My Sportsman: Nicki Thiim

Had you told Nicki Thiim on January 1st of this year that we would win a round of the FIA World Endurance Championship driving for the factory Aston Martin team and would win the Porsche Supercup Championship in 2013, you probably would have made his year. Had you gone on to tell him the reality of how he ended up at Aston Martin and as Porsche Supercup champion he probably would have said he'll pass on the ride and the honor.

We can't change reality. Nicki Thiim had a incredible year in sports cars and did so carrying on the memory of two talented drivers. Thiim entered 2013 as an up and coming driver from Denmark. At 24, Thiim was already on the cusp of taking that next step in motorsports. He won a class in the 2009 24 Hours Nürburgring and finished third in the 2012 Porsche Supercup behind René Rast who took his third consecutive title and his teammate Kévin Estre.

Estre and Thiim teamed up again for the 2013 championship. In the opening round Thiim finished second to Sean Edwards at Barcelona. Edwards was coming off a second consecutive win in the 24 Hours of Dubai and had been slowly been working his up the ranks in Porsche Carrera Cup Germany and Supercup. After the opening weekend of the 2013 Porsche Supercup weekend, Thiim and Edwards went on to win the 24 Hours Nürburgring teamed with legendary German driver Bernd Schneider and Jeroen Bleekemolen, giving Mercedes-Benz their first ever victory in the German endurance classic.

After their victory at the Nürburgring, Edwards and Thiim would win the next two rounds of the Porsche Supercup season at Monaco and Silverstone. Prior to Silverstone however, the most sobering event that can happen in motorsports occurred and opened a door for Thiim's future. Allan Simonsen's death in the 24 Hours of Le Mans left a door open in a factory Aston Martin in the World Endurance Championship. Simonsen had been the lead driver to Aston Martin's young driver team and his vacancy was only fittingly filled by a fellow Dane: Nicki Thiim.

In the first WEC race after Simonsen's death, the all-Danish team of Christoffer Nygaard, Kristian Poulsen and Thiim were having a great run in class at Interlagos until a mechanical failure ended their day early. Thiim would go on to win the following weekend in Porsche Supercup at Monza and narrow the gap between him and Edwards to eighteen points entering the season finale race weekend at Yas Marina. Thiim would continue his success in WEC with a second in class at Austin to his Aston Martin teammates Jamie Campbell-Walter and Stuart Hall.

Unfortunately motorsports threw another sobering blow. Sean Edwards was killed in a training accident at Queensland Raceway in Australia weeks prior to the Porsche Supercup season finale. Edwards seemed a lock to take the Porsche Supercup championship but his death opened the door for either Thiim or Michael Ammermüller. While there were calls to make the season finale weekend at Yas Marina a non-points event and posthumously hand Edwards the title, the weekend continued as scheduled. Thiim went out as a race car driver, swept the weekend and took home the championship.

Thiim was in a no-win situation. There was no exuberant celebration but he did earn that championship. He won three races and scored five podiums. If there was any driver that deserved to win that title more than Edwards, it was Thiim. He would round out his 2013 season picking up a win in the WEC season finale in Bahrain, book-ending the season for the all-Danish Aston Martin squad after Simonsen, Nygaard and Poulsen took victory in the season opener at Silverstone.

Thiim's 2013 season was full of the successes any young driver dreams of. Motorsports can hand you opportunities through the misfortune of others. It has always happened in motorsports and it will continue to happen as long drivers show up and race. But we shouldn't curse Thiim for winning the Porsche Supercup title. He won the title honoring Edwards and drove the Aston Martin honoring Allan Simonsen. Despite the dark reality, Thiim raced with best intentions to carry on the legacy of his fellow racers and friends in Edwards and Simonsen.

Nicki Thiim is the model driver for what he does on and off the track. He has a bright future ahead of him and will carry on the memory of Sean Edwards and Allan Simonsen as well.