Le Mans and IndyCar race winner Mike Conway announces retirement

Mike Conway, best known for his success with Toyota in sportscar racing, will hang up his helmet at the end of the 2026 World Endurance Championship.

The British driver will pull the curtain down on an illustrious career that has so far yielded two victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, two LMP1/Hypercar world titles, four IndyCar race wins, as well as further success in the Macau Grand Prix.

Conway made the announcement ahead of the penultimate round of the season in Barcelona on 18 October, with him and his team-mates Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi still firmly in the thick of the title fight.

Although Toyota has yet to name a replacement for the 43-year-old, it is understood that Kevin Estre will take his place at the Cologne-based team next year as part of a loan deal with Porsche.

Conway said he made his decision to retire from racing in the wake of his second outright triumph at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, although it is believed that Toyota had decided not to renew his contract prior to the French endurance classic.

“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.”  

Conway began his career in single-seaters in Europe, rising through the ranks after winning titles in Formula Renault UK and British F3.

He then spent two seasons in GP2 (now Formula 2), taking a sprint win at Monaco and securing a best finish of 12th in the championship.

After impressing during an IndyCar test at Sonoma, he moved to the United States in 2009, scoring race wins for Andretti, Dale Coyne and Ed Carpenter Racing through to 2014.

By this point, he was already semi-active in sportscar racing, and made a full transition to the WEC with Toyota in 2015 at the peak of the LMP1 era.

Since then, Conway has become an important and reliable member of the Japanese manufacturer’s prototype programme, winning the last LMP1 title in 2019-20 before becoming the first Hypercar champion in 2021.

He also scored his first Le Mans victory in 2021, together with team-mates Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez. While competition in the WEC has ramped up since then, he has scored at least one win every season in the Hypercar era.

With two rounds remaining, Conway, de Vries and Kobayashi sit second in the drivers’ standings, just 10 points behind the sister #8 TR010 Hybrid driven by Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi.

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– The Motorsport.com Team

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