TouringCarTimes’ Top 30 drivers of 2015: 30 to 21

Here is the first part of TouringCarTimes’ staff rundown of the top 30 drivers of the 2015 season. Looking at the performances of the drivers this year, we’ll go through over three days who we think were the top touring car drivers this season across the major national and international V8 Supercars, BTCC, WTCC, DTM, TCR and STCC series.

30 – Kevin Gleason (TCR – WestCoast Racing – 2 Wins)

The American rookie was a surprise in many aspects. Four podiums, including two wins, and a remarkable performance in Macau in Qualifying surely caught the eye of the paddock. His struggles getting off the grid played a major role in his season. Some outstanding performances, such as his two pole positions in Sepang and Salzburgring, defined very clearly the speed of the American.

29 – Colin Turkington (BTCC – Team BMR – 4 Wins)
Last year’s position: #3

When Turkington was unveiled as part of the Team BMR “super-team” at the start of the season, many questioned whether the reigning champion could adapt to front-wheel-drive cars after a significant stint in rear-wheel-drive machinery. He proved all his doubters wrong with four wins, eight podiums and two pole positions en route to fourth in the standings, as well as beating team-mate Jason Plato to the Independents’ Championship.

28 – Fredrik Ekblom (STCC – Volvo Polestar Racing – 4 Wins)
Last year’s position: #15

Despite being one of the oldest in the STCC, Ekblom was right behind and sometimes ahead the much younger team-mate Thed Björk, proving that he is still to be reckoned with and will be an interesting addition to the WTCC next year.

27 – Jordi Gené (TCR – Craft-Bamboo Racing – 3 Wins)

From Portimao to Buriram, Jordi Gené put in some fantastic performances, coupled with a consistency he unfortunately did not have before Portugal, scuppering a proper title bid. A crash in Macau while fighting for the lead was a sad ending to his season, but Gené undoubtedly shows he belongs at the front of the grid.

26 – Edoardo Mortara (DTM – Audi Sport Abt – 1 Win)

The Italian had one of his strongest season starts to be a hot contender for Audi all year. He was consistently fast and a regular visitor to the podium, keeping his mathematical options open for the title until Hockenheim. Audi Sport’s policy of not giving team orders and allowing all their drivers to fight until the end probably cost Mortara, fourth in the standings, a better result this year.

25 – Gianni Morbidelli (TCR – WestCoast Racing – 3 Wins)
Last year’s position: #28

A combination of reliability issues and some driver errors led Morbidelli to losing ground in the second half of the season. A couple of wins at his home round in Monza had launched him as the obvious candidate for the title, but a negative streak of three zeros in four races effectively put his title hopes to an end. Peaks of class and speed were still there, though, confirming the talent of a precious driver for the series who will hopefully continue to be part of the show in the future.

24 – Rob Huff (WTCC – Lada Sport – 1 Podium, TCR – WestCoast Racing – 1 Win)
Last year’s position: #21

A quieter season than usual from the Briton, with the new Lada Vesta delivering much promise but not much in the way of results in 2015. Huff’s season highlight came during a busman’s holiday to Macau in TCR, taking a dominant pole and Race 1 victory before being eliminated at the start of Race 2. In the WTCC, it was more of consistent season with a car which had significant handling issues after a high-speed crash in Hungary.

23 – Scott McLaughlin (V8SC – Garry Rogers Motorsport – 2 Podiums)
Last year’s position: #6

McLaughlin had a disappointing season compared to last year, where his modest results were partly due to technical difficulties and team errors, but also due to driver mistakes. The young Kiwi is no doubt one of the fastest in V8 Supercars and is one to watch out for next season.

22 – Pepe Oriola (TCR – Craft-Bamboo Racing – 2 Wins)

Consistency was the key for the young Spaniard, who had an incredibly experienced team-mate in Jordi Gené, which added to the pressure. Oriola showed an incredible maturity by avoiding risks when possible and collecting some 12 podium finishes. A far from perfect weekend in Macau was probably the only mistake of the Spanish young gun, who is expected to return to the series for another title assault.

21 – Bruno Spengler (DTM – BMW Team MTEK – 4 Podiums)

The move to Team MTEK gave the Canadian a fresh challenge that led him to become the main driver for BMW. Despite not winning any races this season, Spengler still kept a minimal mathematical option to fight for the title right until the season finale, being a regular podium visitor and a key team player.