SPORTSCAR365: Rookie of the Year

Sportscar365 kicks off its year-end awards with its rookie of the year from global sports car racing competition. Check back throughout the rest of the month for additional awards and highlights from 2019.

Zach Robichon

Following a dominant season of Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, with  11 victories in 12 races in 2018, Zacharie Robichon made the step up to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, in arguably the most competitive class.

It came with Pfaff Motorsports, which was also new to the GT Daytona ranks in its first year of endurance racing.

Despite being faced with unknowns on nearly every front, the Canadian combination of Pfaff, Robichon, as well as Porsche’s world-renowned customer support, helped give the 27-year-old Toronto native all the necessary tools to be a front-runner for the GTD championship.

A class win alongside then-Porsche Young Professional Dennis Olsen at Lime Rock Park, backed up by top class honors two weeks later at Road America with soon-to-be factory driver Matt Campbell, thanks in part to strong stints by the Silver-rated driver, put Robichon in prime points position through the summer months.

Robichon went on to claim the inaugural WeatherTech Sprint Cup, with assistance from Park Place Motorsports, whom he drove for in the Sprint Cup-0nly round in Detroit, en route to ending up third in the overall GTD standings.

His impressive transitions from Porsche’s single-make series to having no fewer than four different co-drivers over the course of the WeatherTech Championship season saw Robichon quickly adapt to his new surroundings and excel on a number of occasions.

Honorable Mentions: Job van Uitert (ELMS LMP2 standout), Nicklas Nielsen (ELMS GTE/WEC GTE-Am front-runner), Steven Aghakhani (16-year-old Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Final Am Champion)