Ayari was born in Aix-les-Bains in the Savoie department of France, to an Iranian father and a French mother. He rose through the French domestic single-seater ladder before establishing himself as a versatile professional driver across multiple categories.
Ayari won the French Formula Ford championship in 1994, establishing him as a leading domestic talent. He went on to claim the French Formula Three championship in 1996, then crowned his single-seater career by winning the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in 1997. From 1997 to 2000 he competed in Formula 3000, the primary feeder series to Formula One at the time, winning two races over his four seasons in the category.
He also competed in Indy Lights as part of American open-wheel racing, demonstrating his range across different single-seater formulae.
Ayari entered the French Supertouring Championship in 2001 and quickly asserted himself as the class of the field, winning the title in 2002. He repeated the feat in 2004 and 2005, giving him three French touring car championships. He also made appearances in the World Touring Car Championship during this period.
In 2006 and 2007, Ayari competed in the GT Championship's GT1 class with Team Oreca, driving a Saleen S7-R. He won the French GT championship in both seasons. In 2007 he also claimed the European Le Mans Series championship alongside Stephane Ortelli, combining a domestic title defence with international success in the same year.
In 2008 and 2009, Ayari drove a Corvette in the GT1 class of the French GT3 championship. He joined the Audi ORECA team in 2010. His most productive season came in 2011, when he won two championships simultaneously: the ILMC LMP2 title with Signatech Nissan, and the International Open GT championship with JMB in a Ferrari F458 GT2.
Ayari continued racing in GT categories through the mid-2010s: the European Le Mans Series in 2014, the French GT Championship in 2015 and 2016, the GT4 European Southern Cup in 2017, and French GT racing again in 2018.
Ayari accumulated eleven starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, competing across the GT1, LMP1, and LMP2 classes. His best overall results came with fourth-place finishes in 2004 driving a Pescarolo and in 2010 with the ORECA 01. He finished fifth overall in 2009 with ORECA, and took second in the LMP2 class in 2011 with Signatech Nissan.
Alongside his racing career, Ayari has worked as a journalist specialising in track and car testing. He has also been active in historic motorsport events. His career arc — from French single-seater champion to multi-category GT and endurance racer — made him one of the more decorated French drivers of his generation outside the Formula One ranks.
Gallery · 4 related images
