Kyffin Simpson ( ; born 9 October 2004) is a

Caymanian Caymanians are the status holders or born citizens of the Cayman Islands. As a British Overseas Territory, citizens of the Cayman Islands will hold British Overseas Territories Citizenship. There is no record of a native people to the Cayman ...

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

competing in the

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

with

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization competing in the NTT IndyCar Series. They have formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Global Rally ...

. He won the

2023 European Le Mans Series The 2023 European Le Mans Series was the twentieth season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's (ACO) European Le Mans Series. The six-event season began at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 23 April and finished at Algarve International Circuit o ...

championship with

Algarve Pro Racing Algarve Pro Racing (APR) is a Portuguese sports car racing team founded in 2010 by husband and wife Stewart and Samantha Cox. The team focuses on prototype racing, fielding LMP2 entries in the European Le Mans Series, as well as partnering wit ...

Personal life

Simpson was born in

Bridgetown, Barbados Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The C ...

; the son of Caymanian businessman David Simpson. Simpson competes as Caymanian, saying, "I really feel connected with the people of Cayman. It’s cool to fly the flag on the side of my car."

Junior career

Formula 4 United States Championship

Simpson 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.

Formula Regional Americas Championship

Simpson would dovetail a season in the Formula 4 United States Championship with a season in the

Formula Regional Americas Championship The Formula Regional Americas Championship powered by Honda (formerly the F3 Americas Championship powered by Honda) is an Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Formula Regional racing series that competes in the United States, with pl ...

in 2020, and dominated the championship in his second season with podiums in all but five races. Winning the FR Americas title awarded Kyffin with a

Honda Performance Development Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), formerly Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), is a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. which was established in 1993 and is based in Santa Clarita, California. It is the technical operations cente ...

scholarship fund worth $600,000 towards a

Super Formula The Japanese Super Formula Championship is a formula racing series held primarily in Japan. It is considered to be the pinnacle of single-seater racing in Japan or Asia as a whole, making it one of the top motorsport series in the region. The s ...

campaign in 2022, but Japan’s ongoing travel restrictions due to COVID-19 prevented these plans coming to fruition.

Indy Pro 2000 Championship

Parallel to his Regional F3 campaign, Simpson also entered the

Road to Indy The USF Pro Championships Presented by Continental Tire, formerly known as the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, is a racecar driver development program, providing a scholarship-funded path to reach the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500. ...

ladder with

IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...

team

Juncos Racing Juncos Hollinger Racing (, ), formerly Juncos Racing, is an Argentine-American racing team competing in the IndyCar Series. Owned by Ricardo Juncos, who formed the team in 1997, the team was initially based in Argentina before limited racing opp ...

, competing in 16 of the 18-race

Indy Pro 2000 Championship The USF Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires, formerly known as the Star Mazda Championship, Pro Mazda Championship, and later Indy Pro 2000 Championship, is an Open-wheel car, open-wheel racing series serving as the third step on the ...

season, scoring three podiums.

Indy Lights / Indy NXT

In 2022, Simpson signed a multi-year deal as a development driver with

, whilst also progressing to

Indy Lights Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step on the Roa ...

, partnering James Roe Jr. at TJ Speed Motorsports. Following eight races with the team, Simpson moved to

HMD Motorsports HMD Motorsports is an American racing team in the Indy NXT series. The team is owned by Henry Malukas. Indy NXT (2019–present) 2019 The origins of HMD Motorsports traces back to BN Racing's Indy Lights operation as the team had entered the ...

. 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 Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American Minor league, developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as INDY NXT by Firestone for sponsorship reasons. Indy NXT is the highest step ...

series in 2023 with

SportsCar racing career

IMSA SportsCar Championship

2022

Alongside his Indy Lights duties, Simpson made his

IMSA SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...

debut with Gradient Racing at the wheel of an

Acura NSX NSX may refer to: Stock exchanges * Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) * National Stock Exchange (Jersey City, New Jersey), US (NSX) * National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX) Other uses * Honda NSX The Honda NSX, marketed in North America as th ...

GT3 EVO II at the 2022 24 Hours of Daytona. He, along with his teammates

Mario Farnbacher Mario Farnbacher (born 14 May 1992) is a German racecar driver. He won the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTD class in 2019 and 2020, and also won the GT World Challenge America Pro-Am title in 2022. He has class victories at the Petit Le ...

and Till Bechtolsheimer, won the

2022 Petit Le Mans The 2022 Petit Le Mans (known as the 2022 MOTUL Petit Le Mans for sponsorship reasons) was the 25th running of the Petit Le Mans, and was held on October 1, 2022. It was the 12th and final race in the 2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship, and the 4 ...

in the GTD class.

2023

Simpson joined Tower Motorsports for a part-time role in the

2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1 ...

competing in

LMP2 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

. After finishing fifth at the

24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...

, Simpson, along with teammates

Scott McLaughlin Scott Thomas McLaughlin (; born 10 June 1993) is a New Zealand racing driver. He competes in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 3 Dallara-Chevrolet for Team Penske. He previously raced in the Supercars Championship, in which he won the driver ...

and

John Farano John Farano (born 8 December 1959) is a Canadian businessman and racing driver currently competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Tower Motorsports Capone Motorsports is an American auto racing team that currently competes in the ...

, won the LMP2 class of the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

, marking the Barbadian's second triumph in IMSA.

Asian Le Mans Series

2023

Alongside his duties in junior formulae, Simpson would compete full-time in the

2023 Asian Le Mans Series The 2023 Asian Le Mans Series was the eleventh season of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's Asian Le Mans Series. It is the fourth 24 Hours of Le Mans-based series created by the ACO, following the American Le Mans Series (since merged with the Rol ...

together with James Allen and

John Falb John Falb (born December 13, 1971) is an American businessman and racing driver currently competing in the Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club d ...

as part of

in preparation for a campaign in that year's

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

. The season opener in

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

yielded a perfect start, as the trio took victory despite a spin from Falb. 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 Ayhancan Güven (born 2 January 1998) is a Turkish racing driver and a Porsche factory driver. He currently competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters. Born in 1998 in Istanbul, Ayhancan Güven was introduced to racing at four years old by h ...

from 25 to mere seven seconds by the end of their stints. The following day, a puncture prevented the #25 from battling for a win; they eventually settled for fourth. Race one at the

Yas Marina Circuit The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is a 5.281 km (3.281 mi) motorsport circuit situated on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has hosted the season-ending Formula One ...

saw Simpson battling the experienced

Oliver Jarvis Oliver Richard Benjamin Jarvis (born 9 January 1984) is a British professional racing driver currently racing in the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, 2023 European Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series an ...

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. On Sunday, fourth place meant that Simpson, Allen and Falb would end up third in the LMP2 classification.

European Le Mans Series

2023

Simpson would stay with Algarve Pro Racing to compete in the

, where Simpson once again partnered James Allen, the pair being joined by

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

Hypercar driver

Alex Lynn Alexander George Lynn (born 17 September 1993) is a British people, British racing driver who is from Great Dunmow. He currently competes in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship driving the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R for Jota Sport. Lynn h ...

. An unspectacular maiden race in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

was followed by a markedly improved showing at the

Circuit Paul Ricard The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has ...

, where Simpson's ability to stay close to leader

Vladislav Lomko Vladislav "Vlad" Lomko (; born 27 December 2004) is a Russian racing driver who is racing under a French license. He currently competes in the 2025 European Le Mans Series for Vector Sport. Lomko previously drove for Inter Europol Competition ...

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 Louis Charles Hubert Delétraz (born 22 April 1997) is a Swiss people, Swiss racing driver currently competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing, Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and in the European Le Mans Series for AO Racin ...

to bring first place to APR. Prior to the third race, held at

MotorLand Aragón MotorLand Aragón (alternative Spanish name: Circuito de Alcañiz) is a race track used for motorsports located in Alcañiz, Spain. The circuit was designed by German architect Hermann Tilke in conjunction with the British architectural busin ...

, 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.

IndyCar

In January 2023, Kyffin completed his first

NTT IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

test with

Sebring International Raceway Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility in the Southeastern United States, southeastern United States, located near Sebring, Florida. Sebring Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the U.S ...

. 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. He started his season at

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

with a 12th place finish, ending up ahead of all other rookies and setting the fastest lap of the race. Following three further top-20 finishes, Simpson ended up 21st in his first appearance at the

Indy 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

, having qualified a then-record 18th.

Racing record

Career summary

^* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula 4 United States Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula Regional Americas Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

American open-wheel results

Indy Pro 2000

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)

Indy Lights / Indy NXT

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) (Races with * indicate most race laps led)

IndyCar Series

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Indianapolis 500

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete European Le Mans Series results

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Kyffin 2004 births Living people Caymanian sportsmen Sportspeople from Bridgetown Indy Pro 2000 Championship drivers Indy Lights drivers IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Formula Regional Americas Championship drivers Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Dale Coyne Racing drivers Juncos Hollinger Racing drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers United States F4 Championship drivers HMD Motorsports drivers Asian Le Mans Series drivers European Le Mans Series drivers DragonSpeed drivers Algarve Pro Racing drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 21st-century British sportsmen