Victory at Watkins Glen

A return to winning ways, and the top step of the podium at Watkins Glen for Ben Barnicoat, as his IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship campaign resumed. Alongside regular teammate Jack Hawksworth, the pair proved themselves the ones to beat across qualifying and an incident-packed Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen.

Running under the Vasser Sullivan Championship Racing / Dreyer & Reinbold banner – and in honour of the recent passing of IndyCar team owner Dennis Reinbold – the #14 Lexus RC F GT3 secured a dominant GTD Pro pole position on Saturday before leading the pack away to claim a first race win of the season.

The potential for a strong result had been building over recent rounds, with Ben enjoying success away from the US in the intervening weeks: a British GT victory, and separate podium finishes for both he and Jack at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The early sessions at the Glen looked promising, and pace was evident from the opening lap of qualifying, with the #14 topping the GTD Pro shootout on Sunday morning.

The race got underway with Jack immediately under pressure but holding position off the start and building a one-second lead. The frantic opening laps brought a first Full Course Yellow within 15 minutes, closing the gap. Further cautions followed as multiple incidents occurred, and pit strategy began to come into play as Vasser Sullivan looked to optimise each opportunity while the field was neutralised.

Maintaining a top-three position through the opening 90 minutes – much of it spent under caution – Jack held firm on the restart as the third hour approached. Shortly after the hour mark, Ben took over in P2, before another Safety Car intervention briefly paused his stint.

When the track went green, Ben immediately began pressuring the leader, and the pair broke clear of the GTD Pro field. He continued to press, and seized his opportunity at the inner loop, where the leader ran wide and opened the door. From there he didn't look back, controlling the gap to the chasing pack through further cautions, and a quick stop returned him to the front under green-flag running. He maintained his composure through yet another restart, building a 2.5-second lead before concluding his stint with just over 70 minutes remaining, handing back to Jack under a yellow flag.

Strategies continued to play out, and Jack rejoined in P4. As the next round of pit stops cycled through, the order shifted – and in a carbon copy of Ben's move, Jack took the race lead with a pass at the same inner loop. He was then among the first to make a final stop, the team opting for fuel only with no tyre change.

As the remaining stops played out and the laps wound down, Jack climbed steadily through the order. With the final rival ducking into the pits with ten minutes on the clock, the lead was restored, and Ben cheered the #14 across the line alongside team owners Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan to conclude a special and emotional weekend.

Commenting from victory lane, Ben explained :

“This win has been a long time coming. I’m so proud of everyone on this Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing team. We’ve had a lot of pace and done a lot of great things on this team, it just all hasn’t quite clicked. I felt like we could’ve won on a lot of other opportunities this season, but it just hasn’t worked. I felt like today really was our day. I’m really proud of everyone on this Vasser Sullivan team, and Jack. We’re closing the points gap and we’re coming back. Bring on Mosport”

Ben’s IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship campaign returns in two weeks, as the champinship heads north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, over the weekend 10-12 July.