24h Le Mans
After twelve seasons of top-notch endurance racing with Toyota, Mike Conway will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. The 43-year-old British driver’s glittering career is marked by two 24 Hours of Le Mans victories and unwavering loyalty to the Japanese manufacturer.
Mike Conway will quit full-time racing at the end of this FIA WEC season. The decision is the closing line of a long chapter in his career. Having joined Toyota in 2014, Conway took part in twelve 24 Hours of Le Mans, earning two victories, five podium places and seven world titles for the Japanese manufacturer. His last race with Toyota will be the 6 Hours of Monza on 8 November.
Mike Conway’s endurance racing career is synonymous with loyalty. He has been part of the Toyota team throughout its major transformations, helping the manufacturer make a name for itself in endurance racing. He was there when the win was in sight, but was snatched away, he lived through the disappointments, and the celebrations when the planets finally aligned.
The first historic moment came in 2021 when Conway added his name to the list of 24 Hours of Le Mans winners, thanks to victory with the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid shared with Kamui Kobayashi and José María López. A just reward after years of frustration.
For Le Mans was not a walk in the park for Mike Conway. The top step of the podium was preceded by second places in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Four near misses.
This year, he triumphed again. He shared his second 24 Hours of Le Mans win with Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries. A fitting end to a twelve-part story.
Twelve Le Mans starts that yielded two wins and five podium places. For Conway, Le Mans was the school of patience.
Results are one thing, but Toyota Racing emphasises the man behind the driver.
Kamui Kobayashi, now Toyota Team Principal, was beside Conway for much of his time with Toyota, sharing the wheel of the #7 car with him. ‘It has been a pleasure to race the #7 car with Mike for so many years. We have shared so many emotional moments together, particularly at Le Mans. Some of my most incredible memories in racing have come alongside Mike. He has been an incredible teammate, not only in terms of speed and consistency, but on a human level as well. He has become a friend to many of us, and we will miss having him in the team. But nothing lasts forever in motorsports, and we all want to wish Mike a deserved, and very happy, retirement with his family.’
Conway contested 94 WEC races with Toyota. He won 20 of them, and took two drivers titles (2019-20 and 2021). His last race for the team will be the 6 Hours of Monza on 8 November.
So, he hasn’t taken his last bow yet. There’s another battle to wage. With two races still to go, Conway and his teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries are currently in second place in the drivers’ championship, just ten points behind the other Toyota driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa.
