Westin Workman Steps Up to GT4: “I’m Adjusting Better Than I Thought”

Most outside of the American single-make sphere will not be familiar with the name Westin Workman… at least, not yet.

The 21-year-old Charlotte, NC native is an up-and-coming sportscar talent who has accomplished plenty in his young career. He became a multi-time race winner in the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup on the way to earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. He returned to the series for 2025 and netted a further four podiums en route to tenth in the final points standings. That would pale in comparison to his Toyota GR Cup North America campaign. With six wins and twelve total podiums, Workman dominated the season, clinching the championship with a round (two races) to spare. Simultaneously, did I mention he is doing all this as a college student? When Westin is not burning rubber, he is making the grade as a business student at the University of North Carolina – Charlotte.

Before the SRO Weekend at Sonoma, GT REPORT caught up with Westin to discuss what looks to be a big year for him in 2026.

Under Toyota’s Wing

Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Workman signed with Toyota Racing as a development driver. With Toyota’s guidance, Westin is moving up the sportscar ladder. For 2026, Westin is stepping up to GT4 with Rafa Racing. The team, owned by Rafa Martinez and under the tutelage of former racer Kevin Conway, is a prominent campaigner of Toyota’s Supra GT4 car in North America.

Back with Old Friends

However, this is not Westin’s first time with the team. Westin made his Toyota GR Cup debut with the team when it was known as Smooge Racing. “I’ve been connected with this team for a long time,” Workman recalls. “They brought me into the Toyota program and kept me under their wing…they always saw the longevity with me. We all have a great relationship and I don’t want to be a part of any other team. There is a lot of longevity and a lot of things in the pipeline for me in the future.” The faith and enthusiasm are paying dividends already in this young season.

In January, Rafa confirmed Westin for a full season of GSX competition in the IMSA VP Racing Sportscar Challenge. Presently, the start of the campaign could not have gone any better. Four races, four poles, four wins…firing on all cylinders. “It’s going exactly as we expected,” Westin told GT REPORT. “I am meeting my expectations, the team’s expectations…we plan to go undefeated.”

Veteran’s Poise…

Probably, one of the best drives this season so far was Westin’s Race 2 at Daytona. Held during Sunday of the Roar weekend, the race took place in poor conditions. On the second pace lap, Westin came down pit road to fix the air jack, surrendering pole. As he was catching the field for the start, his power steering packed up. He had to stop on the backstretch to reset the car to repair the issue. Westin didn’t break a sweat, “I was surprisingly calm during all of it. No matter where we started, I was pretty confident we were going to win the race.”

Emphatically, he flew through the field from last to first in 20 minutes. Alas, that was not the end, as Workman avoided a late-race LMP3 incident, which caused a full-course yellow. “It was a pretty odd scenario,” Westin recalled. “I had no lane…but the P3 got going quickly and I had a lane to go through, which helped.” Workman held off Justin DiBenedetto in a one-lap sprint to take the win. Westin recalls the end not being as straightforward as you think, “The Porsches had more straight-line speed. I couldn’t pull away because he would blow by me. So if I blocked him and closed the door at the apex, I would be good.”

The Main Game

After the VP Sportscar Challenge round in Austin, the GSX class is on hiatus until Mid-Ohio in June. If you are doing the math, that’s three months in between races. Westin does have his school schedule to consider, but surely there is more racing to be done. Enter Westin’s key program. Rafa confirmed Westin as part of their Pirelli GT4 America lineup. He will team up with Tyler Gonzalez in the team’s #68 Silver class entry.

Westin relishes the opportunity to work with Gonzalez. “I am very excited,” says Workman. “To be able to learn from him and being confident in him being a strong driver boosts me up.” Westin is using this season teaming up with Tyler as a yardstick. “There is no excuse…same car, same setup, same tires, same everything,” he says. “The only difference is the driver getting out of the car.” He is bullish not just on his partnership, but on his development. “With Tyler in with me, we are destined for results,” Workman says. “But I am destined for improvement this year just being in the car with him.”

Simultaneously, Westin is preparing himself for a different kind of competition. With higher driver talent surrounding him, this is a new ballgame. “Coming into SRO, there are a lot of better drivers,” says Westin. “I am personally gonna have to drive more than what I think is possible with this car. And that’s gonna be the toughest thing.”

New Formula, No Problem

As previously mentioned, Westin is tackling GT4 for the first time. It begs the question…what was it like to adjust to GT4? Surprisingly for Westin, the adjustment came easily. “I’ve adjusted pretty well I think…better than I thought,” he proclaimed. “When I got in the Supra for the first time, I felt right at home. It’s more of a racecar. It does everything that you want it to do.”

When you come up from single-make series, power increase is one of the biggest changes you encounter. “I’ve driven cars with 200 horsepower, then I hop in the Supra with over 400 horsepower,” Westin says. The power jump, along with other subtle changes, made Workman think the learning curve would be steeper. “I thought I was going to be in for a rude awakening,” he recalls. “Getting used to the power, wider tires, increased grip and new aero I thought was going to be tough.”

Conversely, Westin feels like his Supra is a driver’s car. “It’s super intuitive,” he commends. “How you think you are going to make speed is how you are going to make speed. There are some things I have had to drive around with other cars I’ve been in. But in (the Supra), anything you think is fast is fast for this car. That’s why I have taken to it so well.”

Fourth Time The Charm?

In addition to filling up his racing calendar, Westin was confirmed as a finalist for IMSA’s Diverse Driver Development (3D) Scholarship in March. As this is his fourth time being a finalist, Workman knows better than anyone how robust the scholarship is.  “It depends on a lot of things falling into place,” Westin says. “(The program, the budget) hasn’t been falling into place for me the last few years.” But he says it’s not all external, “I wasn’t ready to move up to GT4 yet.” Still, he speaks highly of the program and is confident the 2027-28 cycle is his time. “All the perks of scholarship are very valuable to me and I see the value in it,” Workman remarks. “I’m grateful to IMSA for the opportunity we wouldn’t otherwise have. This year, I think I could have the stars align and can win this scholarship.”

The stars are very much aligning…

Coming back to Rafa could go a long way to him claiming this year’s main prize. Rafa is a mainstay in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, which helps with the program aspect. 2026 is already being an introduction year for Workman to learn and develop in GT4. Furthermore, Westin speaks very highly of the influence of team manager Kevin Conway. “Kevin is not only teaching me to be a winner on the track but off it,” Workman says. “(Kevin) is a successful businessman, teaching me a lot of the business side of racing. He pushes me in ways no other team owner has pushed me in the past. That’s helping me attract money and people that want to tell my story.”

With all these ingredients coming together, it is very hard to say Westin does not have a case to be this year’s scholarship recipient. Let’s see if IMSA agrees when the Diverse Driver Development Scholarship recipient is announced this fall.

One Goal In Mind

To meet and know Westin is to understand he has a poise and confidence beyond his years. Concurrently, he realizes the towering expectations placed on him. He knows what he has in him and around him. Therefore, it should come as no surprise for what Westin has set for his goal for the season. “The expectation for me is to definitely win the championship,” Workman states. “That’s everybody…Tyler, the team, Toyota, everybody wants us to win the championship. And they don’t see a reason why we can’t.”

If sweeping the weekend, taking both overall and class victories at Sonoma, was any indication, Westin and Tyler are well on their way to achieving their championship ambitions. Furthermore, with Westin yet to lose a race in GT4 machinery, it looks favorable for two more championships heading his way come season’s end.

Just another step in what looks to be a long, glittering, successful career.

Headline Photo: Westin Workman celebrating after winning the opening race of the 2026 IMSA VP Sportscar Challenge season at Daytona Photo Courtesy: Paul Ryan Media/Rafa Racing