Dr Ryan Story AM

Dr Ryan Story AM led the record-breaking, multi-championship winning Dick Johnson Racing squad as Team Principal, from taking an ownership stake alongside the legendary Dick Johnson in 2013 through to the end of the 2020 season. In 2021, Ryan served as Executive Chairman of Dick Johnson Racing and stepped back from a day-to-day management role at the end of 2022.

He was a pivotal figure in Roger Penske’s entry into Supercars, working closely with Penske – an automotive, business and motorsport icon as well as a recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom – and Team Penske President Tim Cindric. Ryan officially established DJR Team Penske in 2014 with his fellow co-founders Penske and Cindric. Team Penske is one of the most successful teams in professional sports with DJR Team Penske contributing significantly to what is an incredible record of outstanding achievement.

Ryan was also instrumental in developing and introducing the legendary Ford Mustang to the Supercars Championship for the 2019 season with Ford Australia and Ford Performance.

Under his leadership as Team Principal from 2013 to 2020 the team achieved immense success, having won 57 races, three Teams Championships in 2017, 2019 and 2020 and three Drivers Championships in 2018, 2019 and 2020 with Scott McLaughlin.

Ryan has extensive business interests having founded his first company building and selling computers at the age of 12. His primary consulting company later specialised in data management and analysis for both political and commercial applications. Ryan and his companies developed proprietary data management solutions, bespoke software, customer research and targeting programs as well as having licensed technology to both public and private sector clients. After 20 years of working on campaigns across Australia and in the United States, Ryan retired from politics in early 2021, receiving a prestigious Meritorious Service Award.

Ryan’s interests include horology, trading, politics, history and of course motorsport.

He has also worked extensively with Ford tuning legends Rob Herrod and Christopher Herrod, most notably in conjunction with Ford Australia and Ford Performance on the Mustang R-Spec, a Herrod Performance-developed supercharged Pony sold in Australia and New Zealand and assembled in Melbourne. With Herrod, Ryan also developed and marketed the Dick Johnson Limited Edition, Scott McLaughlin SM17 Limited Edition and DJR 40th Anniversary Special Edition Mustang packages.

In 2020 Ryan was appointed Chair of the Australian Motor Racing Commission. He previously served on the Supercars Commission. Perhaps his greatest passion though is philanthropy and using the race team as a platform for good. Ryan has collectively raised millions of dollars for many charities and other significant causes such as bushfire relief and supporting small businesses, particularly within the motorsport community, most effected by the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan is a proud ambassador to children’s cancer charity Camp Quality as well as the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and proactively supports both organisations through fundraising and support. This has included providing unique experiences to those impacted by cancer, their families as well as staff and volunteers of these inspirational organisations. Ryan also serves as a director of non-profit Racing Together, whose mission is to create opportunities and pathways for young Indigenous Australians into motorsport and STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Ryan proudly gave an opportunity for a graduate of the Racing Together program to work at DJR. Additionally, Ryan has been instrumental in supporting the Formula Ford Association by awarding their reigning national series champion a test in a DJR Mustang.

Since 2021, the Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustangs have sported Camp Quality, Prostate Cancer Foundation and Racing Together branding in conjunction with the team’s participation in their major fundraising initiatives and activities – something that wouldn’t be possible without the support and encouragement of the team’s commercial partners and supporters. Ryan has made a commitment for the Team to raise $1 million for charity each year.

In 2023, Ryan launched The Worthy Causes Fund, which aims to direct substantial resources towards causes like Camp Quality, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Racing Together, that are meaningful to him. The fund invites individuals and organisations to contribute to these crucial causes, with all donations above $2 tax-deductible.

Ryan also led Dick Johnson Racing to become the first carbon neutral professional motor racing team in Australia and the first team outside Europe to achieve the highest three-star FIA Environmental Accreditation, joining the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Williams Formula 1 teams. Dick Johnson Racing has since received the Australian Goverment’s Climate Active carbon neutral certification as well. More information can be found here.

In the 2022 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Ryan was named a Member of the Order of Australia (General Division). Ryan was also awarded Life Membership by Motorsport Australia in 2021.

Ryan is a member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club, the Australian Racing Drivers Club and holds a Motorsport Australia license, occasionally getting behind the wheel at a ride day for the charities he supports.