Fastest lap underlines a strong Super Formula debut performance

A last-minute call up saw reigning IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship champion, Ben Barnicoat, travel to Japan for round 2 of the Super Formula calendar. Racing at Autopolis, Ben joined Itochu Enex Team IMPUL for a one-off entry into the championship, and he delivered an impressive performance across the full weekend, on his debut in the series and at the circuit. After a tough qualifying session, Ben made great gains during the race to move through the field, eventually claiming P13, and setting the fastest lap of the race, against highly seasoned competition.

A last-minute call up saw reigning IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship champion, Ben Barnicoat, travel to Japan for round 2 of the Super Formula calendar. Racing at Autopolis, Ben joined Itochu Enex Team IMPUL for a one-off entry into the championship, and he delivered an impressive performance across the full weekend, on his debut in the series and at the circuit. After a tough qualifying session, Ben made great gains during the race to move through the field, eventually claiming P13, and setting the fastest lap of the race, against highly seasoned competition.

“It was a whirlwind few days, from finishing the race at Laguna Seca to then being on a plane to Japan to be ready for the first practice session was wild, but an opportunity that I am hugely grateful and excited for. The chance to be a part of the rookie test last season was a fantastic experience, but I never expected a race seat to come from it. To be handed to the chance to race at Autopolis, and join Team IMPUL, was a really exciting challenge, and I have loved every minute of it.”

Saturday was a challenging day on track for Ben. It saw him take to the Autopolis Circuit for the very first time for his 90-minute FP1 practice session. This being the only time Ben had to re-acquaint himself back into the SF23 car, understand and learn his new team dynamic, and get to grips with this high-speed and technical track before qualifying later in the day.

Even though qualifying is a 10-minute open session, in the Super Formula series it becomes a one lap attack and shootout to make the top-6 positions to advance to the shootout session. Despite his best efforts, Ben didn’t find quite enough speed on his single flying lap to progress to Q2, locking in a grid position of 17th for the 41-lap race on Sunday.

The race marked Ben’s first standing race start in over four years and, despite this lack of recent experience, the young Brit proved he was still as sharp as ever, gaining positions away from the grid. Tyre degradation near the end of the opening stint meant Ben had to manage his pace, dropping back slightly, behind competitors on the alternative ‘undercut’ strategy. However, with new tyres fitted at the pitstop, he then proved his overall race pace, challenging for positions in the closing laps and setting the fastest lap of the race to close out a successful debut Super Formula weekend.

Summarising his debut Super Formula weekend, Ben added:

‍“I cannot thank everyone enough who was involved in making this weekend happen for me. I have been welcomed by the whole team, the championship and the incredible fans, and really feel part of the Super Formula family even after just a few days. Qualifying was always going to be tough with such little time to prepare, but the race itself was an amazing experience, and to be able to fight all the way through was great fun. Taking the fastest lap of the race on debut was the cherry on the cake. It was a huge challenge, and was a very different experience to my ‘normal’ day job in the GT3 car, but I’m happy to show my skills in being able to adapt to new cars and environments quickly. I am leaving Japan with a huge smile on my face. A big thank you to everyone at Toyota Gazoo Racing, Team IMPUL, Lexus Racing USA, Toyota Racing Development, and everyone who made this experience possible.”

Ben is back in action, 31 May-1June, for the Detroit Grand Prix as he returns to the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.