Mike Conway Set For Toyota Racing Debut
Toyota Racing test and reserve driver Mike Conway will make his race debut for the team in the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on 20 September.
The Englishman, already a double race-winner in this year’s IndyCar Series, will drive the No7 car, deputising for Kazuki Nakajima, who has conflicting Super Formula duties in Japan.
Mike gained experience of the TS040 Hybrid during winter testing and has raced at the Texas circuit before, winning the LMP2 class and finishing fifth overall in 2013. He will join regular team members Alex Wurz and Stéphane Sarrazin in the No7 Toyota for the event, with Nakajima due to resume his place in the team for the Fuji Speedway race on 12 October.
Conway said: “I’m really pleased to be given the chance to race the TS040 Hybrid at the Circuit of the Americas and cannot wait to get started. The car is phenomenal, with its 1,000bhp of four-wheel drive hybrid boost and it should be great fun to be racing at the front in Austin.
“I’d like to thank the team for this opportunity. We are fighting for the world championship and I will do everything I can to contribute to that. I’m ready for this challenge and looking forward to showing what I can do.”
Toyota Racing leads the series’ manufacturers’ championship going into the six-hour race, which marks the half-way point in the eight-race season. Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sébastien Buemi, drivers of the No8 Toyota, share the lead in the drivers’ championship.
Mike Conway – personal and racing profile
Personal profile | |
Born | 19 August 1983, Sevenoaks |
Lives | Sevenoaks |
Status | Single |
Height | 1.73m |
Weight | 64kg |
Le Mans debut | 2013 |
Le Mans starts | 1 |
WEC starts | 8 |
WEC wins | 4 (LMP2 category) |
Personal interests | Mountain biking, road cycling, fitness |
Favourite track | Le Mans |
Pets | Two dogs |
Favourite cuisine | Japanese |
Best achievement | Winning on the great street circuits at Monaco, Macau and Long Beach |
Competition highlights | |
1998 | British Junior Kart Championship: 1st |
2000 | British Formula A Kart Championship: 1st |
2001 | British Junior Formula Ford Championship (Martin Donnelly): 6th |
2002 | British Formula Ford Championship (Duckhams): 4th |
2003 | Formula Renault UK Championship (Fortec): 4thFormula Renault UK Winter Series (Fortec): 8th |
2004 | British Formula Renault Championship (Fortec): 1st |
2005 | British Formula 3 Championship (Fortec): 3rd |
2006 | British Formula 3 Championship (Raikkonen Robertson): 1stGP2 Series (DPR): 29th (2 races) |
2007 | GP2 Series (Super Nova): 14thFormula 1 (Honda): Young driver programme |
2008 | GP2 Series (Trident): 12thFormula 1 (Honda): Young driver programme |
2009 | IndyCar Series (Dreyer & Reinbold): 17th |
2010 | IndyCar Series (Dreyer & Reinbold): 25th |
2011 | IndyCar Series (Andretti): 17th |
2012 | IndyCar Series (Foyt): 21st |
2013 | IndyCar Series (Rahal Letterman Lanigan & Coyne): 23rd (1 win)World Endurance Championship (G-Drive): 7th (3rd in LMP2 class)Le Mans 24 Hours (G-Drive): DQ |
2014 | IndyCar Series (Ed Carpenter Racing): 2 wins (Long Beach, Toronto) |