A former speedway racer, Ryan left New Zealand for the UK in his late teens and joined McLaren as a mechanic. He worked on the McLaren M23 of Jochen Mass and with James Hunt when he won the World Championship in 1976. After nearly a decade as a mechanic, Ryan was appointed to the role of Chief Mechanic for the team, before taking over the role of factory team manager. In 1990 he took on more responsibility as team manager looking after the race and test team activities on track and at the factory in Woking. Then 18 years later, he was appointed as sporting director with more responsibilities, however he was suspended prior to the 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix after an incident concerning a yellow flag situation during the 2009 Australian Grand Prix. During his time with the team he worked with the likes of Formula One champions Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Niki Lauda, Mika Häkkinen and Lewis Hamilton and the team won 151 races, 12 Drivers' Championships and eight Constructors' Championships.