Rank your top Ten Sportscar Drivers - past 10 years

[isynge]

For me McNish shades it for the more consistent presence in LMS/ALMS racing in the second half of the decade. It's not so much the performance on the big stage of Le Mans, but appearances in the likes of the Oreca R8 in 2005. In this light, Kristensen's DTM success almost counts against him, as he's been more focused on it than sportscar outings.

It it, as others have said however, splitting hairs, as both are incredible performers.

[claude]

1 Tom Kristensen
2 Allan McNish
3 Stéphane Sarrazin
4 David Brabham
5 Jörg Bergmeister
6 Romain Dumas
7 Dindo Capello
8 Jean-Christophe Boullion
9 Olivier Beretta
10 João Barbosa

[Lola T70]

I agree, they are close.
If you look McNish's races for Audi in 2000 they were pretty blinding and has always fighting at the front since and won every ALMS title he has competed in but not so many Le Mans wins.
As for TK he has done an equalable job at Le Mans but also has only won a single ALMS title.

It looks like McNish is Audi's charge right now but will be a excellent team if they twin them together in 2010!

[CTD]

Originally Posted by isynge

For me McNish shades it for the more consistent presence in LMS/ALMS racing in the second half of the decade. It's not so much the performance on the big stage of Le Mans, but appearances in the likes of the Oreca R8 in 2005. In this light, Kristensen's DTM success almost counts against him, as he's been more focused on it than sportscar outings.
It it, as others have said however, splitting hairs, as both are incredible performers.

Audi's decision with putting Tom in DTM really can't be held against him, besides DTM cars are more Sportscars than Touring cars.
The reason i mentioned DTM was as an argument against, Allan McNish as a better overtaker and a quicker driver. Tom K dominated Allan McNish in DTM, and Tom's first season was way better than Allan's.
Tom K, lives and breathes for Sportscars, which is why he have decided to race Sportscars instead of DTM.

Originally Posted by Lola T70

As for TK he has done an equalable job at Le Mans but also has only won a single ALMS title.

Tom K has only entered one full ALMS season as i recall.

Originally Posted by Lola T70

It looks like McNish is Audi's charge right now but will be a excellent team if they twin them together in 2010!

Don't think that Allan and Tom would be good team mates, they both need a person like Dindo to work.

[Lola T70]

both are great, opinions are opinions of who is better, that is all.

As for DTM, they are nothing like Sportscars, less than 500 Horsepower, max speed of 270 km/h, hardly any downforce in comparison, with races on mainly odd German tracks and only 1 hour long. TK did at least seasons of ALMS, 2001 and 2002 and his victory was aided because Capello was in the other car that crashed in Sears Point with Biela and Pirro.

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by skeeskirrt

How about adding JJ Lehto to the list?

Here here! However it could be argued that his best days in sportscars came in the late 90's with BMW?

Then i'd balance that to argue that other than McNish and Kristensen, JJ was the other driver you'd want in your number one car whether it was an Audi or anything else.

[Mal]

Originally Posted by CTD

I understands your point, but still not why McNish should be ranked first!.
In Endurance sportscar racing, Tom K is more successful.
In DTM racing, Tom K was more successful in the season they shared.
In my mind Tom K is the better SPORTSCAR driver (seeing he has more general success than Allan), but not undermining the fact that Allan is a great driver, but a Derek Bell compared to a Jacky Ickx!

A drivers success is not the only measure of how good they were - who knows how many LM wins Allan would have had if he had not gone to F1 and with some better luck in some of the races. I think to separate the two is splitting hairs but certainly watching Allan race through traffic has to have produced many of the most fantastic races in Sportscars in the last few years and I would say if there was one single factor that makes Allan stand out it is ability to make up time through traffic.

[TWK]

Originally Posted by chunterer

Here here! However it could be argued that his best days in sportscars came in the late 90's with BMW?

Then i'd balance that to argue that other than McNish and Kristensen, JJ was the other driver you'd want in your number one car whether it was an Audi or anything else.

Lehto's sports car career for BMW was 1999, 2000, 2001 (GT), then at Champion Audi, 2003, 2004, 2005.

[JHamilton]

Originally Posted by TWK

Lehto's sports car career for BMW was 1999, 2000, 2001 (GT), then at Champion Audi, 2003, 2004, 2005.

FWIW, He drove for Caddillac in '02 as well.

[catmanlux]

1.Mc Nish
2.Kristensen
3.Marco Werner
4.Bernhard/Dumas
5.Jörg Bergmeister
6.Simon Pagenaud
7.Frank Biela !!!
8.Stéphane Sarrazin
9.David Brabham
10.Pirro