Richard Westbrook retires after 23 years in motorsports

Richard Westbrook, a British driver known for his participation in endurance racing, has decided to retire from professional motorsport. His last race was at the Petit Le Mans, the final of the IMSA SportsCar Championship season, held at Road Atlanta. With this, he closes an extensive career collaborating with renowned manufacturers.

A career alongside major manufacturers

During his career, Westbrook was an official driver for brands such as Porsche, General Motors, BMW, Aston Martin, and Ford. He won two consecutive titles in the Porsche Supercup in 2006 and 2007, in addition to victories in notable competitions such as the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2013 and the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018.

He also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where he achieved two podium finishes in the overall classification with Glickenhaus and Cadillac in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, he earned three podiums in the GT and GTE Pro categories in 2010, 2016, and 2020, driving for Porsche, Ford, and Aston Martin.

A retirement planned in advance

Despite having a contract to continue racing in 2024 with the JDC-Miller MotorSports Porsche team in IMSA, Westbrook felt it was the right time to retire. He explained that while his performance remained strong, he no longer felt the same motivation to race. This change in attitude led him to reflect on his future.

"I feel satisfied with my decision," Westbrook said, emphasizing that it was a personal choice and that he no longer saw much left to achieve in his career. Over the course of 23 seasons, he remained active, despite having interrupted his career in 1996.

One of the moments Westbrook cherished most was his time with Chip Ganassi Racing between 2016 and 2019, where he raced the Ford GT in the IMSA GT Le Mans class. Together with his teammate Ryan Briscoe, they secured several wins, although the championship always eluded them by a narrow margin.