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Le Mans / ALMS
LE MANS: 2012 WEC Rookie Of The Year, Enzo Potolicchio
Venezulean bags SPEED.com's WEC "Rookie of the Year" honors following fairytale LMP2 season...
Enzo Potolicchio enjoyed a storybook season with wins at Sebring, Le Mans and helping take Starworks Motorsport to the FIA WEC LMP2 championship. (Photo: John Dagys)
With a race against the clock just to have his car built for Sebring, it appeared the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship was going to be an uphill battle for Enzo Potolicchio, who along with Starworks Motorsport, were embarking on LMP2 racing for the first time.
Yet only five days after the brand-new HPD ARX-03b turned its first installation laps, Potolicchio and co-drivers Ryan Dalziel and Stephane Sarrazin were standing on the overall podium with a stunning debut class victory in one of America’s toughest and most prestigious endurance races.
And as it turned out, it was only the very start of a dream season for the Venezuelan driver, who notched additional class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Six Hours of Sao Paulo and helped take the Florida-based squad to a historic LMP2 World Championship, the first world title for an American team in more than four decades.
While being an accomplished gentleman racer, having enjoyed success in both GRAND-AM and Ferrari Challenge, Potolicchio jumped into the deep end in 2012, having to come to grips with a technically complicated and less forgiving Le Mans Prototype. And with virtually no testing all year, he learned to excel under pressure and made few mistakes, particularly during the tail end of the season.
The launch of the FIA WEC saw the arrival of numerous new drivers to the sport, but Potolicchio stood out as the most successful. With wins at all of the key endurance races, along with the end-of-season title, it would be hard-pressed for any driver or team to repeat the fortunes of Potolicchio and Starworks had in 2012.
That’s why Enzo Potolicchio has been named SPEED.com’s Rookie of the Year for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
With plans to launch his own team, 8Star Motorsports, next year, Potolicchio could very well be in prime position again to attack, and be one of the favorites for the first-ever FIA Endurance Trophy for the top LMP2 driver in 2013.
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
Yet only five days after the brand-new HPD ARX-03b turned its first installation laps, Potolicchio and co-drivers Ryan Dalziel and Stephane Sarrazin were standing on the overall podium with a stunning debut class victory in one of America’s toughest and most prestigious endurance races.
And as it turned out, it was only the very start of a dream season for the Venezuelan driver, who notched additional class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Six Hours of Sao Paulo and helped take the Florida-based squad to a historic LMP2 World Championship, the first world title for an American team in more than four decades.
While being an accomplished gentleman racer, having enjoyed success in both GRAND-AM and Ferrari Challenge, Potolicchio jumped into the deep end in 2012, having to come to grips with a technically complicated and less forgiving Le Mans Prototype. And with virtually no testing all year, he learned to excel under pressure and made few mistakes, particularly during the tail end of the season.
The launch of the FIA WEC saw the arrival of numerous new drivers to the sport, but Potolicchio stood out as the most successful. With wins at all of the key endurance races, along with the end-of-season title, it would be hard-pressed for any driver or team to repeat the fortunes of Potolicchio and Starworks had in 2012.
That’s why Enzo Potolicchio has been named SPEED.com’s Rookie of the Year for the FIA World Endurance Championship.
With plans to launch his own team, 8Star Motorsports, next year, Potolicchio could very well be in prime position again to attack, and be one of the favorites for the first-ever FIA Endurance Trophy for the top LMP2 driver in 2013.
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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