The best Rookie ever thread.

[luke]

Hi everyone, during last weekends race at Mexico, I thought to myself 'who was the best rookie of all time?'

Well to start of we had Nigel Mansell, the 1992 F1 champion, joined Newman/Hass in 1993 he teamed up with former F1 champ Mario Andretti.
He set pole and won on his debut at Surfers Paradise and won 5 of the 15 races he entered and beat Penske driver Emerson Fitipaldi by 8 points to the title.

So we move onto Alex Zanardi, after finishing runner up in F3000 and raced in F1 from 1991 to 1994 at the back of the grid and only scoring 1 point he then joined the Champ Car World Series in 1996 with Target Chip Ganassi, and won the rookie of the year trophy with 132 points to Greg Moore's 84.
He can 3rd in the title chase and won 6 poles and went on to become one of the best ever Champ Car drivers of all time by dominating the 1997 and 1998 seasons by winning the championship.

Now there is Juan Pablo Montoya, he took over Alex Zanardi's seat at Chip Ganassi in 1999 as the Italian moved back to an unsuccessful F1 season at Williams.
He won the Vanderbelt cup in his first season but only with his 7 wins compared to Dario Franchitti's 3 wins (ended season with both 212 points).
At his first race at Homestead he had a top ten finish and went on to win at Long beach at the 3rd round and then competed a hat-trick of wins.
After an unsuccessful 2000 season he then moved to Williams to race in F1 to replace Jenson Button.

Finally there is newly crowned champion Sebastein Bourdais.
after wining the F3000 championship in 2002 he replaced 2002 champion Cristana da matta at Newman'Hass and at the first race of 2003 at St.Petersburg, he qualified in pole position by over half a second, he led the first part of the race but showed his inexperience in OWR and didn't pit under caution, he had to stretch out a lead and just lost a few positions on cold tires then trying to make up time ran wide in turn 10 and clipped the tire barrier.
Although he like Alex wasn't champion in his first year showed great talent and won when the Champ Car World Series crossed the pond to Europe and won both the races at Brands Hatch and Lausitz.
He then went on to win at Cleveland.
To be far 4th in his first championship was great, Bourdais has showed quick learning especially at the ovals when he won on his debut oval race at Lausitz.

There are more great drivers, could you count Paul Tracy in 1993 when he matched Nigel Mansell, although it was his first season at a competitive team.

What are your opinons?

[BootsOntheSide]

Once you consider the experience they came in with (Mansell had an advantage there), specific track experience (most of the major rookies of recent years had none), comparative team form, and equipment, my choice is Montoya. He demolished Vasser in the sister car, was on the pace immediately, and lead the championship for most of the season.

[macdaddy]

It's difficult to not pick Montoya, although he did step into a team that had just won three consecutive championships. But there's no denying his talent.

[Kicking-back]

Montoya - by a country mile.

[Jordi]

Juan Pablo was just amazing. These Champ Cars were just so suited to him....

[marcus]

hmmmmmmmm montoya was great but i was also impressed with Zanradi , maybe thats just me being sentimental I dunno /

I was also very impressed with Allmendinger this year and think he definately has a huge future.

but its hard to go past Montoya , or even Villenueve in his first year as well.

i guess over the last 10-12 years we have been very spoilt havent we ?

[Jordi]

Basically, on stats, Montoya is the best. On experience, Montoya is also the best, because he had similar experience to Seb and he won the title right away.
In arguably a stronger field than Mansell, Jacques, Alex or Seb faced.

[Mackmot]

JPM without a doubt, he made that season incredible to watch even in races where he dominated.

Dario also had a very good rookie year.

[enemy-ace]

Originally posted by Jordi
Juan Pablo was just amazing. These Champ Cars were just so suited to him....

I used to love watching Montoya's onboards when he was in CART. Really took those CART monsters by the scruff of the neck.
I remember thinking that Montoya was really making the series veterans look like amateurs.

[Snrub]

Bourdais had some steller rookier performances, but ultimately he didn't do it consistantly.

JPM's driving in CART was absolutely fabulous, probably the only situation/driver who I wouldn't mind just sitting for hours watching the in car camera of him lapping by himself. He also had a couple of wins lost to DNFs that weren't his fault. eg. I seem to recall that he ran into someone who crashed at a blind exit at Houstin, I think it might have been Helio?

Zanardi did have a good start, but keep in mind that he also had a good bit of experience comming into the series.

IMO Moore and AJ are the most impressive recent "pure" rookies. Both were more than capable of winning in their first season, but they didn't quiet get the breaks. I'd say AJ was a little rawer than Moore, but I think that's because he had less experience in cars.

Calling former WDCs rookies seems silly.

[luke]

If you compare AJ's performances compared to Wilson's, AJ has been great, especially as Justin has had F3000, F1 experience and I belive he did Dallara Nissan and also sportscars.

And I would also say that AJ is the most promising driver at the moment.

[Liz]

Gil de Ferran. He nearly won the championship in his rookie year in a car that was not being run by a top team, and he had a race in which he came second by the least amount ever in a race. (I am remembering this and have not looked it up so correct me if I'm wrong).

[JohnSSC]

How far back are we going?

If we are talking the post-USAC CART/OWRS years then I think I would have to lean towards Montoya as Nige was not exactly a "rookie!"

Are we also looking at the "USAC years" as well? If so and using luke's inclusion of Nige, then we would have to look at some fellows like a certain J. Clark or G. Hill or J. Brabham.

Mark Donohue, Danny Ongais and a few other names spring to mind as well - I think I need to research a bit!

Good thread topic though.

[Fiorentina 1]

I'd say Teo Fabi, 1983. Pole at Indy, won four races, got six poles and finished second in the Championship.

[f1manoz]

Montoya. He proved his brilliance that year.

[Robert Ryan]

Currently JPM,he was amazing. He looked like he had driven the cars all hisl ife.

[JohnSSC]

Teo came on the scene like gangbusters - he was a good one and little remembered here, unfortunately!

He might actually be the "right" pick if you will as he was up against a talent pool that, deep as it was in Montoya's day was way deeper: Mario still in his prime years, AJ was still pretty potent, JR, Gordy Johncock...

[Roninho]

The rule that guys like Zanardi, Mansell or any ex-F1 or IRL driver could and can run for the ROTY-title is imo a bit unfair.

Looking at "real" rookies, i guess Montoya was by far the best.

But guys like Villeneuve, Kanaan, Moore, Allmendinger, Bourdais, Dixon, Unser Jr., Paul Jr., Andretti (who somehow wasn't eligible to run for roty because he had raced 3 races the year before) and Rahal all had pretty impressive rookie years as well.

[macdaddy]

Welcome to the forum, Roninho!

[luke]

So should this thread be re-called the best newcommer thread?

[Roninho]

Originally posted by macdaddy
Welcome to the forum, Roninho!

thnx!

[luke]

Welcome Roninho!!

[gttouring]

i would say Nigel Mansell...
he ran it and won it
Montoya is close second though

[Mattracer]

I'd say Montoya. Mansell is a tough comparison but he had won the F1 WDC the year before and JPM had won the F3000 title. Mansell was already at his peak with little to prove, though he certainly proved whatever it was he had left to prove!!

JPM just edges it for me. Plus he won the Indy 500 at his first attempt. Outstanding effort in one of the most difficult races let alone series.

[Jordi]

Montoya and Mansell were so similar in their CART first years, but I think Monty gets the nod because he was (and isn't yet) a F1 champion like Mansell.