United States Formula 4 race-winner Ryan Shehan is the third driver to be confirmed as racing in the 2023 Toyota Racing Series, joining the Giles Motorsport team.
Shehan, a 17-year-old from the USA, has been racing in single-seaters for two years and before that raced on junior and then senior karts in his home country.
In 2021 he finished 24th in US F4 with Team Crosslink, scoring points three times across the season, and with one round to go of the 2022 campaign – which he has spent in a car co-run by Crosslink and TRS team Kiwi Motorsport – he is currently fourth in the standings with two wins.
This year he also did two rounds in the new F4-spec USF Juniors series with Crosslink/Kiwi, and had a best finish of fifth.
“Ever since making the move from karts to cars, the TRS programme is something that I have wanted to compete in and made it a goal of mine to do so,” said Shehan.
“TRS has produced multiple past and current Formula 1 drivers and is a breeding ground for success. While I hope I can go over there and win, my goal will be to continue to build my experience and knowledge to climb the motorsports ladder.”
In US F4, it has been Giles Motorsport boss Stephen Giles who has been engineering Shehan’s car this season. The two teams have been working “very closely with one another sharing personnel and engineering”.
“To keep Ryan on the upward trend, we believe keeping Ryan and Stephen together for TRS was best for all involved and could provide for some more race-winning results,” Kiwi team principal Garry Orton explained.
“TRS will really set him up for the 2023 USA season. The [Tatuus] FT-60 race car is very different from what Ryan has driven but he will adapt quickly and I know he will learn a lot in New Zealand.”
The five-round TRS season begins next January, and it is still yet to be announced which of the events will feature the New Zealand Grand Prix.