2024 was a strong year for amateur drivers in the major GT and sportscar championships around the world. With interest in the sport at pretty much an all-time high from manufacturers, the rising tide is lifting the privateer boats and in turn, helping produce some supremely talented amateurs.
Bronze-graded racers continue to raise the bar for non-pros and recalibrate our expectations in terms of preparation, consistency, fitness and outright speed. And as a result, each year now it seems, the FIA Driver Categorisation Committee’s members are giving multiple names on their list a second, third and sometimes, fourth look.
Let’s start with some honourable mentions. In the European Le Mans Series and at the Le Mans 24 Hours Francois Perrodo added more precious silverware to his already bulging trophy cabinet, winning LMP2 Pro/Am at La Sarthe and the title in Europe with AF Corse. We’re running out of adjectives and superlatives at this point for the Frenchman, who seemingly always finds a way to prevail.
It was a hotly contested class in the ELMS this season, with just four points separating the top four driver crews. Rodrigo Sales helped power TDS to two wins in six races, Kriton Lentoudis took second and was a true surprise package with the talented folks at Algarve Pro Racing and Giorgio Roda‘s Proton crew finished third off the back of his red-hot qualifying form which saw him claim five poles.
But in the end, it was Perrodo who took the crown in the gloriously chaotic ELMS finale in Portimao, making it back-to-back honours for the Frenchman. Will he find a way to extend the streak in 2025? We wouldn’t put it past him.
Elsewhere, Nick Boulle impressed during the IMSA season with Inter Europol/PR1, winning the LMP2 title with Tom Dillmann in a particularly deep field.
Barwell Motorsport’s British GT Bronze racers easily earned a place on this list too. Rob Collard and Alex Martin were simply mercurial and played a major part in the British team’s fairytale British GT season, up against a strong group which included 2 Seas’ standouts Kevin Tse and Ian Loggie and Garage 59’s Shaun Balfe.
However, it was in the FIA WEC’s new LMGT3 category that we saw the best performances from a Bronze driver. And while Spa and Le Mans winner Yasser Shahin, Imola winner Darren Leung and Bahrain winner Francois Heriau all deserve real praise, it was Alex Malykhin who turned the most heads across the season.
Dailysportscar’s 2024 Amateur Driver of the Year…
Alex Malykhin
The signs were there before the FIA WEC season even began when Malykhin and his associated team Pure Rxcing won the Asian Le Mans Series GT crown in the UAE. But it wasn’t until the WEC season got underway that we got a true sense of just how strong the Pure Rxcing package would be.
Malykhin wasn’t necessarily the fastest over a single lap all the time during 2024 – in fact, he only captured two pole positions – but early in each race he was rock solid. His greatest asset was his ability to ensure Pure Rxcing was always in contention, giving his teammates Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler strong platforms to build on.
It helped produce a title through stunning consistency: four podiums and two race wins in eight races. It was all sewn up with a round to spare, despite the team’s weakest outing coming at Le Mans, the race which offers the most points.
His reward for such a memorable run? He will become a Silver in 2025 and is taking his talents to LMP2 competition with Pure Rxcing.
We wish him the best of luck and are eagerly awaiting his ELMS P2 debut in Barcelona…
Featured image & WEC Awards image courtesy of FIA WEC/DPPI
