Mike Conway, current Toyota Racing driver in the World Endurance Championship, has announced that he will retire at the end of this season.
Conway began his career in single-seater racing, finding success across different European F3 championships before getting the opportunity to be a test driver for the Honda Racing F1 team in 2007 and 2008 while racing in GP2.
In 2008, he got the opportunity to test in IndyCar, which led to a seat with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the following season. Across 5 seasons of racing in the North American championship, Conway registered 4 wins.
In 2013, alongside his last IndyCar year, he made his sportscars debut with G-Drive Racing in the LMP2 category of the World Endurance Championship. Four victories from eight rounds made him one of the top three rookies in the series.
This performance helped him get a seat with Toyota in their LMP1 programme, where he spent the rest of his career.
Mike Conway enjoyed a hugely successful career with Toyota Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, becoming a two-time World Champion in 2019-20 and 2021. A key member of Toyota’s #7 crew alongside Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, Conway also secured his long-awaited overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021.
Over his Toyota WEC career, he established himself as one of the championship’s most successful drivers, combining speed, consistency and endurance to help Toyota secure multiple Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles.
“It’s been an amazing journey, and one I wouldn’t change for the world,” he reflected. “I’m immensely proud of the career I’ve had, and extremely grateful to everyone who has supported me along the way.
“My racing story started when I was eight-years-old, when my dad took me to a local kart track and lit a passion for the sport that has never left me. That passion took me all over the world to do my dream job, and I never once took it for granted.
“Deciding to step back from full-time racing wasn’t easy, but after winning Le Mans for a second time this year, it felt like the right moment to close this chapter and focus on my family. To bow out with two Le Mans wins, two world titles and as the most successful British driver in the championship’s history is something of which I’m incredibly proud – not just for myself, but for my family, my friends and everyone who has stood behind me throughout my career.
“I owe so much to so many people. There have been tough moments along the way, but the support I’ve had over the years always kept me going. In the end, I achieved everything I could ever have dreamed of.
“Motorsport has been my world for more than 20 years, and I’ve been lucky to meet so many incredible people, team-mates and team members – none more so than everyone at Toyota Racing, who welcomed me into the family in 2014 and with whom I’ve shared my greatest memories. It’s been an honour and a privilege to represent them. I can’t thank them enough, and I’ll always be part of the Toyota family.
“Now, it’s time for me to step away and enjoy life with my family away from the racetrack. To everyone who has supported me, from the very first day at Rye House to the top step at Le Mans, thank you so much.”
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