watkins Glen, GTD CTMP)

               Podiums – 7 (Heart of Racing Team GTD Pro 5, GTD 1, Magnus Racing 1)

               Poles – 0

               Fast Laps – 3 (Overall Long Beach & Petit, GTD Pro VIR)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 9.3, GTD 17.1. Cumulative – 13.2

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 3.8, GTD 9.8. Cumulative – 6.8

               Average Time off Pace – 0.632 (3^rd worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 14.5 (2^nd worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 7.6 (4^th worst)

 

BMW – Paul Miller Racing 1 GTD Pro, Turner Motorsports 96 GTD

Wins – 2 (Paul Miller Racing GTD Pro VIR, Turner Motorsport GTD Road America)

               Podiums – 6 (Paul Miller Racing GTD Pro 3, Turner Motorsport GTD 3)

               Poles – 1 (Paul Miller Racing GTD Pro VIR)

               Fast Laps – 1 (Paul Miller Racing GTD Pro Daytona)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 8.2, GTD 9.8. Cumulative -  9

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 5.3, GTD 4.9. Cumulative -  5.1

               Average Time off Pace – 0.579 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 9.6 (4^th best)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 6.3 (middle)

 

Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports 3 & 4 GTD Pro, AWA 13 17(Daytona & Sebring)

Wins – 1 (Corvette Racing by PMM GTD Pro CTMP)

               Podiums – 5 (Corvette Racing by PMM GTD Pro Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP x2, Indy)

               Poles – 5 (Corvette Racing by PMM GTD Pro Laguna Seca, Detroit, CTMP, Road America, Indy)

               Fast Laps – 4 (Corvette Racing by PMM GTD Pro Detroit, CTMP, Indy, AWA GTD Indy)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 4.9, GTD 19.5. Cumulative - 12.2

               Average Finish –  GTD Pro 5.2, GTD 9.2. Cumulative - 7.2

               Average Time off Pace – 0.527 (4^th best)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 8.5 (3^rd best)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 6.1 (4^th best)

 

Ferrari – GTD Pro: Risi Competizione 62 (Enduros), Conquest Racing 35 (Detroit & Road America), DragonSpeed 82 (Petit). GTD: Conquest Racing 34, Inception Racing 70 (Indy & Petit), Triarsi Competizione 023 (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America, Indy, & Petit), Cetilar Racing 47 (enduros), AF Corse 21 (enduros), DragonSpeed 56 (Indy).

Wins – 3 (Risi Competizione 62 GTD Pro Daytona, Conquest Racing 35 GTD Pro Road America, Conquest Racing 34 GTD Petit)

               Podiums – 9 (GTD Pro: Risi Competizione 62 Daytona Sebring & Petit, Conquest Racing 35 Road America. GTD: Conquest Racing 34 Daytona, Watkins Glen & Petit, AF Corse 21 Daytona, Cetilar Racing 47 Sebring.)

               Poles – 2 (Risi Competizione 62 GTD Pro Watkins Glen, Cetilar Racing 47 Sebring)

               Fast Laps – 5 (Risi Competizione 62 GTD Pro Sebring, Conquest Racing 35 GTD Pro Road America, AF Corse 21 GTD Daytona, Triarsi Competizione 023 GTD Road America & Petit)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 2.1, GTD 4.4. Cumulative - 3.3

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 4.7, GTD 6.5. Cumulative - 5.6

               Average Time off Pace – 0.411 (Best)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 6.0 (Best)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 3.5 (Best)

 

Ford – Ford Multimatic Motorsports 64 & 65 GTD Pro, Proton Competition 55 GTD.

Wins – 0

               Podiums – 2 (Ford Multimatic 64 GTD Pro VIR & Indy)

               Poles – 0

               Fast Laps – 1 (Ford Multimatic 64 GTD Pro Watkins Glen)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 8.6, GTD 20.5. Cumulative -14.6

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 5.4, GTD 12.6. Cumulative - 9

               Average Time off Pace – 0.655 (2^nd worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 14.0 (3^rd worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 8.5 (3^rd worst)

 

Lamborghini – GTD Pro: Iron Lynx 19 (enduros) & 60 (Daytona). GTD: Forte Racing 78, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosports 45, Iron Dames 83 (enduros)

Wins – 1 (Iron Lynx 19 GTD Pro Petit)

               Podiums – 3 (Forte Racing 78 GTD VIR & Petit, Iron Lynx 19 GTD Pro Petit)

               Poles – 1 (WTRAndretti GTD Laguna Seca)

               Fast Laps – 4 (Forte Racing 78 GTD Sebring, Laguna Seca, CTMP, & VIR)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 12.2, GTD 4.9. Cumulative – 8.6

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 6.6, GTD 6.4. Cumulative – 6.5

               Average Time off Pace – 0.498 (3^rd best)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 9.8 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 5.0 (2^nd best)

 

Lexus – VasserSullivan GTD Pro 14 & 15 (Detroit), GTD 12 & 89 (Long Beach).

Wins – 2 (GTD Pro Sebring, GTD Long Beach)

               Podiums – 4 (GTD Pro Sebring & Detroit. GTD Long Beach & Petit)

               Poles – 5 (GTD Pro Sebring. GTD Daytona, Long Beach, Watkins Glen, CTMP)

               Fast Laps – 1 (GTD Watkins Glen)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 12.1, GTD 10.6. Cumulative – 11.4

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 6.3, GTD 9.2. Cumulative – 7.8

               Average Time off Pace – 0.551 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 10.8 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 6.6 (middle)

 

McLaren – Pfaff Motorsports 9 GTD Pro, Inception Racing 70 GTD (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Road America, VIR).

Wins – 0

               Podiums – 4 (GTD Pro Laguna Seca & Watkins Glen. GTD CTMP & Road America)

               Poles – 0

               Fast Laps – 0

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 10.7, GTD 7.5. Cumulative – 9.1

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 7.1, GTD 9.9. Cumulative – 8.5

               Average Time off Pace – 0.531 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 12.2 (middle)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 8.9 (2^nd worst)

 

Mercedes – GTD Pro: Sun Energy 1 (Daytona & Indy). GTD: Winward Racing 57, Korthoff/Preston Motorsport 32, Lone Star Racing 80 (enduros).

Wins – 5 (GTD: Winward 57 Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, & Watkins Glen, KPM 32 VIR)

               Podiums – 9 (GTD: Winward 57 Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, & VIR. KPM 32 Long Beach, VIR, & Indy)

               Poles – 3 (GTD: KPM 32 Road America & Indy, Lone Star 80 Petit)

               Fast Laps – 0

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 20, GTD 5.9. Cumulative – 13

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 10, GTD 2.5. Cumulative – 6.3

               Average Time off Pace – 0.605 (4^th worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 13 (4^th worst)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 6.1 (middle)

 

Porsche – GTD Pro: AO Racing 77. GTD: Wright Motorsports 120 (all except CTMP), MDK Motorsports 86, Andretti Motorsports 43 (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen & Indy), KellyMoss with Riley 90 (Indy) 92 (Daytona).

Wins – 4 (AO Racing 77 GTD Pro Laguna Seca, Detroit, & Indy. Wright Motorsports 120 GTD Indy)

               Podiums – 8 (AO Racing 77 GTD Pro Daytona, Laguna Seca, Detroit, CTMP, & Indy. Wright Motorsports 120 GTD Sebring, Laguna Seca, & Indy)

               Poles – 2 (AO Racing 77 GTD Pro Daytona & Petit)

               Fast Laps – 1 (AO Racing 77 GTD Pro Laguna Seca)

               Average Fast Lap – GTD Pro 5.2, GTD 8.7. Cumulative - 7

               Average Finish – GTD Pro 4.5, GTD 7.4. Cumulative - 6

               Average Time off Pace – 0.434 (2^nd best)

               Average Driver FL Position Overall – 8.3 (2^nd best)

               Average Driver FL Position Class – 5.9 (3^rd best)

 

 

The following chart really tells the tale of pace per car per race. I took the fastest lap from the fastest driver in each car from each race and averaged them out. This was the single fastest driver, regardless of class. And this showed, above all else, which cars were consistently fast and which weren’t.

 

Car of the Year: Ferrari 296 GT3

The numbers don’t lie. Ferrari had 5 Fastest Laps. They ran 7 GTD Pro races, won 2 and stood on the podium in two more. They had the best cumulative Time off Pace, yes, but how they stacked up consistently above the rest for fast lap against the rest of the competition told the biggest story. Compare the Ferrari to the Acura. It was more than three and a half tenths faster on average, but the fastest driver in the Ferrari was on average in the top 6 of drivers in the field whereas the fastest Acura driver was 24^th. Does this mean that, say, Alessio Rovera is four times better than Stevan McAleer? Hell no. It’s a testament of car performance, not singular driver performance, because it was never the same driver representing a manufacturer for each race. This allowed for the strength of the car to show through, and this year the Ferrari did just that. Will we see a lot more Ferraris on the grid in 2025 as a result? Yes, yes we will. But if I’m a team looking to run a GT3 car for 2025, I’d choose the Ferrari, Porsche, or Corvette. Mercedes DOMINATED 2024 with a middle of the pack BoP-wise car, so pace does not automatically make a team championship worthy. Which manufacturer will win the 2025 GTD Pro and GTD championships? No clue. But I promise you this: victories (plural) will come the way of a strong team with a good BoP.

2024 By the Numbers - GTD

 

GTD – 122 races

Podiums – 40 drivers, Most – 5 (Ward/Ellis)

Wins –

               4 – Winward Racing (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, and Watkins Glen)

               1 – VasserSullivan (Long Beach)

               1 – Heart of Racing Team (CTMP)

               1 – Turner Motorsport (Road America)

               1 – Korthoff/Preston Motorsport (VIR)

               1 – Wright Motorsports (Indy)

               1 – Conquest Racing (Petit)

Champions and MEC Champions – Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, Winward Racing, Mercedes. Indy Dontje.

6975.74 miles, 4.36 more miles than 2023, one less race but added endurance.

27 cars, only 12 full season (no podium for 13, 45, 55, 86 but 9/30 podium spots occupied by non full season cars.

 

Qualifying:

 

Poles – Thompson (Daytona, Long Beach, Watkins Glen), Fuoco (Sebring), Formal (Laguna Seca), Montecalvo (CTMP), Grenier (Road America and Indy), Levorato (VIR), Andrews (Petit)

Most Positions Gained Q to F: 13 AWA Corvette, +64

Most Positions Gained Q to F Overall: 57 Winward Mercedes, +76

Most Positions Lost Q to F: 55 Proton Mustang, -40

Most Positions Lost Q to F Overall: 55 Proton Mustang, -48

Most Points Gained in Q: 32 Korthoff Preston Mercedes, 253 points

Fewest Points Gained in Q: 13 AWA Mercedes, 138 points

 

Team by Team:

12 – VasserSullivan – Lexus RCF GT3

Drivers: Frankie Montecalvo and Parker Thompson, Aaron Telitz (enduros), Ritomo Miyata (Daytona)

PIC – Thompson 6^th (-27 to 5^th, -739 to Champions), Montecalvo 7^th (-193 to 6^th, -932 to Champions)

Q vs F – Class -39 (2^nd worst), Overall -40 (2^nd worst)

Avg Q – Class 7 (3^rd best) , Overall  14 (t-2^nd best)

Avg Finish – Class 11 (t-3^rd worst),  Overall 18 (4^th worst)

FL – Watkins Glen (Telitz)

1 podium (Petit), 4 poles (Daytona, Long Beach [89 car], Watkins Glen Thompson, CTMP Montecalvo), 2 DNFs (Daytona, Indy).

 

13 – AWA – Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Drivers: Orey Fidani and Matt Bell, Lars Kern (enduros), Alex Lynn (Daytona)

PIC – 10^th, -20 to 9^th, -978 to Champions. Akin winner.

Q vs F – Class +64 (best), Overall +67 (2^nd best)

Avg Q – Class 16 (worst), Overall 26 (worst)

Best Qualifying  - Class 14^th (Daytona Bell, VIR Fidani), Overall 20 (Daytona Bell)

Avg Finish – Class 10 (middle), Overall 19 (3^rd worst)

Best Finish – Class & Overall 5^th (11^th) Road America

FL – Indy (Bell)

DNFs – Daytona and CTMP

 

27 – Heart of Racing Team – Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo

Drivers: Roman De Angelis, Marco Sorensen (Daytona), Ian James (Daytona, Sebring, and Watkins Glen), Zacharie Robichon (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Road America, VIR), Spencer Pumpelly (Long Beach, Laguna Seca)

DID NOT DO FULL SEASON

Q vs F – Class -23, Overall -12

Avg Q – Class 8, Overall 16

Avg Finish – Class 11 (3^rd worst) , Overall 19 (3^rd worst)

FL – Long Beach (De Angelis)

1 win (CTMP), 1 podium (CTMP), 2 DNFs (Daytona and Watkins Glen), 1 DSQ (VIR).

 

32 – Korthoff/Preston Motorsports – Mercedes-AMG GT3

Drivers: Mikail Grenier, Mike Skeen (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Indy, Petit), Kenton Koch (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Road America, VIR, Indy, Petit), Maxi Goetz (Daytona)

PIC – 3^rd, -375 to 2^nd, -605 to Champions

Q vs F – Class -34 (4^th worst), Overall -32 (4^th worst)

Avg Q – Class 5 (Best), Overall 12 (Best)

Avg Finish – Class 8 (2^nd best), Overall 15 (t-2^nd best)

1 win (VIR), 3 podiums (Long Beack, VIR, Indy), 2 poles (Road America and Indy), 1 DNF (Sebring), 1 DSQ (Petit).

 

34 – Conquest Racing – Ferrari 296 GT3

Drivers: Manny Franco and Albert Costa Balboa, Cedric Sbirazzuoli (enduros), Alessandro Balzan (Daytona)

PIC – 4^th, -84 to 3^rd, -689 to Champions

Q vs F – Class 0, Overall +21

Avg Q – Class 9 (middle), Overall 17 (middle)

Best Q – Costa 3 (Long Beach), Franco 8 Class (3x), 17 Overall (Laguna)

Avg. Finish – Class 9 (t-3^rd best), Overall 15 (2^nd best)

1 win (Petit), 3 podiums (Daytona, Watkins Glen, Petit), 2 DNFs (Laguna and Indy).

 

45 – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti– Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2

Drivers: Danny Formal, Kyle Marcelli (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, VIR, Indy, Petit), Graham Doyle (enduros), Sandy Mitchell (Road America), Ashton Harrison (Daytona)

PIC – 8^th, -24 to 7^th, 956 to Champions

Q vs F – Class -38 (3^rd worst), Overall -36 (3^rd worst)

Avg. Q – Class 7 (t-3^rd best), Overall 14 (t-2^nd best)

Avg. Finish – Class 10, Overall 18

Best Finish – 5^th (Laguna Seca & Petit), Overall 11^th Laguna Seca

1 pole (Laguna Seca Formal), 1 DNF (Sebring).

 

55 – Proton Competition – Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: Corey Lewis and Gianmarco Levorato, Ryan Hardwick (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Petit), Dennis Olsen (Daytona), Ben Barker (Indy)

PIC – last, -57 to 13^th, -1194 to Champions

Q vs F – Class -40 (worst), Overall -48 (worst)

Avg. Q – Class 9, Overall 17

Avg. Finish – Class 13 (worst), Overall 22 (worst)

Best Finish – 5 Long Beach

1 pole (VIR Levorato), 6 DNFs (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Indy, Petit).

 

57 – Winward Racing – Mercedes-AMG GT3

Drivers: Russell Ward and Philip Ellis, Indy Dontje (enduros), Daniel Morad (Daytona)

PIC – Champions

Q vs F – Class +47 (2^nd best), Overall +76 (best)

Avg. Q – Class 8, Overall 17

Best Q – Class 3 (Laguna Ward, Petit Ellis), Overall 9 Long Beach Ward

Avg F – Class 3 (best), Overall 9 (best)

4 wins (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen), 6 podiums (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, VIR).

 

66 – Gradient Racing – Acura NSX GT3

Drivers: Sheena Monk, Stevan McAleer (Daytona, Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Watkins Glen, CTMP, Road America, VIR, Indy, Petit), Tatiana Calderon (enduros), Katherine Legge (Daytona and Sebring)

PIC – Monk 12^th, -17 to 11^th, -1091 to Champions

Q vs F – Class +44 (3^rd best), Overall -7

Avg. Q – Class 12 (t-3^rd worst), Overall 22 (t-2^nd worst)

Best Q – Class 3 Overall 5 (Daytona Legge)

Avg. F – Class 12 (t-2^nd worst), Overall 20 (2^nd worst)

1 podium (Road America), 2 DNFs (Daytona and Sebring)

 

70 – Inception Racing – McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, Ferrari 296 GT3 (Indy and Petit)

Drivers: Brendon Iribe and Frederik Schandorff, Ollie Millroy (enduros), Tom Gamble (Daytona)

PIC – 9^th, -2 to 8^th, -958 to Champions

Q vs F – Class -14, Overall +6

Avg. Q – Class 9, Overall 18

Best Q – Class 5 Overall 13 CTMP Iribe

Avg. F – Class 11 (t-3^rd worst), Overall 18 (4^th worst)

2 podiums, 2 DNFs (Long Beach and VIR).

 

78 – Forte Racing – Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2

Drivers: Loris Spinelli and Misha Goikhberg, Devlin DeFrancesco (enduros), Sandy Mitchell (Daytona)

PIC – 5^th, -23 to 4^th, -712 to Champions

Q vs F – Class -8, Overall -9

Avg. Q – Class 8 (4^th best), Overall 16 (3^rd best)

Best Q – Spinelli Class 4 (Sebring) Overall 7 (Daytona), Goikhberg Class 7 (2x) Overall 12 (Long Beach)

Avg. Finish – Class 9 (t-3^rd best), Overall 16 (3^rd best)

FL - Sebring, Laguna Seca, CTMP, VIR

2 podiums (VIR and Petit), 2 DNFs (Watkins Glen and Road America).

 

86 – MDK Motorsports – Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Drivers: Kerong Li and Anders Fjordbach, Klaus Bachler (Daytona, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Petit), Brendon Leitch (Indy), Larry Ten Voorde (Daytona)

PIC – 13^th, -46 to 12^th, -1137 to Champions

Q vs F – Class +19, Overall +26

Avg. Q – Class 13 (2^nd worst), Overall 22 (t-2^nd worst)

Best Q – Bachler 2 Class 4 Overall, Li Class 11 Indy, Overall 21 CTMP

Avg. Finish – Class 12 (t-2^nd worst), Overall 19 (t-3^rd worst)

Best Finish – Class 8 Watkins, Overall 13 Long Beach

1 DNF (Petit)

 

96 – Turner Motorsports – BMW M4 GT3

Drivers: Robby Foley and Patrick Gallagher, Jake Walker (enduros), Jens Klingmann (Daytona)

PIC – 2^nd, -230 to Champions

Q vs F – Class +6, Overall +20

Avg. Q – Class 12 (t-3^rd worst), Overall 21 (4^th worst)

Best Q – Class 2 (Gallagher Laguna Seca, Foley Petit), Overall 8 (Gallagher Laguna Seca)

Avg Finish – Class 9 (t-3^rd best), Overall 17 (4^th best)

1 win (Road America), 4 podiums (Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Road America, Indy)

 

120 – Wright Motorsports – Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Drivers: Elliott Skeer and Adam Adelson, Jan Heylen (enduros), Fred Makowiecki (Daytona)

PIC – Not Full Season, 11^th, -96 to 10^th, -1074 to Champions

Q vs F – Class +23 (4^th best), Overall +43 (3^rd best)

Avg. Q – Class 6 (2^nd best), Overall 14 (t-2^nd best)

Best Q – Skeer Class 3 Overall 8 VIR, Adelson 11 Long Beach

Avg Finish – Class 10 (t-4^th best), Overall 17 (t-4^th best)

1 win (Indy), 3 podiums (Sebring, Laguna Seca, Indy), 3 DNFs (Long Beah, Road America, Petit)

 

Awards:

Before I start getting into the bit everyone’s been waiting for (individual driver praise), I first want to take a second to look at how this year’s GTD championship stacked up to previous ones. Was it the best year ever? For variety of winners, perhaps. Only one team won more than one race, and they won 40%. Mercedes won half the races on the season. In terms of individual champion strength, it was the second most impressive we’ve seen. The average finish displayed by the 57 Winward Mercedes was 3.3, but the best we’ve ever seen had one more race yet an average finish of 3 (2018 PMR). The 4 wins was the 2^nd most and tied with the 2014 and 2021 championships. The podium count (6) was only good enough for the 3^rd most, tying the record with 2014, 2020 and 2021. We had 8 podiums achieved in 2018, and 7 in 2016, 2017 and 2023. No DNFs impressive? It was also done in HALF of the GTD championship winning seasons, in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021. How about the fact that the Winward team’s worst finish was 8^th, that’s got to be a record for best worst finish? Nope. In 2016 the worst finish for the champions was 7^th, and in 2018 the worst finish was 6^th. So while Winward’s championship lead was never contested and was quite substantial, it’s far from an unsubstantiated or unprecedented performance.

Best Pro (Gold or Platinum): Albert Costa Balboa

For a category determined simply by numbers, this was difficult to single one driver out. Should the MVP be Parker Thompson with 3 poles out of 6 attempts? Loris Spinelli who set the Fast Lap in 4 out of 10 races? Philip Ellis who anchored home the championship winning entry? The most impressive driver was actually none of these, but rather the Spanish Ferrary ace, Albert Costa Balboa. When researching him before Daytona, the most impressive stat was that he won Le Mans in his only attempt. After watching his driving for a year, I understand why. Never did a co-driver go faster than him in his car, 10 times in 10 races posting the fastest lap in the 34 Conquest Ferrari. He had the best Average Position out of the class, registering 6.8, compared to Schandorff (7.1), Spinelli (9.5), or Ellis (13.9). He had the 3^rd best average for Time off Pace, but it was nearly half of the worst in class, who was actually Mik Grenier. I want to pause for a second and talk about Grenier, who finished 3^rd in the championship but actually registered the furthest Time off Pace average for a “pro”. He got the two poles, but, because he shared the car with such strong co-drivers, also had the furthest time for average off Co-drivers and was only fastest in the car 4 times all year. This is not a commentary on Mik’s lack of strength but rather a testament to the speed displayed by Koch and Skeen, and more on them next. But I digress. Costa was the only full season Platinum rated driver in the category this season, but his driving was actually in a league of his own.

 

Best Silver: Danny Formal

At first, nominating Danny Formal for Driver of the Year Silver seems like an odd choice. He had the 2^nd best Average Position (20.0 compared to Koch’s 18.0), the 5^th best average for Time off Pace (1.009 was slower than Fjordach, Koch, Gallagher, and Skeen), and was the fastest guy in his car 4 times compared to Levorato’s 7 or Fjordbach’s 6. But when we look at his qualifying effort, when it was him against the world, light fuel and new tires, and factor that in to his in-race performance as analyzed by the numbers, he stands out. Danny’s average qualifying performance was the best of the GTD category for full season entries. He got the pole at Laguna Seca as well. But here’s the thing: where was he weak? It was only Road America and VIR where he was the slowest driver in the car, and Road America the car had a fire early on in his first stint! For a first season in WeatherTech competition, Danny Formal showed very clearly why he’s a Super Trofeo champion two times over.

Honorable mentions: Montecalvo (2^nd best qualifying average in class with best Overall), Skeen (4^th best average Time off Pace and .055 off P1), Koch (best average Position, 2^nd best Time off Pace, strongest in car 3x), Levorato (best in car 7x), Fjordbach (best average Time off Pace and more than 3 seconds better on average than co-driver [who was the weakest driver in the field including Bronzes]), Gallagher (3^rd best average Time off Pace, fastest in car 4x, 3^rd best average Position).

 

 

Best Bronze: Brendon Iribe

Orey Fidani took the coveted Le Mans entry with the Akin award, but he was actually the weakest of the full season Bronze drivers. There were only 3 of them all year, but Iribe had numbers that would’ve put him mid-pack for the Silvers. He was between Montecalvo and Goikhberg for average Position, between Robichon and Adelson for Time off Pace. When it came to average Time off Co-drivers, it was much closer between Monk and Iribe, with both putting up impressive numbers.

 

Enduros Only – Best Pro: Alessio Rovera

Alessio was super human. He was best in category for average Position (3.4), average Time off Pace (0.143) and was never bested in his Ferrari. In his 5 races, he was fastest in his car 5 times. Scott Andrews and Antonio Fuoco can say the same about their starts as well, but they were significantly further away from the average Time off Pace. Rovera also set the Fast Lap in 2 of his five starts.

 

Enduros Only – Best Silver: Ollie Millroy

Ollie has always been an underrated superstar, but this year he took his super hero cape and waved it in the competition’s faces. He was the only driver who’s average Position was less than 20. His average Time off Pace was nearly matched by Jake Walker, but only Pumpelly was also able to get below a second. And for a guy sharing a car with the speed that is Frederik Schandorff, he was faster than the Dane in 2 of the 5 races. Compare him to the weakest driver in the category and Ollie was more than 3x better in terms of average Position and almost 6x better in terms of average Time off Pace! Iribe needs to hang on to Millroy, because the secret is out about who you’d want in your car!

Honorable mention: Pumpelly (average Time off Pace rivals the Pros), Walker (first season at this level, 2^nd best averages Position and Time off Pace, just over a quarter of a second off of Foley and Gallagher average).

 

Enduros Only – Best Bronze: Salih Yoluc

Yoluc was 2^nd best for average Position, but was clearly ahead for Time off Pace. Sarah Bovy had the best average Position but struggled badly for pace overall, even though she was quickest of the Dames in 2 races. Ryan Hardwick was mediocre for average Position but had the 2^nd best average Time off Pace and the best for Time off Co-drivers.

2024 By the Numbers - GTD Pro

 

GTD Pro –

Podiums – 29 drivers. Most – 5 (Heinrich, Gunn/Riberas)

Wins –

               Porsche – 3 (Laguna Seca, Detroit, Indy)

               Ferrari – 2 (Daytona and Road America)

               Lexus – 1 (Sebring)

               Aston Martin – 1 (Watkins Glen)

               Corvette – 1 (CTMP)

               BMW – 1 (VIR)

               Lamborghini – 1 (Petit Le Mans)

Champion – Laurin Heinrich. AO Racing. Porsche.

MEC Champions – Bryan Sellers, Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen. Paul Miller Racing. Chevrolet.

6993.22 miles raced, only 11 more than last year. 10 races (no Long Beach).

17 cars entered, 9 full season. Only full season no podium 65.

Qualifying:

 

 

Poles – Catsburg (Laguna Seca, Road America, Indy), Priaulx (Daytona), Hawksworth (Sebring), Garcia (Detroit), Serra (Watkins Glen), Sims (CTMP), Snow (VIR), Heinrich (Petit)

You might’ve noticed something here: Variety is the name of the game, yet there is a certain consistency at the top. Corvette Racing with Pratt Miller Motorsports NAILED qualifying. Three of their drivers had poles, and they massively outdid their competition across the board.

Most Positions Gained Q to F: 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, +21

Most Positions Gained Q to F Overall: 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin and AO Racing Porsche, +31

Most Positions Lost Q to F: 4 Corvette Racing by PMM, -38

Most Positions Lost Q to F Overall: 4 Corvette Racing by PMM, -71, 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus, -70.

Most Points Gained in Q: 3 Corvette Racing by PMM, 304.

Fewest Points Gained in Q: 65 Ford Multimatic, 225.

                

Team by Team:

1 – Paul Miller Racing -  BMW M4 GT3

Drivers: Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow, Neil Verhagen (enduros), Sheldon van der Linde (Daytona)

PIC – 4^th, -5 to 3^rd, -193 to Champion

Q vs F – Class +15, Overall +7

Avg Q – Class 7 (t-2^nd worst), Overall 9 (3^rd worst)

Avg Finish – Class 5 (t-2^nd best), Overall 8(t-3^rd best)

FL – Daytona (van der Linde)

1 win (VIR), 3 podiums (Daytona, Road America, VIR), 1 pole (VIR Snow)

It’s always a lofty undertaking when a GTD team steps up to the pro ranks. Pfaff did it in 2022, after dominating GTD in 2021, and successfully took the pro level championship in their first attempt. PMR, after setting records in GTD that haven’t and likely won’t be touched (5 wins in a season, 2 consecutive Sprint championships, 2 overall championships in 6 years), wasn’t expected to be a championship contender. 4^th out of 9 full season cars with a win and three podiums certainly was a successful season. They kept the same driver line up as 2023, switching out only the endurance drivers. So where was the biggest change? They really struggled in qualifying this year, with just the one pole compared to at least 3 for each of the previous 3 years. They earned 249 points in qualifying, 55 less than the 3 Corvette, who beat them by only 5 points in the season long championship battle. They had the 3^rd fewest points from qualifying from a full season car. With a stronger qualifying effort, they could’ve finished in the top 3 of the GTD Pro championship.  All four of their drivers were quickest in the car at some race, with van der Linde setting the fastest lap at Daytona of all the GT3 cars, and Verhagen was the guy at Indy and Watkins Glen. Sellers was the stronger of the two for average position (5^th), average pace (7^th) and average pace off co-driver(7^th), whereas Snow was 9^th, 11^th and 10^th respectively. Bryan has been the anchor of the team since joining in 2016, and a PMR without him will look and feel different, but he’s not leaving due to a lack of performance.

 

3 – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Drivers: Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims, Daniel Juncadella (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit)

PIC – 3^rd, -188 to Champion

Q vs. F – Class -24, Overall -28

Avg Q – Class 3 (Best), Overall 3 (Best)

Avg Finish – Class 6 (t-3^rd best) Overall 10 (5^th)

FL – CTMP (Sims), Indy (Garcia)

1 win (CTMP), 3 podiums (Watkins Glen, CTMP, Indy), 2 poles (Detroit Garcia, CTMP Sims), 1 DNF (Sebring).

First off, Alexander Sims is at home in a GT car. He belongs. That’s not to say he doesn’t belong in other cars, but he really fits in GT racing. He set the second most impressive qualifying efforts of the season. In his 4 attempts, he averaged a start position of 2.3 in class and overall, bettered only by three-time pole winner Nick Catsburg, and more on him later. Simsy, the 2023 GTP champion, took almost no time to show his strength in GTD Pro. He had the 2^nd best Average Position and 3^rd best Average Pace. While a lot of attention goes to (and should be on) the top 2 drivers in the championship, the pilots of the Corvettes shouldn’t be forgotten.

 Secondly, Antonio Garcia doesn’t slow down. 7^th best Average Position, 8^th best Average Pace. Garcia’s biggest “upset” of the year is that he had a larger average gap to his speedy co-driver, but honestly this is something that knocked down all the Corvette drivers. Milner (8^th), Sims (9^th), Catsburg (12^th) and Garcia (13^th) were all affected by their equally fast co-drivers. But let’s put this into context quickly: the worst qualifying effort from Garcia and Sims was 4^th, one from each driver, when they still qualified in the top third of the class each time. Ifs, shoulds, and coulds are dangerous, but if they hadn’t been taken out at the end of Sebring, or had the mechanical issues at Detroit and VIR, the 3 Corvette likely would’ve been champions.

 

4 – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Drivers: Tommy Milner and Nick Catsburg, Earl Bamber (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit)

PIC – 8^th, -15 to 7^th, -448 to Champion

Q vs F – Class -38, Overall -71

Avg Q – Class 3 (Best), Overall 4.7 (2^nd best)

Avg Finish – Class 8 (t-Worst), Overall 15 (Worst)

FL – Detroit (Milner)

2 podiums (Laguna Seca, CTMP), 3 poles (Laguna Seca, Road America, Indy Catsburg).

This car is the biggest mystery to me. Catsburg was THE guy for qualifying this year. He had the best average of 2 in class and overall, and 3 poles out of 4 attempts. So if Catsburg had so much speed, the weakness must be Milner, right? Wrong. Tommy had the 3^rd best Average Position, 4^th best average Time off Pace, and was the strongest of all Corvette drivers for time off their co-drivers. Catsburg was 10^th, 9^th and 12^th respectively. Thus, neither of the drivers was an explicit weak link. They had no DNFs but did have a lot of character-building weekends, as Joe Bradley would say. They finished 8^th or worse 60% of the season. The second most points accrued in qualifying is a feather in their cap, but they need a bit of good luck and reliability from the machinery to be the championship contenders we saw from their sister car.

 

9 – Pfaff Motorsports – McLaren 720S GT3 EVO

Drivers: Oliver Jarvis and Marvin Kirchhofer, James Hinchcliffe (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit), Alexander Rossi (Daytona)

PIC – 7^th, -94 to 6^th, -433 to Champion

Q vs F – Class +2, Overall -26

Avg Q – Class 7 (2^nd worst), Overall 10 (t-2^nd worst)

Avg Finish – Class 7 (2^nd worst), Overall 12 (3^rd worst)

Best Q – 3^rd Laguna Seca (Kirchhofer)

2 podiums (Laguna Seca and Watkins Glen), 2 DNFs (Daytona and Detroit).

Pfaff has cultivated a reputation as a serious powerhouse team since entering the series full time in 2019. As previously mentioned, they won both GTD and the GT Pro categories in back-to-back years, as well as Daytona, Sebring, and a plethora of other races with a wide variety of drivers. So when it was announced that their 2024 driver combo would be car expert Kirchhofer and IMSA GTP champion Olly Jarvis, there was a lot of reason to believe they’d be at the top of the class again. To the dismay of fans around the world, they weren’t. Both drivers struggled in qualifying. Jarvis had a better average in class (7.2 vs 7.5) but Kirchhofer had the better average overall (8.5 vs 10.2). When it came to in race, Kirchhofer was middle of the pack for Average Position, and Olly was down in 13^th. Average Pace is harder to read because their car, a lot like the Fords, lacked consistent speed over the course of the year. Kirchhofer was impressive to be 6^th, and just a smidge off the average set by Hawksworth, but Jarvis was better only than Joey Hand, at just under a second off Average Page. Kirchhofer won the teammate battle too, setting the fast lap of the car in 7 of the races. For a team with such an impressive cv of achievements, 2024 will not be one they highlight.

 

14 – VasserSullivan – Lexus RC F GT3

Drivers: Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat, Kyle Kirkwood (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit), Mike Conway (Daytona)

PIC – 5^th, -70 to 4^th, -263 to Champion

Q vs F – Class -16, Overall -70

Avg Q – Class 5 (2^nd Best), Overall 5 (3^rd Best)

Avg Finish - Class 6 (3^rd worst), Overall 10 (4^th worst)

1 win (Sebring), 2 podiums (Sebring and Detroit), 1 pole (Sebring Hawksworth), 3 DNFs (Daytona, CTMP, Petit).

The defending GTD Pro champs had a rough year. They won Sebring (and their pattern of winning the major endurance races in reverse order, one a year [Petit 2022, Watkins 2023, Sebring 2024] means they’ll win Daytona in 2025) and had pole that week, but that was one of only 3 front row starts all year. In 2023 when they took the championship, Jack Hawksworth had pole 4 times. His qualifying this year averaged 5^th in class and overall, still good enough to accrue the 3^rd most points from qualifying. Yet here’s the shocker: last year Hawksworth’s Average Time off Pace was 0.69 and this year it was 0.702. The difference is almost negligible. Hawksworth this year was 5^th for that stat whereas Barnicoat was 12^th. Their Average Positions were 11^th for Jack and 14^th for Ben. No Fastest Laps for any Lexus driver, and Jack was fastest in the car 7 race weekends. Something, and I don’t know what, changed and it had ripple effects on the duo.

 

23 – Heart of Racing Team – Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo

Drivers: Ross Gunn, Alex Riberas (Daytona, Sebring, Long Beach, Detroit, Watkins Glen, Road America, VIR, Indy, Petit), Mario Farnbacher (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, CTMP), Roman De Angelis (Petit)

PIC – 2^nd, -5 to Champion

Q vs F – Class +21, Overall +31

Avg Q – Class 6 (3^rd best), Overall 8 (4^th Best)

Avg Finish – Class 4 (Best), Overall 5 (Best)

Best Q – 2^nd Sebring (Farnbacher)

FL – VIR and Petit (Gunn)

1 win (Watkins Glen), 5 podiums (Detroit, Watkins Glen, Road America, VIR, Petit), 2 Fastest Laps (VIR and Petit, Gunn).

Ross almost did enough to be champion in 2024. 1 place better finish in any race, qualify 3 spots better in any race. The car was toward the bottom of the group as far as qualifying points earned, at only 258 compared to 304 for the most and 225 for the least. Gunn averaged mid pack each time he got to qualify the car, with a better average than Riberas but worse than Farnbacher. He raced really, really well though. Ross Gunn had the 2^nd best Average Position, the best Time off Pace (0.006 less than his average last year too, so extreme consistency), and was only bettered in his own car once all year. That’s right 9 times this season Ross Gunn was the fastest guy in the 23 Aston. That is unrivaled. So what stopped him from the title? Penalties. The team had a lot of pit related penalties this year, meaning they made a lot of unnecessary trips back down for drive thrus. VIR, for example, could’ve been another win, but a penalty meant they were on the backfoot and had to fight back to get second instead of challenging for the lead. Clean up the little mistakes and they’ll be a powerhouse.

 

64 – Ford Multimatic Motorsports – Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell, Christopher Mies (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit).

PIC – 6^th, -76 to 5^th, -339 to Champion

Q vs F – Class -1, Overall +6

Avg Q – Class 6 (t-4^th), Overall 9 (5^th)

Avg Finish – Class 6 (t-3^rd), Overall 9 (4^th)

Best Q – 2^nd Indy (Rockenfeller)

FL – Watkins Glen (Tincknell)

2 podiums (VIR and Indy), 1 Fastest Lap (Watkins Glen, Tincknell)

It’s important to remember that, despite all the fanfare and hubbub around the Fords, it was their first year. Growing pains on full display, and Ford didn’t shy away from these at all. The pains did ebb, and the 64 in particular really started to hit a stride in June. The two podiums, backed up with top 5s at Watkins and CTMP, showed the program is going in the right direction. In qualifying, it was Rocky who was strongest, averaging 6^th in class and 8.4 overall. Harry averaged 6.6 in class and 10^th overall. As far as race pace is concerned, advantage Tincknell, as Harry was the faster of the two drivers in half the races, and had the 6^th best Average Position of the class. The two podiums this year didn’t feel like a lack of performance but rather an omen of what’s to come, now that the program is really starting to function as intended. Also, honorable mention to Christopher Mies, who was the fastest Ford driver at both Daytona and Sebring!

 

65 – Ford Multimatic Motorsports – Ford Mustang GT3

Drivers: Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller, Frederic Vervisch (Daytona, Sebring, and Petit)

PIC – Last of full season entries, -119 to 8^th, -576 to Champion.

Q vs F – Class +8, Overall -7

Avg Q – Class 9 (worst), Overall 14 (worst)

Avg Finish – 8 (worst), Overall 14 (2^nd worst)

Best Q – 4^th VIR (Hand)

Best Finish – 4^th (VIR)

When Ford announced their driver line up and we found out that the Brothers from Other Mothers Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller were reunited, it looked like the Ford GT dream duo would be heading back towards the podium. I never would’ve predicted they’d be the only team in the class without a trophy and last place finish of full season teams in the championship. Plagued by qualifying struggles (9^th or worse in every race except VIR and Petit), their strong weekends were always thrown asunder by some form of bad luck. The only race where the 65 was faster than the 64 was Detroit, when the latter ground to a half before the start line. Impressively though, the only DNF all year for a Ford was this car at Daytona. Driver-wise, both Joey and Dirk struggled. Dirk was 15^th and Joey 17^th in terms of Average Position and Time off Pace both, out of 17 total. I still believe in these guys, but the numbers weren’t on their side this year.

 

77 – AO Racing – Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)

Drivers: Laurin Heinrich, Sebastian Priaulx (Daytona, Sebring, Laguna Seca, Detroit, Watkins Glen, CTMP), Michael Christensen (Daytona, Sebring, Indy, Petit), Julian Andlauer (Road America, Petit), Klaus Bachler (VIR)

PIC – 1^st

Q vs F – Class +16, Overall +31

Avg Q – Class 6 (midpack), Overall 10 (t-2^nd worst)

Avg Finish – Class 5 (t-2^nd best), Overall 6 (2^nd best)

FL – Laguna Seca (Heinrich)

3 wins (Laguna Seca, Detroit, and Indy), 5 podiums (Daytona, Laguna Seca, Detroit, CTMP, Indy), 2 poles (Daytona Priaulx and Petit Heinrich).

Hello Laurin Heinrich, 2024 IMSA GTD Pro Champion. What a debut! Most of the tracks were new to the German, and at all but Sebring, Road America and VIR, he was the fastest driver in Rexy, the fan favorite dinosaur Porsche. There’s been a lot of accolades thrown the way of Heinrich, and rightfully so, but I do want to also pay tribute to Seb Priaulx, who drove 60% of the year with the team. Seb helped the team to 4 of the 5 podiums, launched the season strongly with the pole at Daytona, and helped build the team in the fashion they all started the year prior. Laurin’s numbers deserve the biggest spotlight. Heinrich was the strongest for average Position at 7.8, and 2^nd strongest for average Time off Pace at .515. He was the strongest driver in the car 6 times, and averaged on 0.135 off his codrivers. He was a bit of a revelation, to say the least. If he’s allowed to continue in IMSA in GT cars, who knows how many championships Laurin Heinrich will accrue. 

Others:

3 of the races this year were won by non-full season teams. Risi took the popular victory at Daytona, and Ferrari got another surprise victory with Conquest at Road America. Iron Lynx took a decisive win at Petit Le Mans, so Lamborghini earned victory in the highly competitive class, making it 7 manufacturers who found victory in the 10 races this year. Only McLaren, Mercedes, and Ford did not win a race! That has to be the most diversity in a pro class in IMSA for a very long time. (Messers Raffauf, I defer to your greater knowledge).

 

Driver of the Year – Ross Gunn

Team of the Year – AO Racing

Manufacturer of the Year – Ferrari (7 starts, 2 wins, 4 podiums)

 

 

 

2024 By the Numbers - LMP2

 

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 7^th 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 2^nd 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.