Tor Graves Announces Retirement

Photo: FIA WEC/DPPI

In a surprising development, Tor Graves has called quits to his motorsports career.

The 42-year-old Thai driver (pictured above, middle), who was finished runner-up in the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP2, announced his immediate retirement from the sport this morning.

“I have been screwed over by two different teams in the past six months,” Graves wrote on his Facebook page. “I now feel I cannot trust anybody in this sport.

“I can’t drive for anybody if I don’t trust them. Since I have very little support here in Thailand, I have decided to end the struggle [rather] to carry on.”

Graves was scheduled to compete in this year’s European Le Mans Series and 24 Hours of Le Mans with Murphy Prototypes, but had fallen ill with shingles, according to team sources, which ruled him out of the cockpit for the season-opening Four Hours of Silverstone.

This week, the Irish squad announced the signing of Nathanael Berthon as its third driver for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Prior to his planned switch to the ELMS, Graves competed in the first two seasons of the FIA WEC, achieving success with Delta-ADR with five class victories, including his most recent at the Six Hours of Silverstone in 2013.

His career, spanning over two decades, began in 1993 in England, which saw Graves move up through junior formula ranks, prior to a switch to sports car racing in 2009.

“I have two dreams,” Graves said. “One was to win the World Championship and the other to win Le Mans. It’s fair to say that I have come up short.

“For a normal Thai kid from Nakom Pathom, to have 20 wonderful years in this exciting sport with some success, perhaps, I shouldn’t complain too much.

“I wish Thai motorsport all the best. I hope to see the Thai flag waving on the world stage again in a very near future. Sixty years is too long.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John