TOP 5 GT DRIVERS (GTE-PRO/AM):

1. Giancarlo Fisichella — Enjoying a dominant season, which saw four class victories in eight races, the ex-F1 star upped his game in 2012. Teamed with Bruni for all but one round, Fisichella has quickly become one of the top Ferrari drivers in GT racing, even if some critics say the 458 Italia may have had a fuel mileage advantage over the competition for much of the season.

2. Gianmaria Bruni — Arguably the outright quickest driver in the GT ranks, Gimmi Bruni enjoyed three GTE-Pro class victories, including a dominant win at Le Mans, en route to helping take AF Corse and Ferrari to their respective championships. Bruni’s season was not without incident, though, with questionable driving tactics in the closing stages at Sebring ending in the Italian’s exclusion from the season-opener.

3. Darren Turner — Leading the charge for Aston Martin Racing, Darren Turner impressed with poles in Sao Paulo and Shanghai, and teaming with Stefan Mucke for the car’s breakthrough first win in China. While having a far from perfect season in terms of results, Turner again proved to be one of the best in the business, especially when given a competitive car to fight for the victory.

4. Marc Lieb — Having endured a challenging season, Marc Lieb made the most of his Team Felbermayr-Proton Porsche with class victories at Spa and Fuji, along with the class pole in the Japanese round. Lieb, who doubles as an engineer for the German manufacturer, pushed the 997 evolution to its limits, but ultimately came up short to the consistency achieved by AF Corse and Ferrari.

5. Richard Lietz — Teamed with Lieb for the season-long fight, Richard Lietz gave the lone GTE-Pro Porsche a class pole at Silverstone and essentially equaled the performance put in by his co-driver. In what should have been a championship-winning effort on sheer talent, the German squad was hampered by an aging GT car, along with a suspected fuel mileage advantage for the direct-injected Ferrari 458 Italias.

TOP GT AM DRIVER:

Michele Rugolo — Competing as the Silver-graded driver at Krohn Racing, Michele Rugolo helped take the Georgia-based squad to numerous podium finishes, including a third place result at Le Mans. Proving to have impressive pace at the wheel of the green Ferrari F458 Italia, with race laps sometimes quicker than the team’s nominated “Pro” Nic Jonsson, Rugolo made a lasting impression in his second season with the team.

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