Mike Conway has announced that he will bring down the curtain on his full-time professional motorsport career at the end of the current FIA World Endurance Championship campaign, closing the chapter on what he describes as an ‘amazing journey’ during which he has ‘achieved everything [he] could ever have dreamed of’.
After climbing the ladder in single-seaters – clinching the crown in both Formula Renault UK and British Formula 3, and prevailing in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix – Conway went on to test for Honda Racing F1 Team in 2007 and 2008 prior to making his mark in North America’s IndyCar Series, in which he registered four race wins.
In 2013, he turned his attentions from open-wheel competition to endurance racing, initially contesting FIA WEC’s LMP2 category with G-Drive Racing. Four victories from eight rounds catapulted him to third in the standings as a rookie in the long-distance discipline.
That earned the British star a seat with Toyota as the Japanese automotive giant joined the grid the next season, with a part-time programme yielding a breakthrough triumph in the championship’s top-tier alongside Alexander Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin in Bahrain.
Conway has been a core member of Toyota’s challenge ever since, with that Sakhir success followed up by 19 more, the most recent of which came in the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in June – the 43-year-old’s second outright win in the legendary twice-round-the-clock contest. That result, he admits, played a large part in his decision.
“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.”
In addition to his two world championship crowns – in 2019-20 and 2021 – Conway has finished inside the top three in the overall Drivers’ table on four further occasions, while playing a significant role in propelling Toyota to an unrivalled seven Manufacturers’ trophies.
Together with team-mates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, he is once more in the thick of the title fight this season, sitting just ten points adrift of the summit of the standings with two rounds to run. Indeed, had it not been for an agonising late-race hydraulic issue almost within sight of victory at COTA last month, the trio would very likely be leading the classification.
“It has been a pleasure to race the #7 car with Mike for so many years,” commented Team Principal Kobayashi, paying tribute to Conway’s tireless dedication and team spirit. “We’ve shared so many emotional moments, particularly at Le Mans, and some of my most incredible memories in racing have come alongside Mike.
“He has been an incredible team-mate, not only in terms of speed and consistency, but on a human level as well. He has become a friend to many of us in the team and we will miss having him around, but nothing lasts forever in motorsport and we all want to wish Mike a deserved, and very happy, retirement with his family.”
Conway’s final appearance for the team – his 94th in total for Toyota – will be the 6 Hours of Monza in Italy on 6-8 November.
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