Mini 2008: Rookie of the Year

With the influx of refugee drivers from Champ Car, the IndyCar series chose to pick and choose it's rookies this year based on some random formula relating to oval racing experience. Wait, Justin Wilson is a rookie and Oriol Servia is not? Whatever.

Friends, the Mini Award qualifications have decided to cancel most those "transition" folks out of the balloting. The fact is that other series was largely a parallel of the IndyCar series, but with turbo chargers, standing starts and Michelle Beisner. Beyond that, they even ran on some of the same tracks, so when we say "rookie" around here we mean "rookie" in the rookiest sense of the word. Sorry, Graham.

Being a rookie means this: (1) fretting over forgetting where your pit box is, (2) soiling yourself in Turn Four at Indy, and (3) trying in vain all year to get Danica Patrick to recognize you as a fellow competitor. With those parameters defined, here are your 2008 nominees:

Jamie Camara - This is more of a sympathetic nod to the driver who toiled away in Indy Pro obscurity for three years. Camara's finest hour in 2008 came at Richmond where he led a whopping 44 laps. However, like so many races throughout his career he managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by crashing out. And by "victory" I mean a Top 10 finish, something that eluded him all season.

Mario Moraes - His greatest claim to fame this year was that he led 3 laps at Indianapolis, which is amazing considering he was going about as fast the trucks that helped dry the track. Moraes was practically invisible all year, which is both good and bad. He placed higher than 10th just once but still managing to finish all but four races. Hanging close in the standings to his far more experienced teammate (Bruno Junqueira) is a good sign for a kid who's only two weeks older than the Son of 'Stache.

Hideki Mutoh - After a 2007 season that included a runner-up finish in the Indy Pro series and an astonishing 8th place debut at Chicagoland, Mutoh landed in one of what was considered to be the best 8 rides in the league. Sadly, he finished in 10th. To Mutoh's credit he usually kept the car clean, finishing all but four races and garnering eight Top 10 finishes. His highlight was a second place finish in Iowa, along with the fact that Danica! actually knows who he is. But again, 10th place in basically the car that Dario Franchitti drove the championship last year.

EJ Viso - Viso was without a doubt the most exciting driver in the IndyCar series. He's honest, he's fresh (I sound like Gordon Ramsay), and he drives like he's in a video game. Mash gas, turn occasionally, and bounce of other cars on your way through the field. He would be a runaway winner in this category by leading at least 9 laps in two different races for a one-car transition team, but unfortunately he wrecked in his last two races. I realize the Chicagoland incident was probably equipment related, but clearly Dallaras are not yet completely Viso-proof. Plus he contracted the mumps in the middle of the season, setting off an embarrassing league-wide hazmat warning.

And the winner is...


Franck Perera - Call his season "To Hell and Back". Fronkensteen started off the year with a respectable 14th place finish at Homestead, registering the second highest result for a driver on a transition team. He then went on to run solidly in the Top 3 at St Pete before colliding with Vitor Meira. Perera's excuse? "I was faster." He shrugged off Meira's "Look how fast you are now, dude" and hopped into a DP-01 at Long Beach for a 6th place finish ... where he was promptly FIRED and replaced by Jamie Camara and his big fat wad of cash.

So what did a Frenchman like Perera do? Surrender? No, monsieur! He swallowed his pride and took his skills to Indy Lights. In 9 races he scored 2 pole positions, 3 Top 5s and even won one of the races at Infineon. Perera was impressive enough to do what no one else could - come back to the IndyCar series - where he took a last minute ride in a 2nd Foyt car from 24th to 15th in the season finale.

Congratulations to Franck, for showing a combination of budding ability and quiet fortitude. IndyCar fans are looking forward to your future, and we hope to high heaven you are NOT the next Laurent Redon.

(Photo by TrackSide Online)