Having missed four rounds of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign due to a mountain-biking accident back in March, Ben Barnicoat will return to the cockpit of Akkodis ASP Team’s #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 for next month’s Lone Star Le Mans (5-7 September), the French outfit has confirmed.
After finishing fourth in the curtain-raising Qatar 1812km alongside stablemates Finn Gehrsitz and Arnold Robin, Barnicoat – who previously participated in the LMGTE Am category in 2022 – was looking forward to putting together a title challenge in his second season of FIA WEC competition.
Since Qatar, the Japanese sportscar has gone on to achieve considerable success in the LMGT3 class, with the #78 racing to a podium finish at Imola and lining up on pole position at Spa-Francorchamps, before the sister #87 car claimed Lexus’ breakthrough victory in the series last time out in São Paulo.
Following a full recovery from his injuries, rising British star Barnicoat rejoined the fray just under two months ago in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Now, he is set to similarly make his comeback on the international scene, as he prepares to contest the upcoming six-hour race around Texas’ Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
“I’m super-happy and excited to be returning to racing in FIA WEC with Akkodis ASP Team for the remainder of the season,” enthused the 2023 IMSA GTD Pro category champion. “It was obviously extremely disappointing to have to miss so many races after getting off to a great start in Qatar.
“I’m really sorry to the team for putting them in that difficult position, but accidents happen and I’m very grateful for all of the support from everyone at Akkodis and TGR-E during difficult times, and to have made a return to full fitness to be able to race again.
“It’s been great to see the team having such a successful year and amazing results on both sides of the garage whilst I’ve been absent. It’s clear to see they’re in a very strong place right now, which makes me even more motivated to get back behind the wheel at COTA.”
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