It was a breakout year for Canadian auto racers, as the young guns made a name for themselves around the globe.
Robert Wickens left a mark overseas with five wins and 10 trips to the podium to capture the Formula Renault 3.5 Series title for Carlin.
Wickens was rewarded with practice time in a Formula One car and set the fastest lap times for both Lotus Renault GP and Marussia Virgin Racing during the young driver test at the Abu Dhabi GP.
The 22-year-old from Toronto also earned the British Racing Drivers Club’s Bruce McLaren Trophy, awarded to the auto racer with the best performance by a non-British driver from the Commonwealth. Wickens is currently a reserve driver for Marussia and it’s only a matter of time before he gets the call to F1.
Wickens’ former A1 Team Canada teammate James Hinchcliffe, from Oakville, Ont., made the jump to IndyCar with the legendary Newman/Haas Racing team after securing sponsorship with Toronto-based Sprott Inc. Despite missing the opening race of the season in St. Petersburg, Fla., Hinchcliffe overcame the odds to finish 12th overall in the standings and capture the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award.
Hinchcliffe, 25, will have a busy off-season however as Newman/Haas Racing announced they would not be competiting in 2012 after 29 seasons in open-wheel racing.
Kyle Marcelli made Canadians take notice of the American Le Mans Series. The 21-year-old from Barrie, Ont. finished third in the Le Mans Prototype Challenge class for Intersport Racing, earning three class wins, eight podiums and the Michelin “Driver of the Year” award.
Marcelli also made his European debut, racing for Monaco’s JMB Racing in the six-hour Intercontinental Le Mans Cup at Imola Racing Circuit. With his team trailing in second place, Marcelli took over during the final hour of the race, grabbed the lead and held on for the checkered flag.
Another driver making a splash across the pond is Bruno Spengler, who bides his time with Mercedes in the German DTM Series. Spengler, 28, won two races and finished third in the championship for the second year in a row. The St. Hippolyte, Que. native continues to be a possible candidate to move up to F1.
J.R. Fitzpatrick and Andrew Ranger had impressive seasons north and south of the 49th parallel. Fitzpatrick finished third overall in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the 23-year-old from Cambridge, Ont. had two top 10 finishes while driving part-time in the Nationwide Series. Fitzpatrick also competed in the Camping World Truck Series for one race in Kansas.
Ranger, 25, made appearances here, there and everywhere, racing part-time in the Canadian Tire and Nationwide series as well as one race in the Sprint Cup series.