Ryan Yardley and Zachary Vanier continued their climb through the North American Porsche Motorsport Pyramid at Petit Le Mans, teaming with Jan Heylen to challenge for GTD honors in RS1’s Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Former Porsche Carrera Cup North America rivals became teammates at Road Atlanta, where reigning champion
Sharing RS1’s No. 28 Porsche 911 GT3 R entry, the pair helped put the team in contention for victory across the demanding 10-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale before late-race contact ended their challenge.
Yardley, the 2025 Carrera Cup North America champion, and Vanier, North America’s representative at the 2025 Porsche Junior Shootout, arrived with different milestones behind them but the same opportunity to take another step in their careers.
From Carrera Cup rivals to RS1 teammates.
Having competed against each other in Carrera Cup, Yardley and Vanier have both stepped into full-season GT World Challenge America powered by AWS programs this year. Yardley, a
At Road Atlanta, those separate programs gave way to a shared objective. Joining forces with RS1 meant the drivers the team usually races against were now helping them succeed.
“It’s cool to see us both continue on the Porsche Pyramid,” Yardley said. “Zach came through Sprint Challenge, and we both did Carrera Cup together. Now being in the Porsche GT3 R is pretty special.
“To get to know Zach in more of a team environment instead of a competitive environment is pretty cool. Hopefully sometime in the future we can team up again.”
For Vanier, the change meant sharing information that might previously have stayed on opposite sides of the paddock. Tire management, changing fuel loads and adjustments to driving technique became opportunities to improve their collective performance.
“You’re not looking at each other as a competitor, you’re looking at each other as a teammate,” Vanier said. “There were things that he was teaching me, and there was information that I was relaying to him after my stint was done in the car – what I learned as the fuel load got lighter and the tires were getting older, and how I adapted my driving.
“Ryan is somebody who I’ve managed to form a friendship with and somebody who I have a ton of respect for. He’s obviously really talented at what he does.”
Making an impression at Road Atlanta.
Vanier took the start after a red flag limited his qualifying opportunity and left the RS1 Porsche ninth in GTD – but the fastest Porsche in the class. He gained three positions in the wet opening exchanges before finding his rhythm as the team switched to slick tires.
The Canadian progressed to the class lead and reported a 19.6-second advantage when he handed the car to Yardley. For a driver who had worked his way through Porsche Sprint Challenge and Carrera Cup, leading at Petit Le Mans was a moment to appreciate.
“I felt really good in the car. I felt connected with the car, and it was doing everything I was asking it to do,” Vanier said.
“There are so many years of sacrifice and dedication spent, not only from me, but from my family and my partners and everybody around me. The way that my time at Petit Le Mans panned out, that’s how you dream that it would, and that you hope that it would. The fact that it’s all come together like that makes me feel really proud.”
Yardley’s assignment included the team’s first night stint, adding another dimension to a season that had already brought IMSA appearances at Daytona and Road America.
While Daytona provided experience of endurance racing after dark, Road Atlanta presented a different challenge. With less track lighting and prototypes looking for passing opportunities throughout the entire lap, managing traffic became a constant part of the job.
“I guess it’s just how busy the track was at Petit,” Yardley said. “At Daytona, generally the GTP and LMP2 cars pass you on the banking. At Petit, they can pass you literally anywhere.
“Daytona is a 24-hour race and you race into the night, but it is generally quite lit as well. I did the first night stint, and there’s not much light out there. Completely different races, to be fair, and one that I love. I’m looking forward to hopefully coming back in the future.”
Learning from Heylen.
Alongside their own exchange of information, both drivers benefited from Heylen’s experience. His approach gave the two Petit Le Mans newcomers a clear understanding of what the team needed, while encouraging them to ask questions and build confidence.
Yardley had already shared the RS1 Porsche with Heylen at Road America. Racing together again allowed him to continue learning from a driver he has also faced as a rival in GT World Challenge America.
“I’m very new to my GT3 career, so to have someone that has won so many races and has so much experience is awesome,” Yardley said.
“The big thing is about protecting the car, making sure we get the car to the end. We handed off the car to Jan in the last two hours in the top five. I think from that side of things, we did our job for Jan, and unfortunately it just didn’t unfold.”
Vanier arrived determined to absorb as much information as possible. Heylen’s willingness to help made that process an integral part of the weekend.
“My entire approach going into the weekend was just to be a sponge and try to learn and soak in as much information as I could from him,” Vanier said.
“He was open to any questions and providing as much information as he could. I’m really grateful that he took me under his wing throughout the week and really made me feel valued, really made me feel part of the team.”
From Road Atlanta to Indianapolis.
RS1 remained in contention until contact involving the No. 7 Porsche 963 forced its retirement with approximately 90 minutes remaining. The outcome denied Yardley, Vanier and Heylen the opportunity to turn their pace into a finish, but both newcomers left encouraged by their performances.
Yardley credited RS1 with creating an opportunity he had not expected when he first joined the team at Road America.
“Massive credit to RS1 for not only giving myself, but also Zach, a chance this weekend,” Yardley said. “Hopefully we did them proud.
“If you had asked me this time last year if I was going to do three IMSA races, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you. Pretty cool to do some of the iconic ones – Daytona to start the year, Petit to finish the year, and Road America in the middle.”
For Vanier, the welcoming environment helped him settle quickly into the program and concentrate on delivering in the car. His first major IMSA endurance event also reinforced where he wants his career to go.
“The entire RS1 team was really welcoming and made that transition really easy for me,” Vanier said. “I got on really well with the entire team.
“WeatherTech has always been my goal. That’s been my dream. It’s for sure increased my desire and motivation to be in the WeatherTech paddock next year.”
That partnership now gives way to familiar rivalries. Yardley, Vanier, and Heylen return to their respective teams this week for the Indianapolis 8 Hour, the final round of both GT World Challenge America and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
After working together toward a Petit Le Mans victory, all three will be back on the same track in different cars – bringing the lessons of their RS1 weekend into one final endurance challenge.
