Nick Yelloly admitted that the impending departure of Acura from the IMSA SportsCar Championship leaves him with a “bittersweet” feeling, as he prepares to join Ford in the World Endurance Championship next year.
The Briton joined the factory Meyer Shank team at the start of the 2025 IMSA season after two years with BMW, teaming up with veteran Renger van der Zande in the #93 Acura ARX-06 directly engineered by HRC US.
But his association with the Honda brand will end after just two seasons, with the North American arm of the Japanese marque announcing in April that it will “pause” its highly successful GTP effort at the end of 2026.
While some of his team-mates are still facing uncertain futures, Yelloly has already secured a seat for 2027, with Ford signing him as one of the six drivers for its high-profile return to the top echelon of sportscar racing.
While excited about competing with Ford in the WEC, the 35-year-old admitted that it would be tough to leave IMSA and a programme that was only just coming together for the #93 crew.
“I really enjoy my time in IMSA as well, so not to be racing here next year, it’s going to hurt a little bit,” Yelloly told Motorsport.com.
“I enjoy the racing, I enjoy the circuits, but a new challenge is going to come around. I’ve driven a lot of the circuits on the WEC calendar, but haven’t done the full season.
“I’d say it’s bittersweet because we’re really starting to get on a roll operationally within the programme. I feel like the engineering crew and the staff are working really well together.
“So, for it to come to, not an abrupt end, but an end earlier than we may have thought is sad, but that’s motorsport. It’s just the way of the world, unfortunately.
“Obviously, I left BMW to come and find new pastures, go and race for a different manufacturer.
“I think everyone worked their butts off in order to get a good operation out there and go and win races, and that’s what I really enjoyed. I really can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed it, and I’m sure our paths will cross again in the future.”
Nick Yelloly, Ford Racing
Photo by: Ford
Ford’s upcoming hypercar programme marks its first factory effort in the top class at the Le Mans 24 Hours since the ill-fated C100 Group C car in 1982.
Yelloly said he was quickly convinced after early talks with Ford Racing’s management left him with a very positive impression of its LMDh project.
“There were conversations up and down the paddock, as I’m sure Ford was having conversations with other drivers as well,” he said.
“But once I’d been able to sit down with [Ford LMDh chief] Dan Sayers and understand how much effort is going into the programme, how serious they’re taking it and the fight that they’re coming with it, it was clear that I wanted to be involved. And it all developed really, really quite fast.
“And then, I met Mark Rushbrook after I spoke with Dan initially. After that, it was clear.”
Ford has partnered with Oreca for the development of its LMDh chassis, the same constructor with Acura has enjoyed a long relationship through IMSA’s DPi and LMDh eras.
Current Acura driver Tom Blomqvist, who is also joining Ford next year, had already described his experience with an Oreca chassis as crucial in helping the Blue Oval speed up the development of the car.
Yelloly said his extensive knowledge of the Acura ARX-06 in IMSA would make the transition to Ford easier.
“Obviously, I’ve worked with Oreca before. I drive here with the ARX, and that’s an Oreca chassis, and then also in the LMP2 class,” said the 35-year-old, who has also claimed back-to-back LMP2 wins at Le Mans with Inter Europol’s Oreca 07.
“So, I know quite a lot about the chassis and how to develop the car; what we do and don’t need, both from the system side and also from the chassis side.
“So, it was clear to me that Ford was the way to go. And to continue the Ford-Ferrari story, eventually, when we go to Le Mans, will be quite exciting.”
Despite being contracted to Acura until the end of the calendar year, both Yelloly and Blomqvist have received special dispensation from Honda to test Ford’s new LMDh challenger and integrate themselves in the team.
Yelloly will effectively be managing three different programmes in the coming months, as he also continues to race in the European Le Mans Series with Inter Europol.
In IMSA, Yelloly and van der Zande sit third in the GTP standings, 245 points behind Action Express Racing driver Jack Aitken, with just three rounds still to run.
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