Kyffin Simpson (/ˈkɪ.fən/ KIH-fən; born 9 October 2004) is a Caymanian racing driver competing in the IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing. He won the 2023 European Le Mans Series championship with Algarve Pro Racing.
| Kyffin Simpson | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Kyffin Simpson in 2024 | |||||||
| Nationality |  Caymanian | ||||||
| Born | 9 October 2004 Bridgetown, Barbados | ||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 17 races run over 1 year | |||||||
| Team(s) | No. 8 (Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||||||
| Best finish | 21st (2024) | ||||||
| First race | 2024 Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Music City Grand Prix (Nashville Superspeedway) | ||||||
| |||||||
| European Le Mans Series - LMP2 career | |||||||
| Debut season | 2023 | ||||||
| Current team | Algarve Pro Racing | ||||||
| Car number | 25 | ||||||
| Starts | 6 | ||||||
| Championships | 1 (2023) | ||||||
| Wins | 2 | ||||||
| Podiums | 5 | ||||||
| Poles | 2 | ||||||
| Fastest laps | 2 | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st in 2023 | ||||||
| Previous series | |||||||
| 2022–23 2021 2020–21 2020 | Indy NXT Indy Pro 2000 Championship Formula Regional Americas Championship Formula 4 United States Championship | ||||||
| Championship titles | |||||||
| 2021 | Formula Regional Americas Championship | ||||||
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |||||||
| Years | 2024 | ||||||
| Teams | Nielsen | ||||||
| Best finish | 25th (2024) | ||||||
| Class wins | 0 | ||||||
Personal life
editSimpson was born in Bridgetown, Barbados; the son of Caymanian businessman David Simpson.[1] Simpson competes as Caymanian,[2] saying, "I really feel connected with the people of Cayman. It’s cool to fly the flag on the side of my car."[3]
Junior career
editFormula 4 United States Championship
editSimpson made his car racing debut in 2020 for Velocity Racing Development in the 2020 Formula 4 United States Championship after 9 years of karting across the Caribbean and United States.[4]
Formula Regional Americas Championship
editSimpson would dovetail a season in the Formula 4 United States Championship with a season in the Formula Regional Americas Championship in 2020, and dominated the championship in his second season with podiums in all but five races.[5]
Winning the FR Americas title awarded Kyffin with a Honda Performance Development scholarship fund worth $600,000 towards a Super Formula campaign in 2022, but Japan’s ongoing travel restrictions due to COVID-19 prevented these plans coming to fruition.[6]
Indy Pro 2000 Championship
editParallel to his Regional F3 campaign, Simpson also entered the Road to Indy ladder with IndyCar team Juncos Racing, competing in 16 of the 18-race Indy Pro 2000 Championship season, scoring three podiums.[7]
Indy Lights / Indy NXT
editIn 2022, Simpson signed a multi-year deal as a development driver with Chip Ganassi Racing, whilst also progressing to Indy Lights, partnering James Roe Jr. at TJ Speed Motorsports.[8] Following eight races with the team, Simpson moved to HMD Motorsports.[9] He finished ninth in the Indy Lights standings with a best result of fifth in Barber and Detroit.
Simpson confirmed a return to the newly rebranded Indy NXT series in 2023 with HMD Motorsports.[10][11]
SportsCar racing career
editIMSA SportsCar Championship
edit2022
editAlongside his Indy Lights duties, Simpson made his IMSA SportsCar Championship debut with Gradient Racing at the wheel of an Acura NSX GT3 EVO II at the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona. He, along with his teammates Mario Farnbacher and Till Bechtolsheimer, won the 2022 Petit Le Mans in the GTD class.[12]
2023
edit
Simpson joined Tower Motorsports for a part-time role in the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship competing in LMP2.[13] After finishing fifth at the 24 Hours of Daytona, Simpson, along with teammates Scott McLaughlin and John Farano, won the LMP2 class of the 12 Hours of Sebring, marking the Barbadian's second triumph in IMSA.[14]
Asian Le Mans Series
edit2023
editAlongside his duties in junior formulae, Simpson would compete full-time in the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series together with James Allen and John Falb as part of Algarve Pro Racing[15] in preparation for a campaign in that year's European Le Mans Series.[16] The season opener in Dubai yielded a perfect start, as the trio took victory despite a spin from Falb.[17] Simpson played a major role in said victory, taking second place from Indy NXT rival Christian Bogle near half-distance, before closing the gap between himself and leader Ayhancan Güven from 25 to mere seven seconds by the end of their stints.[18] The following day, a puncture prevented the #25 from battling for a win; they eventually settled for fourth.[19] Race one at the Yas Marina Circuit saw Simpson battling the experienced Oliver Jarvis for a podium spot, however he would take himself out of contention owing to a spin into the turn 16 wall mere minutes before the end.[20][21] On Sunday, fourth place meant that Simpson, Allen and Falb would end up third in the LMP2 classification.[22]
European Le Mans Series
edit2023
editSimpson would stay with Algarve Pro Racing to compete in the 2023 European Le Mans Series, where Simpson once again partnered James Allen, the pair being joined by Cadillac Hypercar driver Alex Lynn.[23] An unspectacular maiden race in Barcelona was followed by a markedly improved showing at the Circuit Paul Ricard, where Simpson's ability to stay close to leader Vladislav Lomko throughout the opening stints - exemplified by the Bajan setting the race's fastest lap - enabled teammates Lynn and Allen to get embroiled in the battle for victory, with the latter executing a late-race pass on Louis Delétraz to bring first place to APR.[24] Prior to the third race, held at MotorLand Aragón, Simpson received praise from Lynn, the Brit stating that "Kyffin is a fast learner" and praising him for his pace, whilst remarking that Simpson needed more experience.[25]
IndyCar
edit
In January 2023, Kyffin completed his first NTT IndyCar Series test with Chip Ganassi Racing at Sebring International Raceway.[26] Following the end of the 2023 IndyCar season, Chip Ganassi announced that Simpson, who had been the team's development driver over the past two years, would be stepping up to IndyCar in 2024.[27][28] He started his season at St. Petersburg with a 12th place finish, ending up ahead of all other rookies and setting the fastest lap of the race.[29] Following three further top-20 finishes, Simpson ended up 21st in his first appearance at the Indy 500, having qualified a then-record 18th.[30][31]
Racing record
editCareer summary
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Formula 4 United States Championship | Velocity Racing Development | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 18th |
| Formula Regional Americas Championship | HMD Motorsports | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 13th | |
| 2021 | Formula Regional Americas Championship | TJ Speed Motorsports | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 314 | 1st |
| Indy Pro 2000 Championship | Juncos Hollinger Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 231 | 8th | |
| 2022 | Indy Lights | TJ Speed Motorsports | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 312 | 9th |
| HMD Motorsports | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | Gradient Racing | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1003 | 26th | |
| 2023 | Indy NXT | HMD Motorsports | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 283 | 10th |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | Tower Motorsports | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 899 | 13th | |
| Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Algarve Pro Racing | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 3rd | |
| European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 113 | 1st | ||
| 2024 | IndyCar Series | Chip Ganassi Racing | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 182 | 21th |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | DragonSpeed | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 262 | 48th | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | Nielsen Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 11th |
Complete Formula 4 United States Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Velocity Racing Development | MOH 1 9 |
MOH 2 13 |
VIR 1 Ret |
VIR 2 19 |
VIR 3 7 |
BAR 1 13 |
BAR 2 Ret |
BAR 3 16 |
BAR 4 6 |
SEB 1 |
SEB 2 |
SEB 3 |
HMS 1 |
HMS 2 |
HMS 3 |
COA 1 |
COA 2 |
COA 3 |
18th | 14 |
Complete Formula Regional Americas Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | HMD Motorsports | MOH 1 |
MOH 2 |
VIR 1 |
VIR 2 |
VIR 3 |
BAR 1 |
BAR 2 |
BAR 3 |
SEB 1 7 |
SEB 2 Ret |
SEB 3 9 |
HMS 1 8 |
HMS 2 7 |
HMS 3 7 |
COA 1 10 |
COA 2 10 |
COA 3 10 |
13th | 30 | |
| 2021 | TJ Speed Motorsports | ATL 1 1 |
ATL 2 1 |
ATL 3 1 |
ROA 1 4 |
ROA 2 1 |
ROA 3 1 |
MOH 1 12 |
MOH 2 3 |
MOH 3 2 |
BRA 1 2 |
BRA 2 2 |
BRA 3 2 |
VIR 1 4 |
VIR 2 5 |
VIR 3 2 |
COA 1 11 |
COA 2 1 |
COA 3 1 |
1st | 314 |
American open-wheel results
editIndy Pro 2000
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Juncos Hollinger Racing | ALA 11 |
ALA 17 |
STP 10 |
STP 14 |
IMS 4 |
IMS 3 |
IMS 6 |
IRP 8 |
ROA 11 |
ROA 3 |
MOH1 7 |
MOH1 3 |
GMP 11 |
NJMP 10 |
NJMP 8 |
NJMP 7 |
MOH2 | MOH2 | 18th | 231 |
Indy Lights / Indy NXT
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TJ Speed Motorsports | STP 11 |
BAR 5 |
IMS 12 |
IMS 8 |
DET 5 |
DET 7 |
RDA 9 |
MDO 10 |
9th | 312 | ||||||
| HMD Motorsports | IOW 11 |
NSH 8 |
GMP 10 |
POR 9 |
LAG 12 |
LAG 12 | |||||||||||
| 2023 | HMD Motorsports | STP 10 |
BAR 18 |
IMS 3 |
DET 13 |
DET 17 |
RDA 8 |
MDO 2 |
IOW 16 |
NSH 15 |
IMS 5 |
GMP | POR 13 |
LAG 4 |
LAG 17 |
10th | 283 |
IndyCar Series
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Chassis | No. | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Rank | Points | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara DW12 | 4 | Honda | STP 12 |
THE DNQ |
LBH 19 |
ALA 14 |
IMS 15 |
INDY 21 |
DET 24 |
ROA 27 |
LAG 23 |
MDO 21 |
IOW 14 |
IOW 18 |
TOR 22 |
GTW 25 |
POR 16 |
MIL 25 |
MIL 13 |
NSH 22 |
21st | 182 | [32] |
| 2025 | 8 | STP |
THE |
LBH |
ALA |
IMS |
INDY |
DET |
GTW |
ROA |
MDO |
IOW |
IOW |
TOR |
LAG |
POR |
MIL |
NSH |
- | 0 |
Indianapolis 500
edit| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dallara | Honda | 18 | 21 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Gradient Racing | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 | Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | DAY 13 |
SEB 11 |
LBH | LGA | MDO | DET | WGL 9 |
MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | PET 1 |
26th | 1003 |
| 2023 | Tower Motorsports | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 5 |
SEB 1 |
LGA | WGL 5 |
ELK | IMS | PET 7 |
13th | 899 | |||||
| 2024 | DragonSpeed USA | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 7 |
SEB | WGL | MOS | ELK | IMS | PET | 48th | 262 |
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Algarve Pro Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DUB 1 1 |
DUB 2 4 |
ABU 1 9 |
ABU 2 4 |
3rd | 51 |
Complete European Le Mans Series results
edit| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Algarve Pro Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 5 |
LEC 1 |
ARA 3 |
SPA 1 |
POR 2 |
ALG 2 |
1st | 113 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 |  Nielsen Racing
|
 David Heinemeier Hansson Fabio Scherer
|
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 291 | 25th | 11th |
References
edit- ^ "The Indianapolis Star". www.indystar.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Wood, Ida (19 September 2023). "What you should know about IndyCar's new driver and his case for a seat". Formula Scout. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "Kyffin Simpson". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ "KYFFIN SIMPSON SIGNS FOR VELOCITY RACING DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF 2020 F4 U.S. CAMPAIGN". Formula 4 United States Championship. 13 May 2020.
- ^ "Kyffin Simpson and TJ Speed team dominate FRegional Americas debut". Formula Scout. 29 March 2021.
- ^ Jamie Klein (12 November 2021). "HPD scholarship winner Simpson turns down Super Formula chance". Motorsport.com.
- ^ "Juncos signs Kyffin Simpson to Indy Pro 2000 team". Motorsport.com. 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Ganassi signs Simpson to multi-year development deal". Racer. 12 May 2022.
- ^ Series, F1 Feeder (18 July 2022). "Indy Lights: Kyffin Simpson switches to HMD as disillusion causes rift with TJ Speed". F1 Feeder Series. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Simpson Staying with HMD Motorsports for 2023 Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Simpson Staying with HMD Motorsports for 2023 Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Gradient Racing stuns with last-to-first Petit Le Mans victory". Kyffin Simpson. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ Lloyd, Daniel (5 December 2022). "Newgarden, McLaughlin to Make Rolex 24 Debuts With Tower – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Tower Motorsports victorious at 12H of Sebring, P3 overall". Kyffin Simpson. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Kyffin Simpson". DriverDB. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
- ^ "Algarve Pro Name Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Roster | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Algarve Pro Racing Win the Opening Round of the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series!". Endurance Info. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Algarve Pro Racing Wins First 2023 4 Hours of Dubai | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Superb Siegel Caps Off Inter Europol's 'Spin & Win' In Dubai | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (18 February 2023). "Cool Racing Wins Abu Dhabi Saturday Race – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "COOL Racing Triumphs In 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 1 | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Asian Le Mans Series Standings 2023 | Motorsport Stats". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "European Le Mans Series Confirm 42 Car Full Season Entry | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (16 July 2023). "Algarve Pro Takes Dramatic Paul Ricard Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "What's NXT For Kyffin Simpson? | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "Shwartzman tops four-car IndyCar test at Sebring". RACER. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- ^ "Chip Ganassi Racing Expands 2024 INDYCAR Team with Kyffin Simpson on Board". chipganassiracing.com. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Ganassi adds fifth IndyCar for Indy NXT grad Simpson in 2024". RACER. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Simpson comes in sneaky fast in IndyCar debut at St. Petersburg". RACER. 10 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ "The efficient Indy 500 rookie quietly flying under the radar". Beyond the Flag. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Newgarden denies O'Ward for back-to-back Indy 500 wins". The Race. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Kyffin Simpson – 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Kyffin Simpson career summary at DriverDB.com