Ben Barnicoat

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Ben Barnicoat
Barnicoat at Spa-Francorchamps
NationalityUnited Kingdom British
Born (1996-12-20) 20 December 1996 (age 27)
Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship career
Debut season2022
Current teamTeam Project 1
Racing licence FIA Platinum
Car number56
Starts6
Wins0
Podiums2
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish9th in 2022
Previous series
Championship titles
Awards
2014Autosport Club Driver of the Year

Ben George Barnicoat (born 20 December 1996) is a British racing driver. He is a Lexus Racing USA factory racing driver, making his IMSA SportsCar Championship debut in 2022. He returns for a second season with Lexus and Vasser Sullivan Racing, and kicked off the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship with a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona.[1]

Starting out in karting, Barnicoat stormed through the ranks, becoming multiple British and European champion before graduating to single seaters, where he scored multiple race victories. After a transition into GT racing, Barnicoat held the role of Factory Driver with McLaren for four years, enjoying further successes on a global level while also playing an integral role in the development of the McLaren 720S GT3 racecar.

He has also competed in a variety of other championships and formulas, including the World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, and finished as runner up in the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 class on his class debut.

Career[edit]

Karting[edit]

Born in Chesterfield, Barnicoat began his racing career in karting at the age of nine. In 2007 he clinched the WTP Cadet Open and Motors TV Cadet Karting Championship titles as well as becoming WTP "Little Green Man" Vice Champion.[2] In 2008 he graduated to KF3 category in which he participated in the MSA Formula Kart Starts championship and Kartmasters GP. He did remarkably well in both, securing 4th in Formula Kart Stars and 7th at Kartmasters. Barnicoat returned the year after and won Kartmasters GP, Formula Kart Stars and finished Vice-Champion in the Super One Junior Championship. By 2012, Barnicoat had claimed the CIK-FIA KF2 European Championship too. In 2015 Barnicoat claimed the Kart Masters GP Trophy in both the Senior Rotax and Iame X30 class, becoming the first driver to take two Kart Masters Championships in one day. Barnicoat has since continued to compete in the Kart Masters event and is now the most successful driver with 9 titles to his name. Claiming Snr X30 in 2017/18/19 and snr rotax too in 2019.[3]

Formula Renault[edit]

In 2013 Barnicoat made his début in single-seaters, taking part in the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup for Fortec Motorsports, and won the cup with two wins.[4]

Barnicoat continued his collaboration with Fortec into 2014, competing in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series.[5]

European Formula 3[edit]

On 15 November 2015, it was announced that Barnicoat would race with Prema Powerteam for the 2016 season. However, it was later announced that Barnicoat would switch to race with HitechGP.[6]

Sportscar career[edit]

Barnicoat would finish second at the 2023 Northeast Grand Prix.

Barnicoat made the transition from single-seaters across into GT racing in 2017. The following six seasons have seen him compete - and win - on some of the biggest stages in motorsport. Appointed Factory Driver with McLaren a year later, Barnicoat took on the pivotal role in the development of the brand’s latest range of GT racing cars. Barnicoat has also proven himself on the world stage with podium results at the Bathurst 12 Hour, Asian Le Mans Series, Intercontinental GT Challenge, GT World Challenge Europe, Pirelli World Challenge & the British GT Championship in both GT3 and GT4 classes, as well as back-to-back outright victories at the Gulf 12 Hours.

In 2019, Barnicoat also made his LMP2 debut with Thunderhead Carlin Motorsport, competing in the European Le Mans Series, and finishing as runner up in the Asian Le Mans Series with two victories during the season.

2022 saw Barnicoat appointed as Factory Driver with Lexus Racing USA and Vasser Sullivan Racing, contesting the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with the Lexus RC F GT3. In his debut season, Barnicoat scored notable victories, including a season finale victory at Petit Le Mans, en route to finishing 2nd in the championship.

Alongside this impressive debut season, 2022 also saw Barnicoat secure the Asian Le Mans Series GT3 title, he successfully defended his title at the Gulf 12 Hours with 2 Seas Motorsport, and campaigned at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a second year.

He returns to the US in 2023 for a second season with Lexus Racing and Vasser Sullivan.[7]

FIA Formula 3 Championship[edit]

On 30 July 2020, Carlin Buzz Racing announced that Enaam Ahmed and his sponsors had separated from the team, and that Barnicoat would be replacing him at the team.[8] In four races, he scored one point - a 10th place finish in the first race of Silverstone.

Other racing activities[edit]

On 20 November 2021, Barnicoat raced a BriSCA F1 Stock Car at Skegness Stadium. He won the Consolation event, which allowed qualification for the meeting Final event, in which he finished in second place.

Racing record[edit]

Career summary[edit]

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position
2013 Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup Fortec Motorsports 3 2 3 2 3 96 1st
2014 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Fortec Motorsports 15 2 1 1 5 258 1st
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 6 0 0 0 0 32 14th
Protyre Formula Renault Championship 3 0 0 0 0 60 13th
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Fortec Motorsports 17 3 2 1 6 174 4th
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 6 1 0 1 2 0 NC†
BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy 8 3 2 5 6 211 1st
2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Hitech GP 30 2 0 0 3 134 9th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2017 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Strakka Racing 10 0 0 2 0 2 29th
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup 5 0 0 1 0 2 43rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge Tekno Autosports/McLaren GT 2 0 0 0 0 15 9th
Pirelli World Challenge - GT K-PAX Racing 10 0 0 0 3 140 19th
SprintX GT Championship Series 7 0 0 0 3 140 7th
2018 British GT Championship - GT4 Track-Club 5 1 0 0 1 43 13th
Balfe Motorsport/PMW Expo Racing 1 0 0 0 0
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Garage 59 5 0 0 0 1 19 24th
Intercontinental GT Challenge 2 0 0 0 0 6 22nd
2019 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Thunderhead Carlin Racing 5 0 0 0 0 3 25th
International GT Open Teo Martín Motorsport 2 0 0 0 0 0 43rd
International GT Open - Pro-Am 2 0 0 0 0 2 21st
2019–20 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 Thunderhead Carlin Racing 4 2 2 1 4 82 2nd
2020 FIA Formula 3 Championship Carlin Buzz Racing 4 0 0 0 0 1 22nd
Euroformula Open Championship Carlin Motorsport 2 1 1 0 2 41 13th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Ema Group/Team 59Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
Le Mans Cup - LMP3 Cool Racing 1 0 0 0 0 10 23rd
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Jota Sport 7 0 2 1 0 19 17th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 4 0 0 0 0 13 18th
Asian Le Mans Series - GT Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport 4 0 0 1 2 45 4th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 0 0 0 0 209 63rd
2022 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Racing 10 2 2 0 6 3277 2nd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 1 1 0 1 385 45th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Team Project 1 6 0 0 0 2 55 9th*
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
Asian Le Mans Series - GT Inception Racing 4 1 1 3 3 70 1st
2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan Racing 11 2 4 1 9 3760 1st
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am AF Corse 4 1 0 0 4 73 5th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
British GT Championship - GT3 Inception Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Nürburgring Endurance Series - VT2-FWD Walkenhorst Motorsport 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD Pro Vasser Sullivan 2 1 1 0 1 617 3rd*
IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD 1 1 1 0 1 385 35th*

† As Barnicoat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. * Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 DC Points
2014 Fortec Motorsports MNZ
1
9 		MNZ
2
4 		SIL
1
6 		SIL
2
18 		HOC
1
2 		HOC
2
1 		HOC
3
6 		SPA
1
2 		SPA
2
5 		ASS
1
2 		ASS
2
Ret 		MST
1
1 		MST
2
7 		MST
3
C 		NÜR
1
4 		NÜR
2
4 		NÜR
3
C 		1st 258

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pos Points
2014 Fortec Motorsports ALC
1 		ALC
2 		SPA
1 		SPA
2 		SIL
1 		SIL
2 		NÜR
1 		NÜR
2 		HUN
1 		HUN
2 		LEC
1 		LEC
2 		JER
1
Ret 		JER
2
DNS 		NC† 0
2015 Fortec Motorsports ALC
1
2 		ALC
2
5 		ALC
3
Ret 		SPA
1
25† 		SPA
2
4 		HUN
1
2 		HUN
2
8 		SIL
1
Ret 		SIL
2
23† 		SIL
3
13 		NÜR
1
4 		NÜR
2
1 		LMS
1
1 		LMS
2
5 		JER
1
22 		JER
2
3 		JER
3
1 		4th 174

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Pts
2016 HitechGP Mercedes LEC
1
4 		LEC
2
Ret 		LEC
3
11 		HUN
1
9 		HUN
2
10 		HUN
3
1 		PAU
1
1 		PAU
2
5 		PAU
3
11 		RBR
1
10 		RBR
2
15 		RBR
3
5 		NOR
1
5 		NOR
2
Ret 		NOR
3
DSQ 		ZAN
1
18 		ZAN
2
8 		ZAN
3
9 		SPA
1
3 		SPA
2
11 		SPA
3
20 		NÜR
1
9 		NÜR
2
Ret 		NÜR
3
10 		IMO
1
8 		IMO
2
Ret 		IMO
3
13 		HOC
1
18 		HOC
2
9 		HOC
3
7 		9th 134

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup results[edit]

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2017 Strakka Racing McLaren 650S GT3 Pro MIS
QR
22 		MIS
CR
18 		BRH
QR
6 		BRH
CR
10 		ZOL
QR
10 		ZOL
CR
28 		HUN
QR
20 		HUN
CR
24 		NÜR
QR
Ret 		NÜR
CR
25 		29th 2
2021 Jota Sport McLaren 720S GT3 Pro MAG
1
13 		MAG
2
4 		ZAN
1 		ZAN
2 		MIS
1
22 		MIS
2
8 		BRH
1
Ret 		BRH
2
DNS 		VAL
1
22† 		VAL
2
4 		17th 19

† Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.

Complete British GT Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points
2018 Track-Club McLaren 570S GT4 GT4 OUL
1
14 		OUL
2
18 		ROC
1
28 		SNE
1
16 		SNE
2
Ret 		SIL
1 		SPA
1
DNS 		BRH
1 		13th 43
Balfe Motorsport/PMW Expo Racing DON
1
Ret
2023 Inception Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo GT3 OUL
1 		OUL
2 		SIL
1
10 		DON
1 		SNE
1 		SNE
2 		ALG
1 		BRH
1 		DON
1 		NC† 0†

† As Barnicoat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete European Le Mans Series results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2019 Thunderhead Carlin Racing LMP2 Dallara P217 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC
11 		MNZ
11 		CAT
9 		SIL
Ret 		SPA
 ALG
Ret 		25th 3
2023 AF Corse LMP2 Pro-Am Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
2 		LEC
3 		ARA SPA ALG
3 		ALG
1 		5th 73
Source:[9]

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 DC Points
2020 Carlin Buzz Racing RBR
FEA 		RBR
SPR 		RBR
FEA 		RBR
SPR 		HUN
FEA 		HUN
SPR 		SIL
FEA
20 		SIL
SPR
12 		SIL
FEA
10 		SIL
SPR
Ret 		CAT
FEA 		CAT
SPR 		SPA
FEA 		SPA
SPR 		MNZ
FEA 		MNZ
SPR 		MUG
FEA 		MUG
SPR 		22nd 1

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results[edit]

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2021 United Kingdom Inception Racing United States Brendan Iribe
United Kingdom Ollie Millroy 		Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Am 		327 41st 12th
2022 Germany Team Project 1 United States Brendan Iribe
United Kingdom Ollie Millroy 		Porsche 911 RSR-19 GTE
Am 		241 DNF DNF
2023 Italy AF Corse France Norman Nato
France François Perrodo 		Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 183 DNF DNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
Source:[9]

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points
2021 Inception Racing with Optimum Motorsport GTD McLaren 720S GT3 McLaren M840T 4.0L Turbo V8 DAY SEB MDO DET WGL WGL LIM
 ELK LGA LBH VIR PET
12 		63rd 209
2022 VasserSullivan GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
4 		SEB
7 		LBH
2 		LGA
2 		WGL
4 		MOS
6 		LIM
3 		ELK
1 		VIR
3 		PET
1 		2nd 3277
GTD MDO DET
1 		45th 385
2023 Vasser Sullivan Racing GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
3 		SEB
2 		LBH
1 		LGA
2 		WGL
1 		MOS
4 		LIM
2 		ELK
2 		VIR
2 		IMS
3 		PET
8 		1st 3760
2024 Vasser Sullivan GTD Pro Lexus RC F GT3 Toyota 2UR 5.0 L V8 DAY
11 		SEB
1 		LGA
 DET
 WGL
 MOS
 ELK
 VIR
 IMS
 PET
 3rd* 617*
GTD LBH
1 		35th* 385*
Source:[9]

* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results[edit]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2022 Team Project 1 LMGTE Am Porsche 911 RSR-19 Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 SEB
3 		SPA
Ret 		LMS
Ret 		MNZ
10 		FUJ
8 		BHR
2 		9th 55
Source:[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ben Barnicoat opens his 2023 IMSA account with a podium finish at the Daytona 24 Hours". benbarnicoat.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Profile". benbarnicoat.com. Ben Barnicoat. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  3. ^ "CIK-FIA European KF2 Championship 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  4. ^ "Protyre Formula Renault Championship — Autumn Cup 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  5. ^ Goddard, Stephen (6 December 2013). "Barnicoat steps up to Formula Renault 2.0 NEC with Fortec". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  6. ^ Simmons, Marcus (14 January 2016). "Ben Barnicoat seals Hitech European Formula 3 Championship deal". Autosport. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Hawksworth and Barnicoat continue with VSR Lexus for 2023 IMSA campaign". Autosport. Autosport. 9 December 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Ben Barnicoat joins Carlin Buzz Racing for Round 4 at Silverstone". Formula 3. FIA Formula 3 Championship Limited. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d "Ben Barnicoat Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.

External links[edit]

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Seb Morris
(Winter Series)
 Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup
Champion
2013 		Succeeded by
None
(Series ended)
Preceded by Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
Champion
2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Will Palmer
(Winter Series)
 BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy
Champion
2015 		Succeeded by
Enaam Ahmed
(BRDC British Formula 3)
Preceded by
Ralf Bohn
Alfred Renauer
Robert Renauer
 Asian Le Mans Series
GT Champion
2022
With: Brendan Iribe & Ollie Millroy 		Succeeded by
Preceded by IMSA SportsCar Championship
GTD Pro Champion
2023
With: Jack Hawksworth 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Autosport Awards
British Club Driver of the Year
2014 		Succeeded by

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