The highly competitive GT category delivered close racing, as well as many of SPEED.com's Top 10 drivers. (Photo: LAT)
10. GUNNAR JEANNETTE & RICARDO GONZALEZ — Having arrived on the scene with the new CORE autosport squad, both drivers boasted previous LMPC experience, Jeannette having nearly pulled off the inaugural drivers’ title in 2010. Impressive opening stints by Gonzalez helped the duo collect two wins and six podium finishes.
It was ironically the same record as Genoa Racing’s Eric Lux, whom they shared the 2011 LMPC drivers’ championship with. Jeannette was often one of the quickest at the wheel of the Oreca FLM09 cars all season, but bad luck and misfortune denied this strong pairing from even more success in the CORE’s maiden season of ALMS competition.
9. LUIS DIAZ — With lack of competition and only having made four starts, the 2011 season didn’t turn out as expected for Luis Diaz. Yet, the Level 5 Motorsports driver proved his worth in the races he did complete for the Scott Tucker-owned squad. An impressive drive with Tucker and IndyCar star Ryan Hunter-Reay was rewarded with a class victory at Sebring.
While Diaz was forced to sit out Long Beach following the team’s tactical decision to park one of its Lola-Hondas, the 2009 LMP2 co-champion shined in he and Level 5‘s ALMS return at Road America setting the car’s quickest lap. But it was a stunning down-to-the-wire pole-run at Petit Le Mans that separated the Mexican prototype ace from the rest in LMP2.
8. OLIVER GAVIN & JAN MAGNUSSEN — While the rough and tumble GT-class stomping grounds didn’t favor Corvette Racing, Oliver Gavin and Jan Magnussen pulled the majority of the weight for the bow-tie in 2011, ending the season with a runner-up finish in the drivers’ championship.
The duo’s win at Mosport was surprisingly the only ALMS victory of the year for the Corvette C6.Rs, which struggled to match the performance of BMW’s M3 GT. While the No. 4 crew notched numerous podiums, five in total, Gavin and Magnussen were unable to fight for wins they rightfully deserved.
7. JORG BERGMEISTER & PATRICK LONG — The No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Porsche was in a similar boat, facing an underperforming car, yet still tasting some level of success. Defending GT class champions Jorg Bergmeister and Patrick Long fought tooth and nail, yet faced a string of bad luck that included some mechanical failures.
A win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where Bergmeister came out on top in a high-speed shoving match with Risi Competizione’s Jaime Melo, was the highlight of the year. Bergmeister, Long and super-sub Patrick Pilet nearly pulled off another win at Petit Le Mans, but their second place finish more importantly sealed the class tire manufacturer championship to Michelin.
6. WOLF HENZLER & BRYAN SELLERS — Team Falken Tire’s breakout year wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of its two star drivers. Both Wolf Henzler and Bryan Sellers played a key role in the team’s success, which included a pair of GT class victories en route to a fifth place finish in the drivers’ standings.
Henzler’s stunning run from sixth to first in a single lap in pouring rain at Mid-Ohio ranks as one of the best drives this author has ever witnessed. Sellers also lived up to his end of the bargain with bringing the No. 17 Porsche home for its second class victory of the season on the streets of Baltimore. They both no doubt knew how to extract the maximum out what was an unproven package at the start of the year.
