Josh Pierson
Josh Pierson
RACED IN: WEC
Biography
Josh Pierson is an American racing driver who, at 16 years old, made history as the youngest ever driver to compete at the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Key Stats
Nationality
United States
Hometown
Wilsonville, Oregon
DOB
14th February
Favourite circuit
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Racing career
For Josh, racing became a part of his life earlier than most, getting into a kart for the first time when he was just two years old. This early fascination came from spending time at the track with his father, Greg, who raced GT2 cars as a hobby.
Things took off quickly for young Pierson, who started challenging on the competitive karting circuit aged seven. He progressed through the single seater ranks, driving in the Road to Indy series with Exclusive Autosports in 2020 and Pabst Racing in 2021, before setting his sights on the unique challenge of endurance racing - specifically the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In 2022, Josh Pierson signed with United Autosports – getting off to a flying start, with back-to-back victories in the Asian Le Mans Series, alongside teammate Paul Di Resta.
Josh also entered the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship with United Autosports, celebrating on the top step of the podium at the opening round in Sebring. Then, in the summer of 2022, it was time for his long-dreamt debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, coming home sixth in class after a hard-fought race.
In 2023, Josh Pierson contested the FIA World Endurance Championship once again with United Autosports, celebrating victory in Portimao and a second-place podium in Spa-Francorchamps.
He’s already a proven race and class winner and without doubt, has clearly got lots of potential in sportscar racing for a long, long time to come.
Zak Brown
Career Highlights
// Josh took the top step of the podium in two 2022 Asian Le Mans Series races in Abu Dhabi with Paul di Resta
// In 2022 Josh became the youngest driver in the 99 year history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
// Josh took another first place in the 2022 WEC Championship at the 1000 Miles of Sebring race.
24 hours of le mans
Josh Pierson was the name on everybody’s lips in the lead up to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022, featuring in publications around the world, from The New York Times to GQ and Eurosport.
At just 16 years old, Josh made history as the youngest ever driver to compete at the gruelling race – making the record books again just 24 hours later as the youngest driver to successfully finish the race as part of the #23 Oreca-07 car crew. Read the race report.
To suddenly be driving a car as fast as the LMP2 car feels like a dream.
Josh Pierson
1000 miles of sebring
Josh Pierson celebrated his first World Endurance Championship win on his series debut, taking the top podium spot at the 2022 edition of the 1000 Miles of Sebring - after making history as the youngest ever WEC competitor. Together with teammates Paul Di Resta and Oliver Jarvis, Josh brought home the win to kick off his debut racing season with a bang. Read the race report.
In 2023, Josh returned to Sebring - however the race took a heartbreaking turn when the leading #23 stopped on track due to an electrical failure caused by a broken in-car TV camera fixture. Read the race report.
personal life
When he’s not behind the wheel, Josh describes himself as a “pretty normal teenager” who can usually be found hanging with friends or playing video games.
Aside from that, he enjoys snowboarding (when his race schedule allows it) and playing music on his guitar, piano and alto saxophone.
