Ben Barnicoat confirmed as Factory Driver for Lexus Racing USA and Vasser Sullivan

Ben Barnicoat will embark on the latest chapter in his racing career on US soil, with confirmation as a Factory Driver with Lexus Racing USA for the 2022 season. Contesting the full IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, the 24-year-old British driver will compete with the Vasser Sullivan team at the wheel of the Lexus RC F GT3 in the new GTD Pro class.

Ben joins the Vasser Sullivan team for the full 2022 schedule, having gained his first taste of the IMSA championship at the final round of the 2021 calendar in Road Atlanta. He will be partnered with Jack Hawksworth throughout the season, with IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood completing the line-up for the endurance events.

The Vasser Sullivan Racing team is owned by 1996 IndyCar Champion Jimmy Vasser and sports marketer James ‘Sulli’ Sullivan. Since 2019, the Vasser Sullivan combination has made 34 IMSA GTD class races which has yielded 18 podiums performances including seven wins and nine poles. The team captured the 2020 IMSA GTD Sprint Cup Championship, finished second in the 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona and podium finishers at Petit Le Mans for the past two years.  

Excited by the new role and the prospects for the 2022 season, Ben commented:

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining Lexus Racing USA. Hearing the future plans and ambitions that the Lexus brand has, to really write themselves into the history books of motorsport, is truly inspiring, and really excites me about this program and my future with Lexus.

“I can’t wait to get to work with the Vasser Sullivan team and my super-fast teammates Jack and Kyle in our IMSA GTD PRO campaign with the Lexus RC F GT3. After meeting Jimmy and Sulli for the first time and seeing the team in action at Petit Le Mans last month, it’s clear to me that they are the team to be with in IMSA right now. The level of professionalism, along with the dedication and hunger to win races and championships was incredible, and I can’t ask for any more than that as a driver. I have a lot to learn with it being my first full season of IMSA, but I have an incredible car in the Lexus RC F GT3 and the best team of people around me to learn from and achieve our goals. We will be a force to be reckoned with. The green flag at the Rolex 24 in January can’t come soon enough!”

Ben now embarks on a busy testing and training programme with Lexus Racing USA and Vasser Sullivan over the coming weeks. He will make his first public track appearance with the team in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, 21-23 January, to prepare for the 2022 Rolex 24 at Daytona taking place a week later, 29-30 January.