Barnicoat Replaces Van der Linde in Lexus LMGT3 Lineup

Photo: Javier Jimenez/DPPI

Ben Barnicoat will make his full-season FIA World Endurance Championship return, replacing Kelvin van der Linde in Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus LMGT3 lineup next year.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, the British racer had been tipped to combine his current IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro commitments with a season in WEC.

He sampled the LMGT3-spec Lexus RC F GT3 during the recent rookie test at the Bahrain rookie test.

Barnicoat is set to pilot the No. 78 car, replacing Van der Linde, who leaves the team after a single season racing in WEC.

Sportscar365 understands that Esteban Masson, who drove with ASP this year and is set to be upgraded to Gold status in 2025, will deputize for Barnicoat during clashes between WEC and the WeatherTech Championship.

Barnicoat’s last full WEC campaign came in 2022, when he piloted a Team Project 1 Porsche 911 RSR-19 in the GTE-Am class.

He has four 24 Hours of Le Mans starts to his name, the last two of which came as part of AF Corse’s LMP2 Pro-Am squad.

The Jerome Policand-led stable on Wednesday also confirmed that Jose Maria Lopez will return for a second season to drive the sister No. 87 machine.

Source: Sports Car 365