Kyffin Simpson
NationalityCayman Islands Caymanian
Born (2004-10-09) 9 October 2004
Bridgetown, Barbados
IndyCar Series career
0 races run over 0 years
Team(s)No. 4 (Chip Ganassi Racing)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0
Indy NXT career
Debut season2022
Current teamHMD Motorsports
Former teamsTJ Speed Motorsports
Starts27
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums2
Poles1
Fastest laps0
Best finish9th in 2022
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 career
Debut season2023
Current teamAlgarve Pro Racing
Car number25
Starts6
Championships1 (2023)
Wins2
Podiums5
Poles2
Fastest laps2
Best finish1st in 2023
Previous series
202223
2021
202021

2020
Indy NXT
Indy Pro 2000 Championship
Formula Regional Americas Championship
Formula 4 United States Championship
Championship titles
2021Formula Regional Americas Championship

Kyffin Simpson (/ˈkɪ.fən/ KIH-fən; born 9 October 2004) is a Barbadian-born Caymanian racing driver competing in the IndyCar Series with Chip Ganassi Racing, as well as the European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing.

Personal life

Simpson 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

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.[4]

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 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

Parallel 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

In 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

IMSA SportsCar Championship

2022

Alongside 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

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

2023

Alongside 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

2023

Simpson would stay with Algarve Pro Racin 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

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]

Racing record

Career summary

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

Formula Regional Americas Championship

(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

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(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 V8 DAY SEB WGL MOS ELK IMS ATL

American open-wheel results

Indy Lights / Indy NXT

(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

(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
TRM
LBH
ALA
IMS
INDY
DET
ROA
LAG
MDO
IOW
IOW
TOR
GTW
POR
MIL
MIL
NSH
- 0

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

(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

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

References

  1. "The Indianapolis Star". www.indystar.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  2. 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.
  3. "Kyffin Simpson". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  4. "KYFFIN SIMPSON SIGNS FOR VELOCITY RACING DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF 2020 F4 U.S. CAMPAIGN". Formula 4 United States Championship. 13 May 2020.
  5. "Kyffin Simpson and TJ Speed team dominate FRegional Americas debut". Formula Scout. 29 March 2021.
  6. Jamie Klein (12 November 2021). "HPD scholarship winner Simpson turns down Super Formula chance". Motorsport.com.
  7. "Juncos signs Kyffin Simpson to Indy Pro 2000 team". Motorsport.com. 4 February 2021.
  8. "Ganassi signs Simpson to multi-year development deal". Racer. 12 May 2022.
  9. 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)
  10. "Simpson Staying with HMD Motorsports for 2023 Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  11. "Simpson Staying with HMD Motorsports for 2023 Season". IndyCar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  12. "Gradient Racing stuns with last-to-first Petit Le Mans victory". Kyffin Simpson. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  13. Lloyd, Daniel (5 December 2022). "Newgarden, McLaughlin to Make Rolex 24 Debuts With Tower – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  14. "Tower Motorsports victorious at 12H of Sebring, P3 overall". Kyffin Simpson. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  15. "Kyffin Simpson". DriverDB. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  16. "Algarve Pro Name Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Roster | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  17. "Algarve Pro Racing Win the Opening Round of the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series!". Endurance Info. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  18. "Algarve Pro Racing Wins First 2023 4 Hours of Dubai | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  19. "Superb Siegel Caps Off Inter Europol's 'Spin & Win' In Dubai | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  20. Euwema, Davey (18 February 2023). "Cool Racing Wins Abu Dhabi Saturday Race – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  21. "COOL Racing Triumphs In 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 1 | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  22. "Asian Le Mans Series Standings 2023 | Motorsport Stats". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  23. "European Le Mans Series Confirm 42 Car Full Season Entry | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  24. Euwema, Davey (16 July 2023). "Algarve Pro Takes Dramatic Paul Ricard Victory – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  25. "What's NXT For Kyffin Simpson? | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  26. "Shwartzman tops four-car IndyCar test at Sebring". RACER. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  27. "Chip Ganassi Racing Expands 2024 INDYCAR Team with Kyffin Simpson on Board". chipganassiracing.com. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  28. "Ganassi adds fifth IndyCar for Indy NXT grad Simpson in 2024". RACER. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
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