Peugeot's Anthony Davidson stood out from the rest in LMP1 in this year's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. (Photo: LAT)
Note: Drivers selected from registered full-season Intercontinental Le Mans Cup entrants only and does not include American Le Mans Series or Le Mans Series teams or drivers that took part in a partial ILMC season.
10. Joao Barbosa — Hired by Level 5 Motorsports due to his prototype experience and knowledge of European circuits, Joao Barbosa shined in his LMP2 debut with the American squad. Paired with team owner Scott Tucker and veteran Christophe Bouchut, the quiet Portuguese ace was routinely one of the quickest drivers within the team, which switched cars three times over the course of the year.
While missing the Silverstone and Zhuhai rounds, Barbosa, Tucker and Bouchut scored a convincing victory at the Petit Le Mans in their new HPD ARX-01g, as well as hard-earned podium finishes at Le Mans and Imola with two different Lola-Honda packages. Barbosa’s success came while juggling a dual-season campaign in GRAND-AM, making him one of the most versatile and busiest drivers of 2011.
9. Neel Jani — Overshadowed by the diesel brigade in LMP1, Rebellion Racing’s Neel Jani continued to impress while at the wheel of the team’s Lola B10/60 Toyota. The open-wheel turned sportscar ace was the quickest in the Anglo-Swiss squad, which undertook a dual season ILMC and LMS campaign with its gasoline-powered prototypes.
While other non-factory drivers enjoyed moments of brilliance, Jani again proved to be a quick and dependable shoe, proven with multiple top-five finishes up against the unstoppable diesel competition.
8. Andy Priaulx — Three-time WTCC champion Andy Priaulx made the transition to GT racing full-time in 2011 with BMW and didn’t fail to disappoint. Having contested select endurance races for the German manufacturer in the past, the Guernsey native enjoyed success right out of the box, winning Sebring with ALMS season-long drivers Joey Hand and Dirk Muller.
Another highlight came with a third-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the same lineup, but run by BMW Team Schnitzer, which didn’t have the same level of success as its American counterpart, BMW Team RLL. While the European-run M3 GTs were no match for the AF Corse Ferraris, Priaulx proved his worth as a capable endurance driver.
7. Franck Mailleux — Open-wheel up-and-comer turned sportscar driver Franck Mailleux solidified himself as one of the stars of tomorrow with an impressive season at the wheel of Signatech’s Oreca 03 Nissan. The 26-year-old Frenchman, who along with Playstation GT Academy winner Lucas Ordonez, completed the entire seven-round series, earning an LMP2 class victory and championship at the season-finale in Zhuhai.
Mailleux, who had been known for having an aggressive edge in past seasons of LMP racing, seemed to mature while at the wheel of the cost-capped prototype this year, especially while under the guidance of veteran Soheil Ayari for the opening rounds. Replaced by JK Vernay for the final three races of the year, Mailleux upped his game on the arrival of the reigning Indy Lights driver and proved his ability to lead the team’s attack.
6. Marcel Fassler & Timo Bernhard — Leading Audi’s charge at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which ended up being the German manufacturers’ only victory of the season, Marcel Fassler turned out to have the cleanest record of Audi’s ILMC drivers. Sharing the wheel of the No. 1 Audi R18 TDI with Timo Bernhard for most of the year, the duo scored podiums at Imola, Silverstone and Zhuhai and was undoubtedly the most consistent Audi of the bunch.
Fassler and Bernhard's more experienced teammates, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen, suffered through a miserable ILMC season filled with incidents, which began with McNish’s monstrous crash at Le Mans and went right through the finale in China. Audi undoubtedly had a tough year, but the Swiss and German pairing helped keep the four-rings in championship contention, although ultimately ending up conceding to the French Lions.
