As he takes the checkered flag to close out 2024, local race car driver Zach Vanier looks back on a year that was with a great deal of contentment.

Not only did the 22 year-old graduate of Lasalle Secondary School springboard from a very successful 2023 season to a third place finish, as a rookie, on the Porsche Carrera Cup North America series, he did so while entering the winner’s circle on three separate occasions.

“Every time I enter a season, my ultimate goal is to be crowned champion at the end of the season,” Vanier noted, just before Christmas.

“But I think there is more outside of that: how many pole positions can I get? how many race wins can I get? how much can I develop my craft in the race car and increase my capabilities, all while gaining as much respect from my competitors as possible?”

To be able to walk away with positive responses on all of the above was good.

To be able to walk away with positive responses on all of the above while doing so on a race circuit that he has aspired to reach for the past six years is great.

“It (Porsche Carrera Cup series) was something I was thrilled to be a part of,” said Vanier, proudly representing JDX Racing this year. “It’s considered to be the most competitive single-make series in North America. We’re all in the same car, so it’s considered to be equal equipment, with it all coming down to the driving of the actual car.”

With victories in Miami (on Formula 1 weekend in May, no less), Road Atlanta in October and Circuit of the Americas later that month (Austin, Texas), Vanier reaped the benefit of an off-circuit training program that he rejigged back in March.

“I increased my cardio, my stamina, my core strength and muscle mass – and felt a lot better inside the car and out,” said the young man whose introduction to speed events came as a precocious youngster on sleds in snowcross races.

“That was kind of what took me to the level I needed.”

For many a reader, the concept of a race car driver being engaged to the “Nth” degree with his overall fitness might come as a surprise. “A lot of people don’t understand what we go through inside the car,” explained Vanier. “The temperatures in there are really, really hot – and there’s a lot to think about, a lot going on.”

“You need to feel sharp so your brain can translate everything fast.”

Since capturing the Canadian National Karting Championship in 2016, Vanier has steadily improved – and learned a great deal about exactly where he is likely to enjoy the greatest success as a driver.

“I’ve tended to excel on tracks that have a greater amount of corners, just because there is an increased difficulty,” he said. “I like it when there’s not one of the same corner, where they’re all different. Different speeds, different angles. It takes a wider range of skill to put the perfect lap together.”

“But I am also excited for the street circuits,” Vanier added. “I love the thrill of being nice and tight up against the wall, trying to find every inch of the track that you can to be the quickest.”

Sharing the winner’s circle with the likes of Loek Hartog (Netherlands), Ryan Yardley (New Zealand), Alex Sedgwick (Great Britain) and American Yves Baltas, Vanier raised the bar on his ability to guide the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup to an optimum performance, all while gauging a new level of competition.

“Some of the European driving styles are much different than what we have experienced here in North America,” said Vanier. “A lot more fast-paced, a lot more aggressive; just an entirely different approach.”

Turning the calendar to 2025, Vanier knows some tough decisions lie ahead. The most wonderful time of the year means that the most challenging of discussions are about to take place in his world.

“What’s the right move and how do you keep progressing?,” stated Vanier. “In some ways, this is my least favourite time of the year.”

But if all goes well, if he can continue to display the incline of progress that he has to date, Vanier is confident that he can “be viewed as a championship contender” in 2025 – which makes for an awfully satisfying checkered flag to the year some twelve months from now.