[J Jay]

National Racing Series of the Year

For the second year running JAF and the GT500 teams have shown that the people in charge of DTM are doing it wrong in every way possible. The season-long battle between the car and the car ebbed and flowed right up until the last stint of the final race, aided by strong outings from the rest of the field at every race. It is also the last true tyre war at a time where specification is increasingly a byword for mollification.

And if you're disappointed by the lack of utterly "out there" promos, don't worry - they've got you covered.

International Racing Series of the Year

Usually I find that this is shoe-in for either the WEC or Blancpain, but perhaps as a reward for listening to and acting on it's participants suggestions, the ELMS has had a stellar season. Not only was each race a 4-hour story in itself, but the championship was also as close as it could have possibly been without sharing honours.

There are a number of organisations that could learn from the way the ELMS has dealt with the issues that have arisen since its nadir.

Race of the Year

The Phillip Island MotoGP. Wait a minute - that's two wheels, not four...

For cars, the Spa 6 Hours provided everything you could want from the best of motorsport into one race - cars and drivers going flat-out and wheel-to-wheel offensively and defensively, strategy calls that played out over both a number of hours and a number of laps, drivers and pit crew finding the limit and crossing it a couple of times and a result that was in the balance until the last few laps.

Surprise of the Year

Nissan's excellent showing at Le Mans.
Darren Cox's continued employment.
Torotrak's vastly enhanced reputation.
The fear in Enzinger's/Ulrich's/Vasselon's faces.

... okay, I'll drop the sarcasm. Had there been a PWC weekend without a FCY that would have been the automatic choice, but this one goes hand-in-hand with what is immediately below so there's no point covering it here.

Disappointment of the Year

It's a damning enough statement that the GT-R LuMP isn't my disappointment of the year, but it was ousted by the 2017 LMP2 regulations, a jaw-dropping decision that flies in the face of competitive spirit, technological advancement and the formula that finally turned LMP2 from a class teetering on the edge into a desirable and viable product that held its own wherever it raced.

But Pierre Fillon gets to cop while he inserts many Euronotes into Hugh de Chaunac's back pocket so it's not entirely without merit.

Driver of the Year

Not many drivers have won Le Mans and Petit Le Mans overall in the same year, but only Nick Tandy can say he's done the double in two different classes with his mega stints being vital to both victories. Nick led the vanguard of factory GT drivers showing that they had speed and consistency equal to their prototype counterparts, with every car he drove reaching the top step at least once.

Personality of the Year

In the absence of any outstanding candidates I suppose Marc van der Stratten is a good shout. Normally you're supposed to grumble and moan but ultimately acquiesce to the demands of <insert series that holds prestigious race here>, so it takes a brave person to stick that middle finger up. Looking at the current events in the VLN it might even have had a bigger impact then first expected.

Moment of the Year

There have been a number of moments that made their mark on me this year: a reminder of how stunning proper night racing looks with the opening laps of the Bathurst 12 Hours; the perfect storm (pun intended) of circumstances and performances that led to a GTLM Porsche 911 winning Petit Le Mans overall; the numerous stories of redemption and comebacks that littered Le Mans - Porsche, #64 'Vette, Lapierre to name but a few.

But one stands out as something I don't think I will ever see again - the ELMS Silverstone post-race press conference. While I would highly recommend watching it to get the full experience, here's the digest version:



Car of the Year

Porsche 919 Hybrid - It started out blindingly fast in a straight line and not quite so quick in the corners. After the summer break it was massively quick in the corners and still blindingly fast in a straight line. Compared to its main rival Porsche gave the 919 a big K.I.S.S., and they have the victories and titles to prove that they made the right choice.

Livery of the Year

The GoodSmile Racing SLS GT3. In my opinion the livery designer didn't really put the increased bonnet area to great use, but who can resist a Vocaloid riding a mechanical unicorn? (If you can you obviously haven't played enough Robot Unicorn Attack)