British representation in sportscar racing is in a healthy place at the moment. For evidence of that, look no further than last weekend’s Spa World Endurance Championship round. Seven Britons featured in the top Hypercar class, split across five different manufacturers. And there was no shortage of noteworthy performances to be found.
United Autosports driver Tom Blomqvist stormed to LMP2 class pole in qualifying before pulling out a 45s lead in the first two stints of the race, Mike Conway got his title challenge back on track by leading a Toyota 1-2 from pole, and James Calado’s superb late charge was rewarded by recovering a podium finish for Ferrari on the final lap.
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But the WEC doesn’t have the monopoly on top British talents, a point that Ben Barnicoat is eager to prove when he takes on the series regulars at Le Mans next month with his AF Corse-run ORECA-Gibson 07 LMP2 entry.
Barnicoat says he’s in the form of his life, and it’s hard to argue with him. The 26-year-old has scored GTD Pro class podiums in all three IMSA SportsCar Championship race starts this season for Lexus factory squad Vasser Sullivan Racing alongside fellow Briton Jack Hawksworth. Victory last time out at Long Beach moved the duo into the points lead, and followed up respective third and second place finishes at the Daytona 24 Hours, where Conway joined them, and the Sebring 12 Hours, where IndyCar’s newest winner Kyle Kirkwood completed their crew.
But GT racing isn’t the only string to Barnicoat’s bow. Last month, his 100% podium record in 2023 was extended by taking third outright in Barcelona’s European Le Mans Series opener with AF Corse – despite being entered in the pro-am sub-division alongside Matthieu Vaxiviere and Francois Perrodo – on his first LMP2 outing in three years.
“It’s quite the start to the year,” Barnicoat says with some understatement. “The run of results I’m having at the minute is certainly the best form that I’ve been in.”
Source: Autosport