Hey everyone! I’m Kyffin Simpson, I’m 17 years old, and this year I decided to take on one of motorsports’ toughest races; the Rolex 24 at Daytona. You probably won’t know me, but if you do, it’s thanks to my success in the FR Americas Championship last year. I’ve never raced in sportscars before so what better place to do it than Daytona, right?
Given that my experience as a GT racing rookie will be unique, Dailysportscar approached me to write a diary every few days to document my journey driving the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 in the GTD class.
A little bit more about me before we get into it. I was born in Barbados and started racing on the island at Bushy Park circuit in the Barbados Karting Association championships. After winning the Cadet series back-to-back, I flew out to the States to pursue my dream to one day race at the pinnacle of motorsports. F1, INDYCAR, WEC, IMSA, I want to do it all.
At 15, made my car racing debut in the 2020 F4 US Championship (shout out to Kokoro Performance and the Academy series for the prep!) before graduating to FR Americas later that year. It all came together in 2021 with Tim and the crew at TJ Speed Motorsports. 7 wins, 13 podiums, and of course the title. ‘Awesomeness’, as my dad would say.
I’ve partnered with Tim again to race in Indy Lights this year; a huge step up, but we hit the ground running in testing and I feel ready to challenge for the title alongside my IMSA commitments as a Honda Performance Development program driver.
Away from the track, I’ve embraced the Cayman Island lifestyle since moving here many years ago. Kitesurfing, surfing, swimming, cycling, training. That’s pretty much it and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The sunsets on Seven Mile Beach are something else.
I’m proud of my Caribbean roots and I really feel connected with the people of Cayman. It’s cool to fly the flag on the side of my car, especially as most people don’t know what it is! We joke about putting a pirate flag on there one day… let’s see.
Anyway, on to the task at hand. And preparing for this insane double-header.
I have a lot of people to thank for getting here at Daytona, and pretty high up that list is Jon Mirachi and the Racers Edge Motorsports crew. Last year, I took part in the HPD GT3 Academy program, a one-stop shop for all things endurance racing, supported by the amazing folks at Honda Performance Development. Thanks to their guidance I feel as confident in the Acura NSX GT3 as I do in the IL-15 Indy Lights car. I think my track time in both is quite even!
So, I’ve driven the car. But what about the track?
Simulator. YouTube. Two really valuable tools which I’ve used a lot over the winter to get a feel for it. But what really made it ‘click’ for me was a few days (and nights) driving K2R Motorsports’ LMP3 car at Daytona last year. That thing is a beast, but more importantly, it helped me figure out the small things that make a big difference at this track. What’s really going to make a difference for the 24 is having a whole race weekend before that, at the same track, in the same car with the same team.
Enter the ‘Roar before the 24’. Four practice sessions, a short qualifying and a 1h40m race decide the grid for the 24-hour event next weekend.
The schedule over January 21-23 is intense but in a good way. The one thing we’re not short of is track time, which is super important given I’m sharing the car with my teammates Mario Farnbacher, Marc Miller and Till Bechtolsheimer. Another new thing to add to the list! We’ve got media sessions, team meetings, stickers to put on the car, finding places to eat… all the important stuff.
2022 Roar Before The 24, Rolex 24 Qualifying Event Schedule
Friday 21st January
11:15: Practice 1
16:15: Practice 2
Saturday 22nd January
10:00: Practice 3
15:25: GTD Qualifying
19:00: Practice 4
Sunday 23rd January
10:00: Warm Up
14:05: Roar Before the 24
My goal this weekend is straightforward: secure a good starting position for the Rolex 24. That means doing my best for HPD, Gradient Racing and my teammates. I honestly can’t wait to get started, and hopefully, you come along for the ride! I’ll be posting regularly on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter across the next 10 days.
Finally, I’d like to mention my amazing partners at InvestCayman, Visit Cayman Islands, Simpson Race Products, GoPro action cameras, Spy sunglasses, BODDENS, Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, and Kokoro Media. Without them and the opportunities God continues to give me, none of this would be possible.
Let’s do this.
