Ricky Taylor Explained

Ricky Taylor
Nationality: American
Birth Name:Ricky Scott Taylor
Birth Date:3 August 1989
Birth Place:Surrey, England, United Kingdom
Related To:Jordan Taylor (brother)
Wayne Taylor (father)
Racing Licence: FIA Platinum
First Year:2014
Current Team:Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport
Car Number:10
Engine:Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6
Codriver:Filipe Albuquerque
Alexander Rossi
Former Teams:Acura Team Penske
Starts:106
Championships:2
Wins:25
Podiums:52
Poles:25
Best Finish:1st
Year:2017, 2020
Last Finish:2nd

Ricky Scott Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American professional racing driver, most notably in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. His career highlights include an IMSA Series Championship in 2017, as well as marquee wins at the Daytona 24, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans.

In 2017, he, along with his brother Jordan, won the 2017 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the Prototype class with 5 wins.

In 2018, Taylor left his father's team, Wayne Taylor Racing, to join the new Acura Team Penske Prototype squad in 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, partnering with Hélio Castroneves for the full season. In 2020 he and codriver Castroneves won the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He returned to his father's team in 2021.

Taylor was also runner-up in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class in 2010 and 2011. Within that category, he earned seven wins and 20 podiums. He was also second in the 2014 24 Hours of Daytona and fifth in 2008, 2011, and 2013.

Early years

Taylor's father, Wayne, was a driver in the IMSA GT Championship in the 1990s, so Ricky and brother Jordan grew up in Florida. After competing in karting, Ricky was series champion of single seaters' school Skip Barber Southern in 2006 and runner-up of Skip Barber National in 2007.

In 2008, Taylor debuted in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the Grand-Am series with a Riley-Pontiac in the Daytona Prototype class for Wayne Taylor Racing, resulting fifth with Max Angelelli, Michael Valiante, and his father Wayne Taylor. Months later, contested the Virginia round with the Beyer team, accompanied by Andy Wallace and Jared Beyer. Later, Taylor joined Doran's team to participate in the final six races of the season with a Dallara-Ford, earning a fifth-place finish with Burt Frisselle.

Taylor became a regular driver for Beyer in the 2009 season of the Grand-Am series, using first a Riley-Pontiac and then a Riley-Chevrolet. He earned a fourth, an eighth, and a ninth-place finish in the last three races to finish 18th in the drivers' championship in the Daytona Prototype class.

WTR and Spirit of Daytona

Wayne Taylor hired Ricky to contest the 2010 Rolex Sports Car Series with a Dallara-Ford. Accompanied by Max Angelelli, he captured one win and seven podiums and sixth place in the 24 Hours of Daytona. He finished second in the drivers' championships and teams in the DP class, behind Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas and his nine victories.

In the 2011 Rolex Sports Car Series season, Taylor was behind the wheel of a Dallara-Chevrolet. He scored three victories (one of them in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen) and eight podium finishes, and a fifth place in the 24 Hours of Daytona. As a result, he finished as runner-up in the DP class behind Pruett and Rojas again.

Adopting new Chevrolet Corvette DP in 2012, Taylor recorded three wins and seven top 5s in 12 appearances. He finished seventh in the driver standings and fifth among the teams in the DP class. Later, he contested the Gold Coast 600 of V8 Supercars in a Holden Commodore from Garry Rogers Motorsport alongside Greg Ritter; however, he had a frightening rollover several hundred metres after the start whilst trying to avoid two stricken cars.

Taylor became a driver in the Spirit of Daytona Racing for the 2013 Rolex Sports Car Series season, teaming with Richard Westbrook. He earned a third place, three fifths, and a sixth, finishing 11th in the drivers championship and eighth among teams in the DP. He also obtained a fifth place in the GTE-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving a Chevrolet Corvette in the Larbre Competition.

Team Penske

Beginning with the 2018 Roar Before the 24, Taylor partnered with Helio Castroneves in one of two new Acura ARX-05s fielded by Roger Penske. Taylor and Castroneves won the 2020 WeatherTech SportsCar DPi Drivers' Championship, after finishing 8th at the season finale at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Other competition

In 2012, Taylor was selected by Garry Rogers Motorsport to participate in the 2012 Armor All Gold Coast 600 event for V8 Supercars as an "international" co-driver. In his first-ever standing start, he managed only 200m before he rolled over a car that had stalled on the grid, totalling his #33 Holden VE Commodore and resigning himself and team-mate Greg Ritter to the sidelines for the rest of the weekend.

Racing record

Career summary

!Season!Series!Team!Races!Wins!Poles!F/Laps!Podiums!Points!Position
2013FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE AmLarbre Compétition100002420th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am10000N/A6th
2014United Sports Car Championship - PrototypeWayne Taylor Racing1120063302nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Larbre Compétition10000N/A9th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE ProCorvette Racing10000N/ANC
2015United Sports Car Championship - PrototypeWayne Taylor Racing1022052925th
2016IMSA SportsCar Championship - PrototypeWayne Taylor Racing10373093rd
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE AmLarbre Compétition500114310th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE ProCorvette Racing – GM10000N/A7th
2017IMSA SportsCar Championship - PrototypeWayne Taylor Racing1055073101st
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Keating Motorsport10000N/A20th
2018IMSA SportsCar Championship - PrototypeAcura Team Penske1010022437th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Jackie Chan DC Racing10000N/ADNF
2018-19FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2Jackie Chan DC Racing20000023rd
2019IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPiAcura Team Penske1001052843rd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Jackie Chan DC Racing10000N/ADNF
2020IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPiAcura Team Penske942152651st
2021IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPiKonica Minolta Acura10320733962nd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed USA10000036th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2High Class Racing10000824th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A8th
2022IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPiKonica Minolta Acura10420533462nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2Cool Racing10000N/A7th
2023IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTPWayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport9000327122nd
2024IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTPTaylor Racing with Andretti710121999*6th*

Complete Rolex Sports Car Series results

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

!Year!Team!Class!Make!Engine!1!2!3!4!5!6!7!8!9!10!11!12!13!14!Rank!Points!Ref
2008SunTrust RacingDPRiley Mk. XIPontiac 5.0L V8DAY
5
MIA
MEX
25th173[1]
Beyer RacingCrawford DP03Ford 5.0L V8VIR
4
LGA
WGL
Doran RacingDallara DP01Ford 5.0L V8LEX
7
DAY
11
BAR
5
MON
9
WGL
17
SON
10
NJ
MIL
2009Beyer RacingDPRiley Mk. XIPontiac/Chevrolet 5.0L V8R24
10
VIR
14
NJ
10
LAG
14
S6H
10
LEX
12
DAY
12
BAR
12
WGI
10
MON
4
MIL
8
HOM
9
11th248[2]
2010SunTrust RacingDPDallara DP08Ford 5.0L V8R24
6
HOM
6
BIR
12
VIR
3
LRP
1
S6H
2
LEX
9
DAY
9
NJ
3
WAT
2
MON
3
SLK
3
2nd332[3]
2011SunTrust RacingDPDallara Corvette DPChevrolet 5.5L V8R24
5
HOM
3
BIR
11
VIR
4
LIM
1
S6H
1
ELK
3
LAG
3
NJ
2
WAT
1
MON
2
LEX
11
2nd353[4]
2012SunTrust RacingDPCorvette DP (Dallara DP01)Chevrolet 5.0L V8R24
14
BIR
5
HOM
1
NJ
1
BEL
20
LEX
9
ELK
7
S6H
11
IMS
3
WAT
4
MON
5
LGA
7
LIM
1
6th343[5]
2013Spirit of Daytona RacingDPCorvette DP (Coyote)Chevrolet 5.0L V8R24
5
TXS
11
BIR
3
ATL
5
BEL
5
LEX
9
S6H
9
IMS
6
ELK
13
KAN
12
LGA
8
LIM
9
7th279[6]

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-driversCarClassLaps
2013 Larbre Compétition Julien Canal
Patrick Bornhauser
Chevrolet Corvette C6.RGTE
Am
30229th5th
2014 Larbre Compétition Pierre Ragues
Keiko Ihara
Morgan LMP2-JuddLMP234114th9th
2016 Corvette Racing - GM Antonio García
Jan Magnussen
Chevrolet Corvette C7.RGTE
Pro
33625th7th
2017 Keating Motorsport Ben Keating
Jeroen Bleekemolen
Riley Mk. 30-GibsonLMP231247th20th
2018 Jackie Chan DC Racing Côme Ledogar
David Heinemeier Hansson
Ligier JS P217-GibsonLMP2195DNFDNF
2019 Jackie Chan DC Racing Jordan King
David Heinemeier Hansson
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP2199DNFDNF
2021 High Class Racing Dennis Andersen
Marco Sørensen
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP235318th13th
LMP2 Pro-Am4th
2022 Cool Racing Niklas Krütten
Yifei Ye
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP236711th7th
2023 Tower Motorsports René Rast
Steven Thomas
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP219DNFDNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
Sources:[7] [8]

‡13th in LMP2. Fourth in LMP2 Pro-Am.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key)(Races in bold indicate pole position)

YearTeamNo.ClassMakeEngine1234567891011RankPointsRef
2014Wayne Taylor Racing10PDallara Corvette DPChevrolet 5.5L V8DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
IMS
ELK
COA
PET
2nd330[9]
2015Wayne Taylor Racing10PDallara Corvette DPChevrolet 5.5L V8DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
COA
PET
5th292[10]
2016Wayne Taylor Racing10PDallara Corvette DPChevrolet 5.5L V8DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
COA
PET
3rd309[11]
2017Wayne Taylor Racing10PCadillac DPi-V.RCadillac 6.2 L V8DAY
SEB
LBH
COA
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
LGA
PET
1st310[12]
2018Acura Team Penske7PAcura ARX-05Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
LBH
MDO
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
LGA
PET
7th243[13]
2019Acura Team Penske7DPiAcura ARX-05Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
LBH
MDO
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
LGA
PET
3rd284[14]
2020Acura Team Penske7DPiAcura ARX-05Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6DAY
DAY
SEB
ELK
ATL
MDO
PET
LGA
SEB
1st265[15]
2021Konica Minolta Acura10DPiAcura ARX-05Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
MDO
DET
WGL
WGL
ELK
LGA
LBH
PET
2nd3396[16]
2022Konica Minolta Acura10DPiAcura ARX-05Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
MDO
DET
WGL
MOS
ELK
PET
2nd3346[17]
2023Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport10GTPAcura ARX-06Acura AR24e 2.4 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
WGL
MOS
ELK
IMS
PET
2nd2712[18]
2024Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti10GTPAcura ARX-06Acura AR24e 2.4 L Turbo V6DAY
SEB
LBH
LGA
DET
WGL
ELK
IMS
PET
6th*1999*[19]
Source:

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456789RankPoints
2013Larbre CompétitionLMGTE AmChevrolet Corvette C6.RChevrolet 5.5 L V8SILSPALMS
SÃOCOAFUJSHABHR20th24
2014Larbre CompétitionLMP2Morgan LMP2Judd HK 3.6 L V8SILSPALMS
NC0
Corvette RacingLMGTE ProChevrolet Corvette C7.RChevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8COA
FUJSHABHRSÃO
2016Corvette Racing – GMLMGTE ProChevrolet Corvette C7.RChevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8SILSPALMS
NÜR25th3.5
LMGTE AmMEX
COA
FUJ
SHA
BHR
10th43
2017Keating MotorsportLMP2Riley Mk. 30Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SILSPALMS
NÜRMEXCOAFUJSHABHRNC0
2018-19Jackie Chan DC RacingLMP2Ligier JS P217Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPALMS
SILFUJSHASEBSPALMS
23rd0
2021High Class RacingLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPAALGMNZLMS
BHRBHR24th8
2022Cool RacingLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SEBSPALMS
MNZFUJBHRNC0
Sources:[20]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  2. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  3. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2010 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  4. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2011 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  5. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2012 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  6. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2013 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Results . 17 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  7. Web site: Ricky Taylor Results . 8 January 2024 . motorsportstats.com.
  8. Web site: Ricky Taylor . 16 August 2024 . Automobile Club de l'Ouest.
  9. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  10. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2015 Tudor United SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  11. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2016 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  12. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2017 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  13. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2018 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  14. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2019 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  15. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2020 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  16. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2021 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  17. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2022 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  18. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2023 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 8 January 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  19. Web site: Ricky Taylor – 2024 Weathertech SportsCar Championship Results . 16 August 2024 . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC.
  20. Web site: Ricky Taylor . 16 August 2024 . FIA World Endurance Championship.