Best sportscar driver in the world

[BSchneiderFan]

Simple one - who is the best sportscar driver in the world? And I mean currently active (so you can't vote for Jacky Ickx).

[rdjones]

Here we go again ! ! !

Sorry IMO it is still Andy Wallace. Why Bentley have dropped him is quite beyond me.........

[pirenzo]

I voted for Andy as well

[BSchneiderFan]

Although I voted for Schneider (quelle surprise enorme), I too wonder why Bentley dropped Andy Wallace. After all, he quit the Champion Audi squad last year to focus on Bentley; now he's left pedalling a Lola-MG for Dyson, which is fine, but I'd have put him in with Kristensen and Capello instead of Guy Smith.

But what do I know?

[E46]

Allan Mcnish I believe.

[Jack Man]

Gotta vote for my old Hockey buddy Ron Fellows

[NGS]

I've always been a great fan of Jan Magnussen. Don't really know why, just always have.

[gttouring]

wHAT FANTASTIC DRIVERS you have chosen, but Butch "never gets a good ride" Lietzinger is one of the best i have seen-now in Trans-am the way he charges is unreal-race at longbeach 2002-ofcourse he stuffed it w/ 2 laps to go. He, that accident not withstanding, is a terriffic pilot. And what about Max Papis? or is he too CART bound...?

[Bob C.]

My vote: J.J. Lehto single-handedly made the Cadillac competitive during the second half of 2002. I recall Mosport when he went toe-to-toe with the Audis early in the race. The other three Caddy pilots, all excellent in their own right, could never quite match that pace.

The vote I wish I could make: Given his F1 test contract for 2003, I can't see clear to vote for McNish. However, I witnessed something in 2000 that I'll never forget. At Sears Point, McNish was possessed, taking the pole by over 1/2 second and lapping the *entire* field in his double-stint to start the race. It was the single most amazing performance I've seen first-hand. ...even better than his triple (?) stint at dawn in the 2000 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The driver I wish was on the poll: Jan Lammers is consistently able to haunt the factory teams better than any other driver, IMHO. Put him in equal equipment, and I don't think there's a sportscar driver in the world who could catch him.

Some respect for the GT class: A group of us were standing in the pit garage of The Racer's Group in the dark hours of the morning at last year's Le Mans. Lucas Luhr was in the car, and we stared bleary eyed at the TV monitor. Luhr reeled off a 4:11, and we all looked at each other with eyebrows raised. He ran a 2nd 4:11 in a row. A third... By then, we were laughing. Each of those laps would have put him ahead of the 2nd fastest GT in qualifying.

FWIW, IMHO, YMMV, etc.

[choked_wasp]

i voted for Mcnish.

Oliver Gavin is another driver who I consider to be one of the best.

[Mal]

I voted for JJ Lehto. I would have voted for McNish but he is not currently active in Sportscars. Hopefully he will return one day - IMO he should have opted for The Bentley Drive this year.

[Aysedasi]

Good list. I could have gone for 3-4 of those, but I have to plump for my old favourite, Andy Wallace. Give him a decent car and he will always shine.

[Mal]

I suppose after Daytona you could add Derek Bell to the list as he is now an 'active sportscar driver!'

[Aysedasi]

Yep, as long as he keeps taking the Phyllosan/Sennokot, I guess he's every chance of remaining active!

[racer69]

I went for Tom Kristenson, David Brabham would be close as well

[Aysedasi]

Personally, I wouldn't put Brabham in the same company with Tom, Andy and (probably) J.J. He still has things to prove, I feel. Lets hope he can deliver the goods in June.

[BSchneiderFan]

Brabs has suffered from a less-than-competitive Panoz in recent years. But don't forget his absurdly heroic efforts in the Panoz coupe back in 1998, when he was paired with Eric Bernard, and remember how close the two came to winning the inaugural ALMS title. I think the guy's quality, and, like you, I wish him well at La Sarthe.

[Aysedasi]

Yes, I certainly put my hands together for Brabham struggling for so many years with the recalcitrant Panoz, don't get me wrong. But he's still in my "b-list"

[Graham Goodwin]

I think there's a name missing from the list above - All great drivers btw - The man I'd be tempted to give a vote for though is James Weaver.

[Tim Northcutt]

A good list of stellar drivers from which to choose....

My vote as "Other" as a "Group Vote" for Weaver, Marc Goosens, Lammers, J. Herbert, Biela, Blundell, Boris Said, and J. Kane.....

There are so many solid active drivers that it is tough to pick one...all listed in the poll are top-flite as well....

[rdjones]

I also feel that Johnny Herbert is turning into a really good Sports Car driver aswell............

[bradenc]

Johnny Herbert would get a vote from me. God bless 'im!

[Adam43]

For me it is between Lehto and Kristensen. JJ needs a better car to really prove it, but what he did in that Caddy was very impressive.

Kristensen is the man of the moment. How many more Le Mans can he win.

[Try Hard]

I voted for Mags, mainly becasue of soem of those very good performances last year in the panoz. Holding back the Audi's for lap after lap at Washington last year.

[pirenzo]

What happenned to Mimmo Schiatarella?
Haven't seen anything of him for a while, he went well at Silverstone in 2000, and elsewhere i seem to remember