Ryan Briscoe

Ryan Briscoe
Ryan Briscoe
Born	September 24, 1981 (age 45); Sydney, Australia
Occupation	Racing driver
Years active	1993–present

Ryan John Briscoe (born 24 September 1981) is a professional racing driver of Australian–American nationality hailing from Sydney, recognized for his participation in both open-wheel and sports car competitions throughout Europe and the United States.

Within the IndyCar Series, Briscoe achieved eight victories and stood on the podium 28 times, securing third place in the 2009 championship, fifth in both 2008 and 2010, and sixth in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. His sports car racing accomplishments include winning the 2020 editions of the 24 Hours of Daytona and Petit Le Mans, finishing second in the LMP2 category of the 2007 American Le Mans Series, as well as triumphing in the LMP2 classes at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans in both 2008 and 2013. Additionally, he claimed victory in the GTLM class at the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona and secured a third-place overall finish at the 2008 24 Hours of Daytona.

Early career

Briscoe launched his motorsport journey in karting in 1993, capturing titles in Australia, North America, and Italy before progressing to Formula Renault competition in 2000. He clinched the Italian Formula Renault Championship crown in 2001 with five race wins and ranked fourth in a partial Eurocup campaign, winning twice across six events.

2002–04: Toyota F1 test driver

In 2002, Briscoe took on a role as a test driver for Toyota's inaugural Formula One squad. That year also saw him compete in the Formula 3000 series; however, after seven rounds with limited success, he switched to the German Formula Three Championship, where he earned three podium finishes over six races. The following year, he captured the Formula Three Euroseries championship with eight victories. During the last third of the 2004 Formula One season, Briscoe served as Toyota F1's third driver, stepping in for Ricardo Zonta.

2005: Move to IndyCar with Ganassi

Although linked to a potential seat at Jordan Grand Prix—which utilized Toyota engines—in 2005, Briscoe instead pursued a career in American racing by joining Target Chip Ganassi Racing for the IndyCar Series. His debut season included a tenth-place result at the Indianapolis 500 and his first appearance at the Rolex Grand-Am event during the 24 Hours of Daytona.

During the 2005 IndyCar campaign, Briscoe earned pole position at Sears Point but encountered difficulties on oval tracks and was involved in several accidents. On September 11, he suffered a serious crash at Chicagoland Speedway, where his vehicle became airborne and fractured upon impact, resulting in broken clavicles among other injuries. After being discharged from hospital on September 19, he underwent rehabilitation at Italy’s Formula Medicine center located in Viareggio, completing recovery within approximately eight weeks. His official website confirmed his return to the United States on November 14, 2005.

2006–07: Limited campaigns

For the 2006 season, Ganassi replaced Briscoe with reigning IndyCar champion Dan Wheldon. He then tested with Australian owner Kevin Kalkhoven’s PKV Racing team as well as with Conquest Racing. Briscoe participated in the 2006 24 Hours of Daytona alongside defending champions Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, and Emmanuel Collard, but their team withdrew before his stint due to accident-related damage.

In that year, Briscoe also served as an endurance driver for the Australian Holden Racing Team within the V8 Supercars touring car series. Partnering with veteran driver Jim Richards, he competed at events such as the Sandown 500 and attempted to race at the Bathurst 1000, although Richards crashed prior to Briscoe’s turn behind the wheel. Additionally, Briscoe earned three points representing A1 Team Australia during an A1 Grand Prix round held at Laguna Seca.

At the Indianapolis 500, Briscoe secured a late arrangement to pilot car No. 48 for A. J. Foyt Racing but failed to qualify due to timing constraints. The following week marked his return to IRL competition with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, where he achieved a podium finish by placing third at Watkins Glen. Subsequently signed for a three-race stint focusing on short oval tracks, he recorded two DNFs out of three starts. Later that season, he substituted for injured driver Cristiano da Matta during the final two races of the Champ Car series with team RuSPORT, including his home event at Surfers Paradise.

Briscoe joined forces with Penske Racing to pilot their Porsche RS Spyder LMP2 entry in the American Le Mans Series, earning three wins alongside teammate Sascha Maassen. Continuing part-time involvement with Penske into 2008, he secured a class victory at Petit Le Mans paired with fellow IndyCar competitor Hélio Castroneves.

His association with Penske deepened in 2007 when he competed in that year’s Indy 500 for an outfit owned by Stephen J. Luczo and Jay Penske that leased equipment from Penske Racing. Qualifying seventh with an average speed of 224.410 mph over four laps, Briscoe completed all laps before rain prematurely ended the race, finishing fifth overall and collecting $302,305 plus thirty championship points.

2008–2012: Penske's Championship Contender Era

In 2008, Ryan Briscoe took over a full-time role with Penske's IndyCar squad, stepping in for Sam Hornish Jr., who transitioned to Penske's NASCAR efforts. During that year's Indianapolis 500, Briscoe was involved in a significant collision with Danica Patrick after leaving the pits. Both drivers were subsequently fined $100,000 and placed on probation due to the incident.

Just one week later, Briscoe achieved his inaugural victory at the Milwaukee Mile, successfully fending off Scott Dixon and avoiding a late-race crash. This triumph made him the sixth driver in Penske’s history to record a first win with the team, joining the ranks of legends such as Mark Donohue and Rick Mears. Later that season, he secured a second win at the Honda 200 held at Mid-Ohio.

In October 2008, Briscoe made history by becoming the first Australian winner of the Gold Coast Indy 300. Although this race did not contribute points toward the championship standings, it was notable as the final significant open-wheel event at the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.

Briscoe’s most successful year came in 2009 when he notched three victories and eight podium finishes. Throughout much of the season, he vied for the championship lead against Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon. Holding a 25-point advantage before the penultimate race at Twin Ring Motegi, Briscoe suffered a pit lane exit crash that forced his retirement from the event and dropped him to third place in the championship. Despite remaining in contention, he ultimately finished second behind Franchitti after the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The 2010 season saw Briscoe claim one win at Texas Motor Speedway but struggle to replicate his prior performance levels. He returned to victory lane in 2012 at Sonoma Raceway and also earned pole position for that year’s Indianapolis 500—the first Australian to do so—finishing fifth in the race.

2013–14: Transition to ALMS and Ganassi Comeback

Unable to secure an IndyCar seat in early 2013, Briscoe joined Level 5 Motorsports to pilot an HPD ARX-03b in the P2 category at the 2013 12 Hours of Sebring. Teaming up with Scott Tucker and Marino Franchitti, he achieved his first American Le Mans Series P2 class victory since 2008. Shortly before the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, Level 5 announced Briscoe would compete full-time in P2 alongside Tucker, culminating in six wins during the season. He also made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, although their entry was not classified.

In April 2013, Chip Ganassi Racing added Briscoe as a third driver for their entry at the 2013 Indianapolis 500. After finishing twelfth at Indy, Briscoe replaced J. R. Hildebrand at Panther Racing beginning with the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

Following Dario Franchitti’s retirement due to injuries sustained at the Grand Prix of Houston, Tony Kanaan moved from Ganassi’s planned fourth car, enabling Briscoe to assume control of the No. 8 NTT Data entry for the 2014 IndyCar Series. He concluded that season eleventh in points without reaching any podiums and departed Ganassi afterward due to sponsorship difficulties affecting the No. 8 program.

Briscoe also resumed competition in Australian motorsport, participating in the inaugural Enduro Cup series across three events in 2013. This included compulsory 'international driver' roles in the Gold Coast 600 from 2010 through 2012. Driving alongside Russell Ingall, he earned his first championship podium at that Gold Coast event.

2015: Corvette achievements and IndyCar replacement role

During the 2015 IndyCar Series season, Briscoe was engaged in discussions to join Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, but the team’s financial constraints prevented the addition of a third car. Subsequently, he stepped in as a substitute for James Hinchcliffe at the 2015 Indianapolis 500 following Hinchcliffe's injury. Briscoe rejoined the squad at Texas and became the full-time replacement driver starting from Fontana, achieving four top-ten results in eight events, which marked his concluding races in IndyCar.

Simultaneously, Briscoe continued his collaboration with Corvette Racing in the GTLM division, a partnership initiated in 2014 focusing on select endurance races within the United SportsCar Championship (IMSA). In 2015, he secured class wins at both the 2015 24 Hours of Daytona and 2015 12 Hours of Sebring, piloting the Chevrolet Corvette C7.R alongside teammates Antonio García and Jan Magnussen. Although the team entered the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans, they withdrew following a crash during qualifying.

2016–19: Ford GT tenure with Ganassi

In 2016, Ford made its comeback to endurance racing by partnering with Chip Ganassi Racing to operate a Ford GT program competing in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Briscoe joined the IMSA lineup alongside former IndyCar adversary Scott Dixon and Richard Westbrook, also participating annually at Le Mans. The trio earned a podium finish in their class at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans, while Briscoe achieved his second class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018. Within IMSA, Westbrook and Briscoe ran complete seasons, with Dixon joining for endurance races; they secured runner-up positions in the championship standings in both 2016 and 2018. The Ford factory program concluded operations at the end of 2019.

2020: Transition to Wayne Taylor Racing

Briscoe advanced to the Prototype category for the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech Championship, teaming full-time with Renger van der Zande at Wayne Taylor Racing. The squad triumphed at the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona with additional drivers Scott Dixon and Kamui Kobayashi. Later that year, in October, Briscoe, van der Zande, and Dixon clinched victory at the 2020 Petit Le Mans held at Road Atlanta.

Personal life

Fluent in English, Italian, and French, Briscoe attended Sydney’s Trinity Grammar School, though he departed early to pursue a racing career in Europe.

Since marrying ESPN anchor Nicole Briscoe in 2009, they have welcomed two children. In April 2018, Briscoe obtained American citizenship while retaining his Australian nationality.

He has no familial relation to NASCAR driver Chase Briscoe.

Career summary

... [table continues with similar compressed format] ... ... [table continues through latest seasons] ...

Season	Series	Team	Races	Wins	Poles	F/laps	Podiums	Points	Position
2000	Formula Renault 2000 Italy	Prema Powerteam	1	0	0	0	0	16	17th
2001	Formula Renault 2000 Italy	Prema Powerteam	10	5	3	1	7	226	1st
	Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup		6	2	1	2	3	102	4th
	German Formula 3 Championship		2	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	French Formula 3 Championship		1	0	0	0	1	0	NC†
	Masters of Formula 3		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC
2002	German Formula Three Championship	Prema Powerteam	12	0	0	0	3	16	13th
	2002 French Formula Three season		2	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	2002 Italian Formula Three season		1	0	0	?	0	0	NC†
	2002 Masters of Formula 3		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	NC
	2002 International Formula 3000 season	Nordic Racing	7	0	0	0	0	0	NC
2003	2003 Formula 3 Euro Series season	Prema Powerteam	20	8	4	5	10	110	'1st'
	FIA European Formula Three Cup		2	0	0	0	0	–	'1st'
	2003 British Formula 3 season		2	0	0	0	0	0	NC†
	Macau Grand Prix		1	0	0	0	0	N/A	7th
	2003 Masters of Formula 3		1	0	0	1	1	N/A	'3rd'
2004	2004 Formula One season	Panasonic Toyota Racing (Formula One team)	'Test driver'
'2005	'2005 IndyCar Series season	'Chip Ganassi Racing	14	0	1	1	0	232	19th
'2005	'2005 Rolex Sports Car Series season	'Chip Ganassi Racing	1	0	0	0	0	24	68th
'2022	'2022 FIA World Endurance Championship – Hypercar	'Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus	1	0	0	0	1	23	7th
'2022	'2022 24 Hours of Le Mans – Hypercar	'Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus	1	0	0	0	1	N/A	'3rd'

^† As Briscoe participated as a guest driver, he was not eligible to earn points.

Full International Formula 3000 Results

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points
2002	Coca-Cola Nordic Racing	INT 12	IMO 13	CAT 12	A1R 17	MON Ret	NÜR Ret	SIL 12	MAG	HOC	HUN	SPA	MNZ	23rd	0

Full Formula 3 Euro Series Results

(key)

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	Final Position	Points Scored
2003	Prema Powerteam	Dallara F303/008	Spiess-Opel	HOC 1 1	HOC 2 1	ADR 1 5	ADR 2 1	PAU 1 1	PAU 2 2	NOR 1 4	NOR 2 Ret	(continued) ... (rest of table omitted for brevity) ...	1st	110

Full Formula One Results

(key) (Pole positions shown in bold)

Year	Team Name	Car Model	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	World Championship Position	Points Total
2004	Panasonic Toyota Racing	Toyota TF104	AUS	MAL	BHR	SMR	ESP	MON	EUR	CAN	"USA"	"FRA"	"GBR"	"GER"	"HUN" TD	"BEL" TD	"ITA" TD		"–"	"–"
2004	Panasonic Toyota Racing	Toyota Toyota TF104B		"CHN" TD	"JPN" TD*	"BRA" TD

* Participated as third driver but did not take part due to weather conditions.

Full A1 Grand Prix Performance

(legend) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics signify fastest laps)

Season	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	Final Position	Points
2005–06	Australia	GBR SPR	GBR FEA	GER SPR	GER FEA	POR SPR	POR FEA	AUS SPR	AUS FEA	MYS SPR	MYS FEA	UAE SPR	UAE FEA	RSA SPR	RSA FEA	IDN SPR	IDN FEA	MEX SPR	MEX FEA	USA SPR 10	USA FEA 8	CHN SPR 9	CHN FEA 3	13th	51
2006–07	Australia	NED SPR 13	NED FEA 3	CZE SPR	CZE FEA	CHN SPR	CHN FEA	MYS SPR 12	MYS FEA 17	IDN SPR 6	IDN FEA 10	NZL SPR	NZL FEA	AUS SPR	AUS FEA	RSA SPR	RSA FEA	MEX SPR	MEX FEA	CHN SPR	CHN FEA	[[2006–07 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Great Britain GBR SPR GBR SPR ]]	13th	24

IndyCar results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole positions)

Year	Team	Chassis	No.	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final standing	Points earned
2005	Chip Ganassi Racing	Panoz	33	Toyota	HMS 20	PHX 19	STP 14	MOT 12	INDY 10	TXS 12	RIR 21	KAN 21	NSH 8	MIL DNS	MCH 10	KTY 13	PPR 20	SNM 19	CHI 22								style="background:#CFCFFF;" \|19th	style="background:#CFCFFF;" \|232

Summary of season: Competed with Chip Ganassi Racing, achieving a mid-pack finish, placing 19th overall with a total of 232 points.

Champ Car results

Year	Team	No.	Chassis	Engine	Final position	Points scored

|- ! 2006 Champ Car season ! RuSPORT ! 10 ! Lola B02/00 ! Ford XFE ! 17 ! 21 |}

During the 2006 Champ Car campaign, drove for RuSPORT and concluded the season ranked 21st with an accumulation of 17 points.

Rolex Sports Car Series results

( key) (Bold text identifies pole positions) (Italicized text indicates fastest laps)

Year	Team	Category	Vehicle	Engine	Final standing	Points total

|- | 2005 | Chip Ganassi Racing | DP | Riley | Lexus |68th |24 |- | 2006 | SunTrust Racing | DP | Riley | Pontiac |61st |62 |- | 2008 | Penske-Taylor Racing | DP | Riley | Pontiac |46th |30 |- | 2009 | Penske Racing | DP | Riley | Porsche |41st |25 |- | 2011 | SunTrust Racing | DP | Dallara | Chevrolet |26th |27 |- |}

Participated in multiple seasons within the Daytona Prototype division, representing teams such as Chip Ganassi Racing and Penske, piloting various manufacturer vehicles.

American Le Mans Series results

|- |2007 |Penske Racing |LMP2 |Porsche RS Spyder Evo |Porsche V8 |3rd place |186 |- |2008 |Penske Racing |LMP2 |Porsche RS Spyder Evo |Porsche V8 |16th place |53 |- |}

Secured a podium position in the LMP2 category while driving for Penske Racing in ALMS.

IMSA SportsCar Championship results

|- From 2014 through 2020, competed with teams including Corvette Racing and Ford Chip Ganassi Racing in GTLM and DPi categories, utilizing Chevrolet, Ford, and Cadillac powertrains. Highlights include multiple triumphs at the renowned Daytona and Sebring endurance events, alongside consistent top-five season finishes, notably runner-up positions in 2016 and 2018.

Between 2021 and 2023, participated with Scuderia Corsa and Racers Edge Motorsports fielding Ferrari and Acura GT3 cars in the GTD division, maintaining strong competitive results.

24 Hours of Daytona results

- Key accomplishments:

Repeated entries from 2005 onward with squads such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Penske, Wayne Taylor Racing, and Corvette Racing.
Overall victories secured in 2015 (Corvette Racing), 2018 (Ford Chip Ganassi Racing), and again in the DPi category with Wayne Taylor Racing in 2020.
Regular finishes within the top ten reflecting endurance racing proficiency.

12 Hours of Sebring results

- Noteworthy achievements include class wins in LMP2 and GTLM driving for Level 5 Motorsports and Corvette Racing respectively.

24 Hours of Le Mans results

- Competed representing Level 5 Motorsports, Corvette Racing, Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA, and Glickenhaus Racing. - Highlight performances feature a third-place podium in the GTE Pro category with Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA (2016) and a third overall finish in the Hypercar class with Glickenhaus (2022).

FIA World Endurance Championship results

- Active since 2021 with Glickenhaus Racing competing in the Hypercar division. - Recorded multiple top-five placements including a fourth-place finish at Le Mans in 2023. - Also engaged briefly with Vanwall Racing Team.

Supercars Championship results

- Primarily raced between 2006 and 2013 for teams such as Holden Racing Team and Walkinshaw Racing. - Highest championship ranking was outside leading positions, focusing on experience development within the Australian V8 Supercar circuit.

Complete Bathurst 1000 results

Year	Team	Vehicle	Co-driver	Result	Completed Laps
2006	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VZ	Template:Country data NZL Template:Namespace detect showall Jim Richards	Did Not Finish	24
2010	Walkinshaw Racing	Holden Commodore VE	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Andrew Thompson	25th place	154
2013	Walkinshaw Racing	Holden Commodore VF	Template:Country data AUS Template:Namespace detect showall Russell Ingall	17th position	161

External links