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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: 2012 Rookies Of The Year, David Heinemeier Hansson & Alex Popow
SPEED.com selects P2 runner-up and PC class champion for joint ALMS “Rookies of the Year” honors...
The 2012 American Le Mans Series season was filled with surprises, but perhaps none more than the arrival of an impressive crop of newcomers to the highly competitive multi-class sports car championship.
From Hollywood actor/racer Patrick Dempsey to GT up-and-comer Cooper MacNeil and rising open-wheel star Martin Plowman, the talent pool of rookies was one of the deepest in series’ history.
Two drivers, though, stood out from the rest, in not only quickly adapting to prototype racing, but also succeeding as “gentlemen” drivers while stacked up against some of the sport’s most seasoned professional veterans.
An unknown quantity to virtually everyone inside the ALMS paddock, David Heinemeier Hansson burst onto the P2 scene with less than four years of racing experience, yet was turning heads almost immediately after making his prototype debut.
The Danish-born programmer led outright at Long Beach, in only his second-ever race in Conquest Endurance’s Morgan P2 car and his first on a street course. Three rounds later, “DHH” notched his first ALMS class victory following a thrilling duel with Level 5’s Scott Tucker.
Teamed with Plowman in the Nissan-powered prototype, the duo went on to take two wins in a hard-fought season with Level 5, but it was DHH’s on-the-limit-and-sometimes-over driving tactics that produced some of the most exciting highlight reels of the season.
DHH’s raw and untapped talent came as a breath of fresh air to the sport, similar to the standout performance by fellow “Am” driver Alex Popow, who enjoyed a breakout first year in Prototype Challenge.
The Venezuelan, who spearheaded driving efforts in the No. 06 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09, notched five wins in ten races and helped take the North Carolina-based squad to back-to-back PC class championships as well as earning the drivers’ title in his rookie season.
While boasting previous DP experience, Popow proved to be a quick learner in the spec prototype class and continued to get faster through the season, with mentors such as Ryan Dalziel and Tom Kimber-Smith serving as instrumental co-drivers.
Popow’s ability to take the fight to the big guns was also crucial to his debut success, in what turned out to be a banner year for both driver and team.
From the out-of-nowhere success of David Heinemeier Hansson to Alex Popow’s dream debut, it would be hard pressed to find two other first-year standouts in ALMS competition.
That’s why SPEED.com has awarded both drivers joint “Rookie of the Year” honors for the 2012 American Le Mans Series season.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
From Hollywood actor/racer Patrick Dempsey to GT up-and-comer Cooper MacNeil and rising open-wheel star Martin Plowman, the talent pool of rookies was one of the deepest in series’ history.
Two drivers, though, stood out from the rest, in not only quickly adapting to prototype racing, but also succeeding as “gentlemen” drivers while stacked up against some of the sport’s most seasoned professional veterans.
An unknown quantity to virtually everyone inside the ALMS paddock, David Heinemeier Hansson burst onto the P2 scene with less than four years of racing experience, yet was turning heads almost immediately after making his prototype debut.
The Danish-born programmer led outright at Long Beach, in only his second-ever race in Conquest Endurance’s Morgan P2 car and his first on a street course. Three rounds later, “DHH” notched his first ALMS class victory following a thrilling duel with Level 5’s Scott Tucker.
Teamed with Plowman in the Nissan-powered prototype, the duo went on to take two wins in a hard-fought season with Level 5, but it was DHH’s on-the-limit-and-sometimes-over driving tactics that produced some of the most exciting highlight reels of the season.
DHH’s raw and untapped talent came as a breath of fresh air to the sport, similar to the standout performance by fellow “Am” driver Alex Popow, who enjoyed a breakout first year in Prototype Challenge.
The Venezuelan, who spearheaded driving efforts in the No. 06 CORE autosport Oreca FLM09, notched five wins in ten races and helped take the North Carolina-based squad to back-to-back PC class championships as well as earning the drivers’ title in his rookie season.
While boasting previous DP experience, Popow proved to be a quick learner in the spec prototype class and continued to get faster through the season, with mentors such as Ryan Dalziel and Tom Kimber-Smith serving as instrumental co-drivers.
Popow’s ability to take the fight to the big guns was also crucial to his debut success, in what turned out to be a banner year for both driver and team.
From the out-of-nowhere success of David Heinemeier Hansson to Alex Popow’s dream debut, it would be hard pressed to find two other first-year standouts in ALMS competition.
That’s why SPEED.com has awarded both drivers joint “Rookie of the Year” honors for the 2012 American Le Mans Series season.
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
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