Ben Barnicoat wish to see a couple of tweaks made to the IMSA schedule sooner or later, together with a race on the streets of Arlington.
When IMSA revealed its 2027 schedule final week forward of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, essentially the most vital change for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship was deliberate series-sanctioned testing at venues that host the endurance rounds.
“Yeah, it is an enormous assist,” stated Barnicoat, 29. “Preparation’s all the pieces. It is undoubtedly an enormous profit. The advantage of the IMSA-sanctioned exams is that they do not come out of your non-public testing allocation. So in the event that they take a look at for all of these lengthy endurance races, it then provides us the chance to go and take a look at all of the dash tracks if we want to, offering the principles do not change.
“Clearly, I am unsure what the regulation’s going to seem like. Nicely, in the event that they do or they do not, it nonetheless provides you the chance to type of, I really feel, be higher ready, and it’ll undoubtedly assist with the tire allocation.”
For essentially the most half, Barnicoat was upbeat in regards to the consistency of subsequent yr’s calendar, with IMSA returning to all the identical tracks with almost an identical race dates. Nonetheless, he wouldn’t thoughts seeing GTD Professional, the category he competes in with Vasser Sullivan, returning to the Grand Prix of Lengthy Seaside for the primary time since 2023.
“Pay attention, I believe the schedule is nice,” stated Barnicoat, who has two class wins (together with a GTD win in 2024) and a runner-up in three begins at Lengthy Seaside.
“I might love for GTD Professional to be again at Lengthy Seaside. It is my favourite observe, or one in every of my favourite tracks.”
#14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3: Jack Hawksworth, Ben Barnicoat at Lengthy Seaside, 2023
Photograph by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photos
The Brit was additionally in awe of watching the IndyCar Sequence tackle the streets of Arlington for the primary time two weekends in the past, and believes IMSA ought to press to be on the cardboard on the 2.73-mile, 14-turn non permanent avenue circuit.
“And my ultimate level to the schedule is Arlington appears to be like like a tremendous race for the Indy vehicles, so I believe there needs to be an enormous push to get IMSA to move that present,” Barnicoat stated. “I believe sports activities vehicles would race very well there. It is an superior venue, and I believe it appears to be like like an ideal place to develop motorsports generally.”
Barnicoat additionally has a unique perspective than most on Arlington, contemplating that, together with full-time co-driver Jack Hawksworth, he shares the #14 Lexus RC F GT3 for the endurance rounds with IndyCar star – and the occasion’s inaugural race winner – Kyle Kirkwood.
“I am unsure if I might go all 4 courses,” Barnicoat stated. “You perhaps might. That is in all probability a bit an excessive amount of for the streets although, however I believe you might go three, like 2022, 2023, my first two years at Lengthy Seaside. That was prototypes, GTD, and GTD Professional. You may definitely try this. It is clearly a protracted observe.
“It is also very extensive in spots, in order that makes it straightforward for the prototypes to return previous us. So I undoubtedly assume that is doable, and the venue definitely had house to suit everybody in there as effectively when it comes to a logistics perspective with the haulers and stuff like that. So I believe it might be an enormous alternative for the collection.
“Kyle was there, clearly he ran nice, so it might be good for us to get a bit of excellent info on go quick across the place. He was on fireplace there, nobody was touching him. I had that opinion from the primary laps of follow I watched. I used to be like, ‘This place appears to be like superior.’
“As a driver, you at all times wish to go and problem your self on one of the best tracks on this planet, and I believe that is slotted in fairly excessive.”
AT&T Stadium on the epicenter of the Grand Prix of Arlington
Photograph by: Penske Leisure
The concept of including Arlington would come at the price of one other race, although, with IMSA President John Doonan beforehand stating an 11-race schedule is probably going the max. So, what race ought to it exchange?
“The brand new Detroit,” Barnicoat stated.
“The market issues but additionally, we’re right here to race, and racing needs to be pure, it needs to be enjoyable. It needs to be thrilling. There wasn’t a driver who bought out of their automotive and stated that observe (in Arlington) was boring, whereas I believe when you ask us all our trustworthy opinion of Detroit, it is in all probability not going to be the identical as that.
“I simply assume it might be an excellent place to, and it is the house of Toyota, of Lexus, so it might be a house race for us.”
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