A Canadian-born Hong Kong driver whose career ran from karting in 1988 through Porsche titles, Macau wins, Le Mans and two outright Bathurst 12 Hour victories.
Darryl O'Young, born in Canada, is a Hong Kong businessman, team owner and former racing driver. He won the Macau Grand Prix overall four times from 17 appearances, won the Bathurst 12 Hour outright in 2011 and 2012, and retired after the 2025 Macau Grand Prix.
Born in Canada, Darryl O'Young raced across Asia, Europe, Australia and the United States, and he is also a businessman, team owner and driver manager. His best-known achievement is the Macau Grand Prix, where he made 17 appearances between 2004 and 2021 and won the race overall four times. Two outright Bathurst 12 Hour victories and a Le Mans Pro-Am podium complete the headline record.
When did O'Young start racing?
In 1988, aged eight, O'Young took up racing, and his father trained him. He won karting championships before moving up to Formula Ford 1600 and 2000. He then moved on to Fran Am Pro 1600 and 2000 events in the US, and his karting highlight was winning the Canadian and USA National Champion titles in the same year.
Four Macau Grand Prix wins and two outright Bathurst 12 Hour victories, across a career that began in karting in 1988.
How did his Porsche career develop?
In 2005, aged 24, O'Young won his first Macau Grand Prix title while racing for Jebsen and Co, the Hong Kong Porsche dealer team. He took his first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title in 2006 and was the series champion in 2008, becoming its first double champion.
His first Carrera Cup Asia title came on 22 October 2006, when he won both races at Zhuhai International Circuit. In 2007 he joined Schnabl Engineering, LKM and Team Jebsen for the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, becoming the first Hong Kong driver to race in that European series.
The 2008 season saw him compete in both the Supercup and the Carrera Cup Asia. He finished it with 196 points and four wins, and the title was decided at the Bahrain International Circuit finale. On 16 November that year he took the Windsor Arch Macau GT Cup in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, beating Danny Watts by more than two seconds.
What was his Macau Grand Prix record?
O'Young made 17 appearances at his home race between 2004 and 2021, competing in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the Macau GT Cup, touring car events and the FIA GT World Cup. He won the race overall four times, and he also collected two class wins in the Independents category of touring car racing.
In 2014 he finished ninth in the Macau GT Cup, driving an Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3 for a team backed by Vitasoy. In 2015 he finished fifth in the inaugural FIA GT World Cup race, after Edoardo Mortara received a post-race penalty. He stepped away from racing following the 2025 Macau event, where he crashed out while running second in the Greater Bay Area GT Cup.
How did he fare at Le Mans?
O'Young first entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2009, driving a Porsche GT3 RSR for Endurance Asia Team with Phillip Hesnault and Plamen Kralev. The car retired after 16 hours and was not classified. He returned in 2013 in a Ferrari 458 Italia and finished second in the Pro-Am class, and second in the GTE Am class after starting tenth.
The 2009 entry was the first Hong Kong or Chinese team to race there, at an event with 77 years of history. For the 2013 race he took the wheel of the No. 55 INTERUSH AF Corse car with Lorenzo Case and Piergiuseppe Perazzini. In 2014 the Craft-Bamboo team withdrew after a practice accident by Fernando Rees left the car beyond repair in time for the race.
What did he achieve at Bathurst?
O'Young raced the Bathurst 12 Hour four times. He won outright in 2011 with Marc Basseng and Christopher Mies in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 for Audi Sport Team Joest, and he won again in 2012 driving a Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS. Both were outright victories at Mount Panorama.
Audi filled the top two places in 2011, with Mark Eddy, Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff finishing second. The Mount Panorama Circuit is 6.213 km long. In 2015 he came back with Craft-Bamboo Racing, driving an Aston Martin V12 GT3, and finished third overall and second in class, alongside Alex MacDowall and Stefan Mucke.
How was his touring car career?
O'Young moved into touring cars in 2010 with Bamboo Engineering, driving a 2008-spec Chevrolet Lacetti in the Independents Championship. He became the first full-time Chinese driver in the World Touring Car Championship, and at the Race of Portugal he scored his first Independents win and first world championship point.
His 2010 Macau final round ended when Tom Coronel hit him from behind in race one. In 2011 at Suzuka he started from pole in race two, but Gabriele Tarquini hit him and he retired. For 2012 he drove a SEAT Leon for Special Tuning Racing before returning to Bamboo Engineering for the final rounds, when he took the Independents class win in both races at Macau.
In 2013 he raced a BMW 320 TC for ROAL Motorsport alongside Tom Coronel, and his highest finish was twelfth in race two. In 2010 he was drafted into Audi's DTM line-up for the Shanghai season finale, replacing Alexandre Premat, who had been dismissed by the manufacturer.
Where else did he race in endurance events?
O'Young won the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race, held at Sepang, alongside Mok Wing Sun and Alexander Nicholas Davison. Driving a Porsche 997 RSR for Porsche Club Singapore, they covered 308 laps of the 12-hour event. In a later outing for LKM Racing, he finished third overall and first in the Pro-Am class.
His first of six Daytona 24 Hours appearances came in 2010, driving a Porsche GT3 Cup for Bullet Racing, owned by Steve Paquette. The team placed 20th overall and 13th among GT entries. Later that year the Prospeed Competition car he shared with Richard Westbrook stopped after 119 laps at the Zhuhai 1000 km, part of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup calendar.
How did his GT and sportscar programme develop?
In 2005 he joined the Hong Kong Le Mans Team founded by Matthew Marsh, competing in the Le Mans Endurance Series in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. The pair also finished fourth in GT2 at the FIA GT Championship China Round at Zhuhai International Circuit that year.
From 2006 he made several Spa 24 Hours starts, and his best result was fifth in GT2 in 2009, sharing the car with Richard Westbrook, Emmanuel Collard and Sean Edwards. That same year he contested the full FIA GT Championship season in the GT2 category, driving a Porsche GT3 RSR for Prospeed Competition with Porsche Junior Driver Marco Holzer. He became the first Chinese race driver to contest a complete FIA GT campaign.
What does his career look like in numbers?
| Series or event | Headline result |
|---|---|
| Karting | Canadian and USA national titles in one season |
| Macau Grand Prix | 17 appearances, 2004 to 2021; four overall wins |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Asia | Titles in 2006 and 2008; first double champion |
| Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup | Joined in 2007; first Hong Kong driver in the European series |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans | 2009 unclassified; 2013 second in Pro-Am and second in GTE Am |
| Bathurst 12 Hour | Four starts; outright wins in 2011 and 2012; third overall in 2015 |
| 24 Hours of Daytona | Six appearances from 2010; 20th overall on the first start |
| World Touring Car Championship | First full-time Chinese driver; Independents win at the Race of Portugal in 2010 |
| Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race | Won with Porsche Club Singapore; later third overall and first in Pro-Am |
| Retirement | After the 2025 Macau Grand Prix |
What is he doing now?
He is now the manager of GB3 Championship driver Bianca Bustamante, and he is described as a Hong Kong businessman, team owner and driver manager. He has retired from racing, and the decision came after the 2025 Macau weekend.
Why is his record notable?
O'Young's career crossed many categories: one-make Porsche racing, the FIA GT series, the World Touring Car Championship, Le Mans, Bathurst and the Asian GT events. Several milestones are recorded as firsts, including the first Hong Kong driver in the European Supercup and the first full-time Chinese driver in that series.
