Sportscar365’s Rookie of the Year

Sportscar365 is recognizing its top competitors and moments from 2023, starting with Rookie of the Year for drivers who raced full-time for the first time in a series or category.

This year, drivers who made their debut in Hypercar and GTP are not considered for best Rookie because most were already established in sports cars. Some of them will feature in our Prototype Drivers of the Year, coming out on Dec. 31.

Rookie of the Year – Kyffin Simpson

The 2023 season marked a breakthrough year for 19-year-old Kyffin Simpson, who became a first-time European Le Mans Series champion and won races in three different LMP2 series.

The Barbados-born racer, who competes under the Cayman Islands flag, made a handful of GT3 appearances last year but this marked a significant step up as he embarked on his first full season in sports cars.

Winning the ELMS title with Algarve Pro Racing was the highlight and Simpson played a crucial role as the designated Silver-rated driver alongside Alex Lynn and James Allen.

Simpson wasn’t just there to be carried by his more experienced driving partners and was a key part of Algarve Pro’s impressive campaign, setting the fastest overall race lap at Paul Ricard.

The ELMS title run had its roots in an Asian Le Mans Series program with Portugal-based Algarve Pro that yielded a victory in the season-opener at Dubai Autodrome.

Simpson also raced in the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with Tower Motorsport and steered the No. 8 Oreca 07 Gibson to third place overall – and a class victory — in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with Scott McLaughlin and John Farano.

He was rewarded for his strong LMP2 debut with a Hypercar test for Cadillac, building on an affiliation with Chip Ganassi Racing that will see him graduate to an IndyCar seat next year.

Although that is set to limit his options for sports car drives in 2024, it’s clear that Simpson’s LMP2 exploits have been instrumental in his rapid rise.

Honorable Mentions

***Laurin Heinrich made his GT3 debut this year after winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany title. The 22-year-old made a smooth transition to GT3, finishing 12th in DTM and seventh in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup. Highlights included a top-five at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and an excellent pole position at the Indianapolis 8 Hour. Heinrich will soon move to IMSA’s GTD Pro class with AO Racing and could be a formidable Porsche specialist for years to come.

***Another promising German who made the step into GT3 this year was Tim Heinemann. The two-time DTM Trophy champion arrived with expectations of translating his GT4 form into GT3 pace and he did just that, scoring a double podium on his DTM debut. While that ended up being the highlight of the campaign, Heinemann also won the Bronze Cup class at the 24 Hours of Spa with Huber Motorsport.

***One of the earliest notable rookie performances this year came from Nolan Siegel in the Asian Le Mans Series. The American teenager announced himself by making a brilliant final-lap past to take the Race 2 win at Dubai Autodrome. Amid an Indy NXT campaign, he joined IMSA team CrowdStrike Racing by APR for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans, winning both.

***By his own admission, it was hard for Robert Shwartzman to judge how his first year in sports car racing went because Ferrari struggled with its new GT3 car’s Balance of Performance for most of the year. But the Ferrari F1 reserve driver slotted nicely into AF Corse’s GTWC Europe lineup, contributing to a win at Barcelona, and also set the fastest overall lap in the WEC Rookie Test in a Ferrari 499P.

***Getting an honorable mention for the second year in a row is Doriane Pin, who stepped up to the prototype ranks after making her full-time GT racing bow in 2022. The Frenchwoman showed comparable pace to her more decorated Prema co-drivers Daniil Kvyat and Mirko Bortolotti, and her exploits were rewarded with the WEC naming her ‘Revelation of the Year.’