# Ben Barker (racing driver)

Benjamin William "Ben" Barker (born 23 April 1991) is a British professional racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. 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.
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. Ahead of the 2024 season, Barker left GR Racing after eight seasons to become a Ford factory driver, moving to Proton Competition.

## 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. 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. He won the title by one point versus Mitch Evans, having taken six race wins.

## 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. 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.

### Porsche Supercup

In 2013, Barker graduated to the Porsche Supercup as part of Team Bleekemolen. With a best result of fourth at the final round, Barker finished tenth in the overall standings and third in the rookie classification. At the end of the year, Barker would receive a silver ranking by the FIA.
Remaining in the Supercup for 2014, Barker would score one podium for the Lechner Racing Team. 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. Finally, Barker made six appearances for GB Autosport in the United SportsCar Championship.
At the start of 2015, Barker would be upgraded to gold by the FIA. 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.

### 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. 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.
Barker remained with Wainwright and Gulf Racing for the 2017 season, this time being partnered by Nick Foster. 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. The season itself brought few peaks, with the team failing to score a podium, though 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. 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.
In the 2019–20 WEC campaign, Barker, Wainwright, and new teammate Andrew Watson managed to score a lone podium in Bahrain, finishing third. 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.
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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

### 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. He would migrate to Proton Competition, driving a Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Zacharie Robichon and Ryan Hardwick in 2024.

## Racing record
### Racing career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2009 | British Formula Ford Championship | Fluid Motorsport Development | 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 272 | 8th |
| 2009 | Formula Ford Festival | Fluid Motorsport Development | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 4th |
| 2010 | Australian Formula 3 Championship - Gold Star | Team BRM | 20 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 220 | 1st |
| 2010 | Australian Formula 3 Championship - East Coast Shootout | Team BRM | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 101 | 1st |
| 2010 | Australian Formula Ford Championship | Team BRM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2010 | Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series | MW Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 31st |
| 2011 | Porsche Carrera Cup Australia | Team BRM | 21 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 755 | 5th |
| 2011 | Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain | Parr Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 45 | 17th |
| 2011 | Radical Australia Cup | Excaliber Racing | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | NC† |
| 2011 | PSCRAA Enduro Championship | Quintessence Construction | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2012 | Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain | Parr Motorsport | 20 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 282 | 2nd |
| 2012 | Historic Grand Prix of Monaco - F3 pre-1985 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2013 | Porsche Supercup | Team Bleekemolen | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 10th |
| 2013 | Porsche Carrera Cup Asia | Team BetterLife | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | NC† |
| 2014 | Porsche Supercup | VERVA Lechner Racing Team | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 96 | 6th |
| 2014 | European Le Mans Series - GTC | Gulf Racing UK | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 12th |
| 2014 | United Sports Car Championship - GTD | GB Autosport | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 139 | 26th |
| 2014 | Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain | Parr Motorsport | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 19th |
| 2014 | Porsche Carrera Cup 24H Le Mans Support Race - Class A | Parr Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2014 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class B | Grove Motorsport | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2015 | Porsche Supercup | MOMO-Megatron Team PARTRAX | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 69 | 9th |
| 2015 | Porsche Carrera Cup Germany - Class A | Land Motorsport | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 101 | 12th |
| 2015 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class B | Grove Group | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 2nd |
| 2016 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 106 | 7th |
| 2016 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th |
| 2016 | Porsche Supercup | MOMO-Megatron Team PARTRAX | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 12th |
| 2016 | European Le Mans Series - GTE | Proton Competition | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 18th |
| 2016 | GT3 Le Mans Cup | Mentos Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 11th |
| 2016 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | TRG-AMR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2017 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 97 | 6th |
| 2017 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th |
| 2017 | Le Mans Cup - GT3 | Gulf Racing | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 44.5 | 6th |
| 2017 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class B (GT3 Cup) | Grove Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2018 | European Le Mans Series - GTE | Gulf Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 12th |
| 2018 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | N/A | 10th |
| 2018 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class B (GT3 Cup) | Grove Racing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2018–19 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 7th |
| 2019 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class B (GT3 Cup) | Grove Racing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2019 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 8th |
| 2019–20 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 85 | 9th |
| 2020 | European Le Mans Series - GTE | Gulf Racing UK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† |
| 2020 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | Gulf Racing UK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th |
| 2020 | 24H GT Series Continents' - GT3 Pro | Black Falcon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 3rd |
| 2020 | Dubai 24 Hour - GT3 Pro | Black Falcon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2020 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class A (GT3 Pro/Am) | Grove Racing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2021 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 15th |
| 2021 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 14th |
| 2021 | International GT Open - Pro Cup | Lechner Racing | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 13th |
| 2021 | British GT Cup Championship - GTH | In2 Racing | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | NC† |
| 2022 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Dinamic Motorsport | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 | 13th |
| 2022 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 10th |
| 2022 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 4th |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup | Barwell Motorsport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Pro-Am | Barwell Motorsport | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7th |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Barwell Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Allied Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Gold | Barwell Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 15th |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Gold | Allied Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 15th |
| 2022 | Bathurst 12 Hour - Class A (GT3 Pro/Am) | Grove Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF |
| 2023 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Dinamic GT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd |
| 2023 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Kessel Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23rd |
| 2023 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 64 | 6th |
| 2023 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | GR Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd |
| 2023 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Dinamic GT Huber Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2023 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Dinamic GT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2023–24 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | GR Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 25th |
| 2024 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 | Proton Competition | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0* | NC* |
| 2024 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | Proton Competition | | | | | | | |
| 2024 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Proton Competition | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2024 | Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-FWD | Walkenhorst Motorsport | | | | | | | |
| 2024 | Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-R+4WD | Walkenhorst Motorsport | | | | | | | |
| 2025 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGT3 | Proton Competition | | | | | | | |
$^†$ 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)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos. | Points |
| 2013 | Team Bleekemolen | CAT 10 | MON 9 | SIL 9 | GER 6 | HUN 16 | SPA 9 | MNZ 12 | UAE 4 | UAE 9 | | | 10th | 66 |
| 2014 | Verva Lechner Racing Team | CAT 3 | MON 5 | RBR 8 | SIL 9 | GER 10 | HUN 8 | SPA 7 | MNZ 9 | USA 7 | USA 4 | | 6th | 96 |
| 2015 | MOMO Megatron Team PARTRAX | CAT 9 | MON 3 | RBR 19 | SIL 4 | HUN 12 | SPA 6 | SPA 8 | MNZ Ret | MNZ DNS | USA C | USA 6 | 9th | 69 |

### Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
| 2016 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL Ret | SPA 5 | LMS 3 | NÜR 5 | MEX 4 | COA 4 | FUJ 4 | SHA 6 | BHR 4 | 7th | 106 |
| 2017 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 4 | SPA Ret | LMS 5 | NÜR 5 | MEX 3 | COA Ret | FUJ 4 | SHA 2 | BHR 5 | 6th | 97 |
| 2018–19 | Gulf Racing UK | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SPA 7 | LMS 6 | SIL 6 | FUJ 4 | SHA 9 | SEB 4 | SPA 7 | LMS 4 | | 7th | 79 |
| 2019–20 | Gulf Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 4 | FUJ 8 | SHA 9 | BHR 3 | COA 6 | SPA 10 | LMS 5 | BHR 5 | | 9th | 85 |
| 2021 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SPA Ret | ALG 8 | MNZ 8 | LMS 9 | BHR 6 | BHR 9 | | | | 15th | 23 |
| 2022 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEB | SPA 6 | LMS 3 | MNZ 12 | FUJ 12 | BHR 6 | | | | 10th | 50 |
| 2023 | GR Racing | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | Porsche 4.2 L Flat-6 | SEB 7 | PRT 11 | SPA 12 | LMS 3 | MNZ 3 | FUJ 8 | BHR 8 | | | 6th | 64 |
| 2024 | Proton Competition | LMGT3 | Ford Mustang GT3 | Ford Coyote 5.4 L V8 | QAT 11 | IMO 9 | SPA 9 | LMS 14 | SÃO 7 | COA 6 | FUJ 15 | BHR Ret | | 22nd | 18 |
$^*$ Season still in progress.

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 2016 | Gulf Racing | Adam Carroll Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 328 | 33rd | 5th |
| 2017 | Gulf Racing UK | Nick Foster Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 328 | 38th | 10th |
| 2018 | Gulf Racing | Alex Davison Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 283 | 40th | 10th |
| 2019 | Gulf Racing | Thomas Preining Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 331 | 38th | 8th |
| 2020 | Gulf Racing | Michael Wainwright Andrew Watson | Porsche 911 RSR | GTE Am | 337 | 29th | 5th |
| 2021 | GR Racing | Tom Gamble Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am | 322 | 43rd | 14th |
| 2022 | GR Racing | Riccardo Pera Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am | 340 | 37th | 4th |
| 2023 | GR Racing | Riccardo Pera Michael Wainwright | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am | 312 | 29th | 3rd |
| 2024 | Proton Competition | Ryan Hardwick Zacharie Robichon | Ford Mustang GT3 | LMGT3 | 227 | 46th | 17th |