Ryan Yardley
| Ryan Yardley | |
|---|---|
Yardley in 2022 | |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Born | 7 July 1998 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Racing licence | FIA Silver |
| Championship titles | |
| 2025 2016–17 | Porsche Carrera Cup North America Toyota Finance 86 Championship |
Ryan Yardley (born 7 July 1998) is a New Zealand racing driver who is set to compete in the GTD class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Mühlner Motorsport.
Career
Yardley made his single-seater debut in 2013, racing in Formula Ford New Zealand.[1] After two seasons in the series,[2] Yardley switched to the Toyota Finance 86 Championship for the 2015–16 season, in which he claimed rookie of the year honors.[3] Returning for the 2016–17 season,[4] Yardley won twice and finished on the podium all but four times to secure the title and earning him a one-off appearance in the Australian Toyota 86 series.[5][6]
In 2018, Yardley joined MTEC Motorsport to race in the Toyota Racing Series at the beginning of the year.[7] In his only season in the series, Yardley scored a lone podium at by finishing second in the reverse-grid race at Taupo en route to a ninth-place points finish.[8] After not racing throughout the rest of the year, Yardley made a one-off appearance with the same team in the 2019 Australian Formula 4 Championship in the Australian Grand Prix-supporting Melbourne round.[9]
Following a year on the sidelines, Yardley joined Kiwi Motorsport to race in the Formula Pro Winter Series,[10][11] before racing in the last two rounds of the Formula Regional Americas Championship for Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport.[12] Racing at Virginia and Circuit of the Americas, Yardley scored three podiums with a best result of second twice to take tenth in points.[13][14] Returning to Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport for his first full season in Formula Regional Americas the following year,[15] Yardley scored six podiums, with a best result of second at Virginia, to secure fourth in points.[16]
Remaining in the States for 2023, Yardley joined Topp Racing for his rookie year in Porsche Carrera Cup North America.[17] In the eight-round season, Yardley scored a lone podium at Circuit of the Americas by finishing second in race two to finish seventh in points.[18] During 2023, Yardley also made a one-off appearance in the GS class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge for Murillo Racing at Road America.[19]
Returning to Porsche Carrera Cup North America for 2024, Yardley remained with Topp Racing alongside Colin Kaminsky.[20] Starting off the season with three podiums in the first three rounds, Yardley then scored his maiden series win in race one at Watkins Glen from pole.[21] In the second half of the season, Yardley scored wins at Road Atlanta and Circuit of the Americas and took three more podiums to end the year runner-up in points.[22][23] During 2024, Yardley also raced for Mühlner Motorsport in the 992 Endurance Cup, finishing 26th overall and tenth in the Am class.[24]
Yardley remained with Topp Racing for his third consecutive season in Porsche Carrera Cup North America.[25] After scoring three podiums in the first two rounds, Yardley then took his first win of the season in Montreal,[26] before standing on the podium in the next seven races to take the points lead with two rounds left.[27] Yardley then finished on the podium once at Road Atlanta,[28] before ending the season with a double win at Circuit of the Americas to secure the Porsche Carrera Cup North America title.[29] During 2025, Yardley also made a one-off appearance in the GT4 America Series for ACI Motorsports.[30]
The following year, Yardley returned to Mühlner Motorsport to race in the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GTD class,[31] and was named a Porsche Motorsport North America selected driver.[32]
Karting record
Karting career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | New Zealand Sprint Championship – Cadet | 9th | |
| 2009 | Blossom Festival – Cadet | 6th | |
| 2010 | NZ National Sprint Championship – 100cc Restricted | 16th | |
| 2011 | NZ National Sprint Championship – 100cc Restricted | 8th | |
| 2012 | NZ North Island Sprint Kart Championship – 100cc Yamaha Junior | 5th | |
| NZ Schools Championship – 100cc Yamaha | 13th | ||
| 2013 | Trophy of New Zealand – Yamaha Junior | 5th | |
| NZ Schools Championship – Yamaha Junior | 5th | ||
| NZ Schools Championship – Formula Junior | 2nd | ||
| NZ National Sprint Championship – Yamaha Junior | 10th | ||
| RMC New Zealand – Junior Max | 4th | ||
| 2014 | NZ National Sprint Championship – Junior Rotax | 6th | |
| 2015 | NZ National Sprint Championship – Junior Rotax | 2nd | |
| 2017 | NZ Top Half Series – Rotax DD2 | Right Karts | 10th |
| RMC New Zealand – Senior Light | 8th | ||
| RMC New Zealand – DD2 | 13th | ||
| NZ National Sprint Championship – DD2 | 5th | ||
| Sources:[33] | |||
Racing record
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | New Zealand Formula Ford Championship | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 963 | 4th | |
| 2014–15 | New Zealand Formula Ford Championship | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 838 | 5th | |
| 2015–16 | Toyota Finance 86 Championship | CareVets New Zealand | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 832 | 5th |
| 2016–17 | Toyota Finance 86 Championship | CareVets New Zealand | 18 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 1112 | 1st |
| 2018 | Toyota Racing Series | MTEC Motorsport | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 525 | 9th |
| 2019 | Australian Formula 4 Championship | MTEC Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 11th |
| 2021 | Formula Pro USA Winter Series | Kiwi Motorsport | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 52 | 2nd |
| Formula Regional Americas Championship | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 67 | 10th | |
| 2022 | Formula Regional Americas Championship | Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 204 | 4th |
| 2023 | Porsche Carrera Cup North America | Topp Racing | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 134 | 7th |
| Michelin Pilot Challenge – GS | Murillo Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 50th | |
| 2024 | Porsche Carrera Cup North America | Topp Racing Performance | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 254 | 2nd |
| 992 Endurance Cup – Am | Mühlner Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/a | 10th | |
| 2025 | Porsche Carrera Cup North America | Topp Racing | 16 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 313 | 1st |
| GT4 America Series – Pro-Am | ACI Motorsports | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13th | |
| 2026 | IMSA SportsCar Championship – GTD | Mühlner Motorsport | * | * | |||||
| GT World Challenge America – Pro-Am | Wright Motorsports | ||||||||
| GT4 America Series – Pro-Am | ACI Motorsports | ||||||||
| Sources:[33] | |||||||||
Complete Toyota Racing Series results
(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 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | MTEC Motorsport | RUA 1 13 |
RUA 2 9 |
RUA 3 9 |
TER 1 12 |
TER 2 11 |
TER 3 13 |
HMP 1 13 |
HMP 2 10 |
HMP 3 11 |
TAU 1 7 |
TAU 2 2 |
TAU 3 9 |
MAN 1 7 |
MAN 2 12 |
MAN 3 8 |
9th | 525 |
Complete Formula Regional Americas Championship results
(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 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport | ATL 1 |
ATL 2 |
ATL 3 |
ROA 1 |
ROA 2 |
ROA 3 |
MOH 1 |
MOH 2 |
MOH 3 |
BRA 1 |
BRA 2 |
BRA 3 |
VIR 1 3 |
VIR 2 2 |
VIR 3 7 |
COA 1 2 |
COA 2 11 |
COA 3 5 |
10th | 67 |
| 2022 | Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport | NOL 1 6 |
NOL 2 5 |
NOL 3 4 |
ROA 1 3 |
ROA 2 Ret |
ROA 3 6 |
MOH 1 4 |
MOH 2 6 |
MOH 3 4 |
NJM 1 3 |
NJM 2 3 |
NJM 3 6 |
VIR 1 2 |
VIR 2 7 |
VIR 3 3 |
COA 1 3 |
COA 2 4 |
COA 3 3 |
4th | 204 |
Complete Porsche Carrera Cup North America results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Topp Racing | Pro | SEB 1 11 |
SEB 2 25 |
LBH 1 5 |
LBH 2 7 |
MIA 1 4 |
MIA 2 8 |
WGL 1 7 |
WGL 2 11 |
ROA 1 19 |
ROA 2 7 |
IMS 1 28 |
IMS 2 6 |
LGA 1 5 |
LGA 2 5 |
COA 1 7 |
COA 2 2 |
7th | 134 |
| 2024 | Topp Racing | Pro | SEB 1 3 |
SEB 2 2 |
MIA 1 35 |
MIA 2 3 |
CGV 1 9 |
CGV 2 26 |
WGL 1 1 |
WGL 2 3 |
ROA 1 4 |
ROA 2 4 |
IMS 1 2 |
IMS 2 5 |
ATL 1 3 |
ATL 2 1 |
COT 1 3 |
COT 2 1 |
2nd | 254 |
| 2025 | Topp Racing | Pro | SEB 1 2 |
SEB 2 2 |
MIA 1 12 |
MIA 2 2 |
CGV 1 1 |
CGV 2 2 |
WGL 1 2 |
WGL 2 3 |
ROA 1 3 |
ROA 2 2 |
IMS 1 2 |
IMS 2 2 |
ATL 1 5 |
ATL 2 3 |
COT 1 1 |
COT 2 1 |
1st | 313 |
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mühlner Motorsport | GTD | Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) | Porsche M97/80 4.2 L Flat-6 | DAY 15 |
SEB |
LBH |
LGA |
WGL |
MOS |
ELK |
VIR |
IMS |
PET |
16th* | 172* |
References
- ^ "Good Fields Good Racing at Teretonga". scoop.co.nz. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Teen driver Caleb Cross wins Formula Ford". stuff.co.nz. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Christchurch's Ryan Yardley takes out Toyota 86 rookie of the year honours". stuff.co.nz. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley takes Toyota 86 Championship lead". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "CareVets team-mates deliver perfect result in Toyota 86 Championship". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "NZ champ joins Australian Toyota 86 series". speedcafe.com. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley and Harker to step up to Toyota Racing Series from sister category". formulascout.com. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Toyota Racing Series veteran Brendon Leitch dominates race two at Taupo". formulascout.com. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Luis Leeds leads Formula 4 field in Australian GP support races". formulascout.com. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Ryan Yardley to make USA racing debut with Kiwi Motorsport". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 11 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Paterson rates US F4 experience". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley announces Formula Regional Americas debut". velocitynews.co.nz. 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Francis takes a FRegional Americas double at Virginia". formulascout.com. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Jason Alder wins on Formula Regional Americas debut as Kyffin Simpson crowned champion". raceweek.com.au. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Your season guide to the 2022 Formula Regional Americas Championship". feederseries.net. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Hyman homes in on FRegional Americas title with Virginia double". formulascout.com. 9 October 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Ryan Yardley to race in Porsche Carrera Cup North America". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley secures maiden Carrera Cup North America podium at COTA". velocitynews.co.nz. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Last-minute IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge call-up for Yardley". velocitynews.co.nz. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley confirmed for Porsche Carrera Cup North America return". velocitynews.co.nz. 22 December 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley Breaks Through for Maiden Win at Watkins Glen". sportscar365.com. 21 June 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley Wins Race 2; Hartog Crowned Provisional Champion". sportscar365.com. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley Takes COTA Finale Win; Class Champions Crowned". sportscar365.com. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Black Falcon Take Win In All 992 Cup 12 Hour Enduro At Spa". dailysportscar.com. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley Eyes Title in Porsche Carrera Cup North America Return". velocitynews.co.nz. 26 February 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley Victorious in Race 1 at Montreal". sportscar365.com. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley takes championship lead with double podium at Indianapolis, Stewart fights back into Top 10". velocitynews.co.nz. 22 September 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Yardley secures podium as Stewart battles to 13th in thrilling Road America Porsche Carrera Cup round". velocitynews.co.nz. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Ryan Yardley wins Porsche Carrera Cup North America Pro title". talkmotorsport.co.nz. 20 October 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Hot, Yardley in "Trial Run" Ahead of Likely 2026 Effort With ACI". sportscar365.com. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ "Mühlner Motorsport Announces Daytona 24H Return". dailysportscar.com. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
- ^ Dagys, John (20 January 2026). "Yardley, Sargent Named PMNA Selected Drivers". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Ryan Yardley | Racing career profile | Driver Database". www.driverdb.com. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
External links
- Ryan Yardley career summary at DriverDB.com