Ben George Barnicoat (born 20 December 1996) is a British

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

, who competes in the

IMSA SportsCar Championship The IMSA SportsCar Championship, currently known as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under sponsorship, is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada and organized by the International Motor Sports Association (I ...

for Vasser Sullivan and in the

FIA World Endurance Championship The FIA World Endurance Championship, abbreviated as WEC, is a world championship for automobile endurance racing organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The se ...

for Akkodis ASP; he serves as a factory driver for

Lexus is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Toyota, Toyota Motor Corporation. The Lexus brand is marketed in more than 90 countries and territories worldwide and is Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. It has ranked amon ...

. In

sportscar racing Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing that uses sports cars with two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be either purpose-built Sports prototype, sports prototypes, which are the highest level in sports car racing; or grand to ...

, Barnicoat won the

2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship The 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) was the 53rd racing season sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association, which traces its lineage back to the 1 ...

in the GTD Pro class with Vasser Sullivan. Born and raised in

Chesterfield, Derbyshire Chesterfield is a market town, market and industrial town in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is north of Derby and south of Sheffield at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, Rivers Rother and River Hipper, Hipper. In 2011 ...

, Barnicoat began competitive

kart racing Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on kart circuit, scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on fu ...

aged nine. After a successful karting career—culminating in his victory at the direct-drive Karting European Championship in 2012—Barnicoat graduated to

junior formulae Formula racing, also known as open-wheel racing in North America, is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. A "formula", first devised by FIA for its post–World War II single-seater races, is a set of regulations for ...

. A member of the

Racing Steps Foundation The Racing Steps Foundation, abbreviated as RSF, was an organisation founded by Graham Sharp running from 2008 to 2017 with former Formula One driver, the late John Surtees as the ambassador for the organization. RSF aided young British Auto racing, ...

, he won his first title at the 2013 British Formula Renault Autumn Cup with Fortec. He further won the Formula Renault NEC in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, and the BRDC Formula 4 Autumn Trophy in

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. Barnicoat transitioned to

in 2017, contesting the Blancpain GT Series with Strakka. Barnicoat took GT-class victories at the Gulf 12 Hours in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

and

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, winning the latter

Asian Le Mans Series The Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) is an Asian sports car racing endurance series created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and based in Asia. It is the successor to the defunct Japan Le Mans Challenge which folded in 2007 after its second s ...

. He then won the GTD Pro class of the

, alongside

Jack Hawksworth Jack W. Hawksworth (born 28 February 1991) is a British professional racing driver from Bradford, West Yorkshire. , he competes in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for AIM Vasser Sullivan. He has also raced in the Star Mazda Championsh ...

, and took a class victory at the

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race for Sports car racing, sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in S ...

the following year. In

LMP2 A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is a type of sports prototype race car used in various races and championships, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, IMSA SportsCar Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le M ...

, Barnicoat finished runner-up in the 2019–20 Asian Le Mans Series and later won the class at the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans () is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the city of Le Mans, France. It is widely considered to be one of the world's most prestigious races, and is one of the races—along with ...

in with AF Corse.

Career

Karting

Born in Chesterfield, Barnicoat began his racing career in

karting Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motor ...

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. 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.

Formula Renault

In 2013 Barnicoat made his début in

single-seaters An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fend ...

, taking part in the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup for Fortec Motorsports, and won the cup with two wins. Barnicoat continued his collaboration with Fortec into 2014, competing in the Formula Renault 2.0 NEC and Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series.

European Formula 3

On 15 November 2015, it was announced that Barnicoat would race with

Prema Powerteam Prema Racing, previously known as Prema Powerteam, is an Italian motorsport team, owned and operated through the ''DC Racing Solutions'' parent company. Founded in 1983, the team is based in Grisignano di Zocco and currently operates out of Ita ...

for the 2016 season. However, it was later announced that Barnicoat would switch to race with HitechGP.

Sportscar career

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 McLaren Racing Limited ( ) is a British auto racing, motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. The team is a subsidiary of the McLaren Group, which owns a majority of the team. McLaren is best known a ...

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 The Bathurst 12 Hour, currently known as the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour for sponsorship reasons, is an annual endurance race for Group GT3, GT and Production car racing, production cars held at the Mount Panorama Circuit, in Bathurst, New South ...

, Asian Le Mans Series,

Intercontinental GT Challenge The Intercontinental GT Challenge is a sports car racing series developed by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation, SRO Group in 2016. It consists of international Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance races for grand tourer racing cars complying w ...

, GT World Challenge Europe, Pirelli World Challenge & the

British GT Championship The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports G ...

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 Carlin, formerly known as Carlin Motorsport and Rodin Carlin, was a motor racing team based in the United Kingdom. It primarily competed in junior racing championships such as FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3. Carlin also competed in top level ...

, competing in the

European Le Mans Series The European Le Mans Series (abbreviated as ELMS) is a European sports car racing endurance series inspired by the 24 Hours of Le Mans race and organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The European Le Mans Series is similar to the fo ...

, and finishing as runner up in the

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 podium at the season opening Dayton 24 Hours, and a season finale victory at Petit Le Mans, en route to finishing 2nd in the championship. Alongside this impressive debut full season of US racing, Barnicoat also secured 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. 2023 saw Ben return to the IMSA championship, delivering an impressive run of form. Nine podiums, including two victories, from the season's 11 rounds delivered a first GTD Pro championship title for Lexus Racing, Vasser Sullivan, and Ben only in his second year competing in the championship. He completed the year by taking part in the Official Rookie Test for the World Endurance Championship, testing the Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar. He returned in 2024 to defend his IMSA title, taking victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring and on the streets of Long Beach, with an additional podium finish in Detroit. Alongside his GT3 efforts, Ben also secured LMP2 Pro Am victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and made his Super Formula debut in Japan with Itochu Enex Team IMPUL at Autopolis.

FIA Formula 3 Championship

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. In four races, he scored one point - a 10th-place finish in the first race of Silverstone.

Other racing activities

On 20 November 2021, Barnicoat raced a BriSCA F1 Stock Car at

Skegness Stadium Skegness Stadium is a short tarmac oval racing circuit used for stock car, banger racing and former greyhound racing and speedway stadium on Marsh Lane in Orby, Skegness, Lincolnshire. located just outside Skegness. It hosts British stock ...

. He won the Consolation event, which allowed qualification for the meeting Final event, in which he finished in second place.

Karting record

Karting career summary

Racing record

Racing career summary

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

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup results

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

Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) † As Barnicoat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results

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

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

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

Complete GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup results

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

Complete British GT Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^† As Barnicoat was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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

Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results

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

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap) ^* Season still in progress.

Complete Super Formula results

References

External links

*
Profile on Racing Steps Foundation site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnicoat, Ben Living people Sportspeople from Chesterfield, Derbyshire 1996 births English racing drivers Formula Renault 2.0 NEC drivers Formula Renault 2.0 Alps drivers British Formula Renault 2.0 drivers Formula Renault Eurocup drivers FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers FIA Formula 3 Championship drivers GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup drivers 24 Hours of Spa drivers British GT Championship drivers International GT Open drivers European Le Mans Series drivers Euroformula Open Championship drivers Asian Le Mans Series drivers FIA World Endurance Championship drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers Carlin racing drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers W Racing Team drivers Hitech Grand Prix drivers Strakka Racing drivers Teo Martín Motorsport drivers Jota Sport drivers Fortec Motorsport drivers Formula Renault BARC drivers McLaren Racing drivers Le Mans Cup drivers AF Corse drivers Super Formula drivers