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Ben Barker (racing driver)

Benjamin William "Ben" Barker[1] (born 23 April 1991) is a British professional racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with GR Racing.[2] A Porsche stalwart for over a decade, he is an Australian Formula 3 champion, a Porsche Carrera Cup GB runner-up, a four-time Bathurst 12 Hour class winner and a Dubai 24 Hour overall winner. Despite limited success in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Barker is considered one of the strongest GTE Am drivers, having broken the lap record for the category at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans.[3][4]

In 2023, Barker finished on the 24 Hours of Le Mans class podium, having played an instrumental role in his team's charge towards the front.[5] Ahead of the 2024 season, Barker left GR Racing after eight seasons to become a Ford factory driver, moving to Proton Competition.[6]

Early career

Having started his career in karts in 2004, Barker would step into the British Formula Ford Championship in 2009 with Fluid Motorsport Development.[7] Following a year in which he scored one win at Knockhill, the Brit would migrate to Australia for a season in the 2010 Australian Formula 3 Championship.[8] He won the title by one point versus Mitch Evans, having taken six race wins.

Barker in 2010, his Australian Formula 3 title-winning season

Sportscar career

National Porsche Cups

Barker moved into the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup in 2011, remaining with Team BRM, where he would finish fifth in the standings. The following year saw him return to Britain, partaking in a full-time campaign in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB.[9] Despite having to wait for his first victory until the round at Knockhill, Barker would finish second in the championship, having won five races in a row in the latter half of the season.[10][11]

Porsche Supercup

In 2013, Barker graduated to the Porsche Supercup as part of Team Bleekemolen.[12] With a best result of fourth at the final round, Barker finished tenth in the overall standings and third in the rookie classification.[13][14] At the end of the year, Barker would receive a silver ranking by the FIA.[15]

Remaining in the Supercup for 2014, Barker would score one podium for the Lechner Racing Team.[16] As well as this, 2014 also saw Barker pair up with businessman Michael Wainwright at his team Gulf Racing in the LMGTE class of the European Le Mans Series, driving a Porsche 911 RSR.[17] Finally, Barker made six appearances for GB Autosport in the United SportsCar Championship.[18]

At the start of 2015, Barker would be upgraded to gold by the FIA.[19] He switched to MOMO-Megatron Team PARTRAX in the Porsche Supercup, where a podium at Monaco helped him to ninth in the standings. He also appeared in the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, in which the Briton scored two podiums.[20]

Tenure with GR Racing

Before the 2016 season, it was announced that Barker would partner Michael Wainwright and Adam Carroll at Gulf Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.[21][22] Driving in the LMGTE Am category, the trio scored four fourth places and finished fifth in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, thereby ending up sixth in the teams' championship. Barker partook in a round of the ELMS with Proton Competition, scoring a pole position at Estoril.[23]

Barker remained with Wainwright and Gulf Racing for the 2017 season, this time being partnered by Nick Foster.[24] Their results improved, as Barker was able to guide the team to third place at Mexico and to second in Shanghai, though the team would once again finish the championship as the lowest full-time entrant with fifth place overall.

For the 2018–19 WEC "super-season", Barker and Wainwright were joined by Alex Davison for the first three rounds and by Thomas Preining during subsequent events.[25] The season itself brought few peaks, with the team failing to score a podium, thought their consistency of finishing every race would bring Gulf Racing sixth in the standings. Barker managed to stand out, setting a new lap record for his category at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans.[4] During these two years Barker would also win the Bathurst 12 Hour race in the GT3 Cup class, having previously won this race in 2014 driving in the same category.[26][27]

In the 2019–20 WEC campaign, Barker, Wainwright, and new teammate Andrew Watson managed to score a lone podium in Bahrain, finishing third.[28] They ended up seventh in the standings, having once again completed every race. At the start of 2020, Barker would attain overall victory at the Dubai 24 Hours and took another Bathurst victory, this one coming in the GT3 Pro-Am class.[29][30]

The 2021 season proved to be a disappointment, as the team dropped to twelfth and last of all full-time LMGTE Am entries with a best race result of sixth place.[31][32]

Having started his 2022 season by leading Dinamic Motorsport in the Asian Le Mans Series, Barker returned to GR Racing with Wainwright and new silver-ranked driver Riccardo Pera.[33][34][35] Even though they missed the opening round, the team improved by scoring a then-record fourth place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and rising to eighth in the teams' standings.[36][37] Barker would play his part, setting two overall fastest laps in class at Spa and Monza.

The team retained their lineup for the 2023 WEC season, the last of the LMGTE era.[38] The year proved to be the team's magnum opus, as Barker helped GR to finish third at the Centenary Le Mans 24 Hours, where Barker proved to be the fastest LMGTE driver, before managing another third place in Monza.[39][40][41] These two podiums helped the team to sixth in the championship. Barker concluded his tenure with GR Racing by racing in the 2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series, stating that Wainwright and the team had "put [him] on a pedestal" by giving him the chance to race in the WEC for seven seasons.[42]

Ford factory driver

At the end of 2023, it was announced that Barker would become part of the Ford factory driver lineup in the WEC and join the Canada-based Multimatic Motorsports operation.[43][44] He would migrate to Proton Competition, driving a Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Zacharie Robichon and Ryan Hardwick in 2024.[45]

Racing record

Racing career summary

† As Barker was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.


Complete Porsche Supercup results

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

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

References

  1. ^ "Pilote des 24 heures du Mans : Benjamin William Barker". www.24h-en-piste.com (in French). Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (10 February 2022). "GR Racing Signs Pera to Porsche GTE-Am Crew". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b Goodwin, Graham (18 March 2017). "Ben Barker On 2017 As Lead Driver For Gulf Racing, "It's A Real Privilege To Be A Part Of It"". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Ben Barker catches the eye with a new lap record at Le Mans". Cambridge Independent. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  5. ^ Pettit, Vince (13 June 2023). "GR Racing Achieves Lifelong Ambition with Podium Finish at Le Mans 24 Hours". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  6. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (23 February 2024). "Barker Ready For Life As A Ford Factory Driver". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Ben Barker | BRDC Members | British Racing Drivers' Club". www.brdc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  8. ^ "AUS: Ben Barker steps up for 2010 Gold Star Battle". us.motorsport.com. 9 February 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  9. ^ Unknown. "Ben Barker back from Australia in Porsche Carrera Cup". Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Barker at the double in Porsche Carrera Cup". www.fleetnews.co.uk. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  11. ^ Paice, Simon (8 October 2012). "Meadows Claims Title After Silverstone Win". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ "The big step – Team Bleekemolen in 2 Cups". racecam.de. racecam GmbH. 18 March 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  13. ^ Barnett, Josh (1 November 2013). "911 in Motorsport: Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Abu Dhabi preview". Total 911. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  14. ^ Barnett, Josh (16 December 2013). "Ben Barker interview: "It was a really big learning curve"". Total 911. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  15. ^ Laurent Mercier (5 September 2013). "Plusieurs pilotes nouvellement classés par la FIA…". endurance-info.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  16. ^ "BRDC announces 2014 SuperStars". brdc.co.uk. British Racing Drivers' Club. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  17. ^ Laurent Mercier (8 April 2014). "Silverstone : Un plateau de 39 autos pour débuter la saison !". endurance-info.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  18. ^ Laurent Mercier (29 May 2014). "Détroit : Un plateau de 32 autos pour le cinquième rendez-vous…". endurance-info.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  19. ^ Laurent Mercier (8 November 2014). "La FIA dévoile la liste des catégorisations de pilotes 2015…". endurance-info.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Teams & Fahrer". porsche.com. Porsche AG. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  21. ^ Barnett, Josh (16 February 2016). "Ben Barker gets Gulf Porsche FIA World Endurance seat". Total 911. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  22. ^ Klein, Jamie (16 February 2016). "Carroll, Barker get WEC seats at Gulf Racing". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  23. ^ Florian Defet (22 October 2016). "4H Estoril, Qualifs : Nouvelle pole position pour Nicolas Lapierre et DragonSpeed". endurance24.fr. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  24. ^ Kilbey, Stephen (20 March 2017). "Barker, Foster complete Gulf Racing WEC line-up". Racer.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  25. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (19 March 2018). "Davison Completes Gulf Racing Lineup". Sportscar365. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  26. ^ "Ben Barker helps drive Grove Motorsport to history-making win in Bathurst 12 Hour success". Cambridge Independent. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  27. ^ Pettit, Vince (7 May 2019). "INTERVIEW: Ben Barker - Being a podium finisher in Supercup puts you on the map". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  28. ^ "2019 Bahrain 8 Hours Results" (PDF).
  29. ^ Kilshaw, Jake (12 January 2020). "Barker Praises Black Falcon For "Pretty Mad" 24H Dubai Win". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  30. ^ "IntGTC: Best Porsche finishes fourth at Bathurst, victory in the Pro-Am class". Porsche Newsroom. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  31. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (21 January 2021). "33-Car Entry List Revealed for 2021 Season – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Standings". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  33. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (19 January 2022). "Dinamic Commits to Asian LMS; Barker Leads Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  34. ^ Plümer, Jonas (9 February 2022). "FIA WEC: GR Racing präsentiert 2022er Aufgebot". GT-Place.com (in German). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  35. ^ "Looped crew at GR Racing". endurance-info.com (in French). 8 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  36. ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours 2022". Racing Sports Cars. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022."FIA WEC 90º Edition des 24 Heures du Mans Race Final Classification" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 12 June 2022. pp. 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  37. ^ "WEC 2022 results and standings for top drivers and teams". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  38. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (1 March 2023). "Glickenhaus Lineup Confirmed in 37-Car Sebring Entry – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  39. ^ Pettit, Vince (13 June 2023). "GR Racing Achieves Lifelong Ambition with Podium Finish at Le Mans 24 Hours". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  40. ^ Heinemeier Hansson, David (12 June 2023). "@dhhracing on Twitter".
  41. ^ "2023 Monza Race results - FIA World Endurance Championship" (PDF). FIA. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  42. ^ Euwema, Davey (23 February 2024). "Barker: GR Racing Stint "Put Me on a Pedestal" for Ford Deal – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  43. ^ "Ben Barker Secures Factory Contract with Ford for 2024 Mustang GT3 Campaign". thecheckeredflag.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  44. ^ Klein, Jamie (16 December 2023). "Ford Names Five New Factory Drivers for Mustang GT3 – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  45. ^ Dagys, John (17 January 2024). "Proton Sets Ford LMGT3 Lineups – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  46. ^ "Star drivers on the hunt for 12 hour seats in the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour". Motorsport.com. 2 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  47. ^ Beyeler, Marc (24 June 2017). "Ben Barker blames balance of performance for lack of pace at Le Mans 24 Hours". Cambridge News. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  48. ^ "International star joins father-son team". Bathurst 12 Hour. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  49. ^ Williams, Bruce (30 November 2017). "Ben Barker returns to Grove Racing for Bathurst 12 Hour". Auto Action. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  50. ^ Goodwin, Graham (28 November 2019). "Grove Racing Step Up To GT3 For 2020 Bathurst 12 Hour". dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  51. ^ Makhoul, Joshua (3 February 2020). "Groves claim Bathurst 12 Hour record". Supercars Championship. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  52. ^ Euwema, Davey (14 March 2022). "Barker Leads Barwell Gold Cup Lineup". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

External links