The recent decision by Acura to withdraw from the IMSA SportsCar championship has left Nick Yelloly with conflicting feelings as he prepares to begin a new chapter with Ford in the World Endurance Championship next year.
Yelloly, who joined the Meyer Shank team at the beginning of the 2025 season, had been working alongside Renger van der Zande in the Acura ARX-06. However, the partnership with the Honda brand will soon come to an end, after Acura announced in May its decision to “pause” its successful GTP program by the end of 2026.
Unlike other teammates, who are in an uncertain situation, Yelloly has already secured a spot for the 2027 season, after Ford signed him as one of six drivers for their new project.
Despite the excitement that this new opportunity represents, Yelloly acknowledges that leaving IMSA and a growing program is painful for him. ‘I love racing here, so not competing next year will hurt me,’ the British driver commented.
Yelloly also highlighted the good functioning of the team and the engineering he was working with, making his departure even more complicated. ‘It’s been very rewarding to see how the team prepares to win races, which I have enjoyed a lot,’ he added.
Regarding his new path with Ford, the driver explained that conversations with Ford Racing management convinced him of the seriousness and ambitions of their LMDh project. ‘It was clear that I wanted to be involved,’ Yelloly said.
The new collaboration between Ford and Oreca for the development of its LMDh chassis, along with Yelloly’s previous experience with the Acura chassis, will ease this transition. ‘I know a lot about the chassis and how to develop the car; that makes me feel like Ford was the way to go,’ he concluded.
Additionally, despite being contracted with Acura until the end of the year, Yelloly and Tom Blomqvist, also a new signing for Ford, have received permission to test the brand’s new LMDh vehicle.
Currently, Yelloly and van der Zande sit third in the GTP standings, with 245 points behind leader Jack Aitken, with only three races remaining in the season.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_a76bb96b394f1d7c02ec33e756ac7d5054fb7a84