November 11, 2025
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For a second time, Ben was invited to take part in the championship’s official Rookie Test, getting behind the wheel of the #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR010 HYBRID
Following the chequered flag falling at the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, Ben Barnicoat was preparing to be back on track at the Bahrain International Circuit. For a second time, Ben was invited to take part in the championship’s official Rookie Test, getting behind the wheel of the #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR010 HYBRID, which had claimed victory the day earlier.
Former IMSA Weathertech champion Ben has been racing with the Lexus RC F GT3 throghout the season. Alongside the IMSA championship with Vasser Sullivan, the 28-year-old also returned to the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2025 season, running in the LM GT3 class with Akkodis ASP Team. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing showed its commitment to offering new opportunities to talented drivers, inviting Ben as one of just two drivers as part of the post-season FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar test, sharing with Sacha Fenestraz.
Having previously run in the GR010 HYBRID during the 2023 Rookie Test, Ben prepared for his 2025 opportunity with a driving simulator session at the team’s base in Cologne, Germany. He then took to the track for the second half of the morning session, less than 24 hours after the team had led home a 1-2 victory at the 8 Hours of Bahrain finale.
Ben’s opening run saw him complete 22 laps, making progress during the 40-minute stint. He then returned after the lunchbreak to complete a further 42 laps to successfully wrap up the day.
After his time at the wheel of the GR010 HYBRID, Ben commented:
“It is a super special day for me. The smile on my face is as big as the first time I drove the GR010 HYBRID. As a professional driver you always want to push yourself, drive the best cars, with the best teams, at the highest level. Today was another opportunity to do that.
"I’ve always been open in expressing my goal to progress up to the Hypercar ranks of motorsport to fight for outright wins at iconic events such as Le Mans and Daytona, so I’m extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to drive this car again. I felt like I progressed well throughout the day, so I am really happy with it. Huge thanks to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, the engineers and the mechanics for making this possible. These are the moments in your career that you never forget.”