At the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) ‘Night of Champions’ in Monterey, California, Porsche factory driver Ryan Briscoe (Australia) was named ‘Rookie of the Year’ in recognition of his considerable success in his first season in the series with the Porsche RS Spyder. It wasn’t the only award for Porsche at the annual end-of-season banquet for the race series which plays host to the fastest sports cars in the world. Porsche, the most successful manufacturer this season with eight overall wins in twelve races, came top in the Manufacturer category (chassis and engine) in the LMP2 class. Penske Racing, which entered two RS Spyders in the ALMS, was awarded first place in the Team category.
Porsche factory drivers Timo Bernhard (Germany) and Romain Dumas (France) were awarded first place in the LMP2 Driver Champions category. The two of them secured six overall wins for Porsche and made the podium for all twelve races. Romain Dumas was also voted ‘Most Popular Driver’ by viewers of Motors TV, which broadcasts the ALMS races in Europe.
Dyson Racing, a Porsche-supported team, was presented with the IMSA Cup as the highest-placed privateer team in the LMP2 class. Lou Marrasso (Dyson Racing) and Tommy Sadler (Flying Lizard Motorsports) were both named ‘Crew Chief of the Year’ in their respective classes. Jim Tafel of Tafel Racing, which like Flying Lizard entered two Porsche 911 GT3 RSR into the GT2 class, was presented with the Founder’s Cup for the top gentleman driver.
