2024 is shaping up to be the most significant season in Ben Barker’s career.
The 32-year-old, who has spent the last eight seasons competing in the FIA WEC with GR Racing, finds himself in new surroundings for Season 12, at Proton Competition as part of his new role with Ford Performance.
Speaking with DSC at the Dubai Autodrome, ahead of his final races with GR Racing as part of the Asian Le Mans Series, Barker reflected on his journey to becoming a factory driver.
“It’s really emotional. I’ve been with GR for a long time, it’s been almost a decade and they gave me my break into endurance racing,” Barker explained to DSC.
“Leaving GR to race with Ford was a really difficult decision to make, it wasn’t easy at all, but Mike (Wainwright, GR’s owner) has been great and has discussed the options I had with me as a friend.
“Everyone here is a friend to me, and they always will be. It’s a real shame to break that working relationship, but the relationship will still stand. I owe them a lot, they gave me a pedestal, a platform to get me to where I am now.”
His speed behind the wheel and ability to work closely with amateur drivers caught the eye of the ‘Blue Oval’, which is scaling up its customer racing programme with the launch of the new Mustang GT3, GT4 and Dark Horse R models.
The conversation started towards the end of 2023, when Pascal Zurlinden, Multimatic’s director of performance engineering, got in touch.
The last two years for me have been particularly strong
“The last two years for me have been particularly strong,” he told DSC. “I’ve been clicking with my driving and been consistent on pace. I’ve been quick before but with the change that’s happening with GT3, the opportunity came up, demand for drivers is high with more manufacturers involved.
“Experience counts and it didn’t go unnoticed. So it was nice to get the call from Multimatic and get on board for the GT3 Mustang programme.
“I’ve known Pascal for a while from when he was at Porsche. He sees everything and he instigated the conversation.”
Life as a factory driver after spending years competing primarily with private teams is something that will require adjustment for Barker, but he’s confident his personality and work ethic will be well suited to the job at Ford Performance.
“It’s a different kind of pressure, but one I am ready for,” he said. “It’s been nice so far, it’s all new to me.
“Obviously I was pushing for the WEC and that’s where I want to be for as long as possible. I want to get on the top step after being on the podium after last year.”
His wish was granted, as his main focus for the year is his LMGT3 campaign with Proton alongside 2023 ELMS GTE champions Ryan Hardwick and Zacharie Robichon.
Though he came on board to Ford late and still had commitments to GR to fill over the winter, Barker has been able to sample the Mustang GT3 ahead of the season. It left a strong first impression.
“The drivability is there straight away,” he explained. “It’s a very good car for Ams because it provides a lot of confidence at high speed and has a lot of stability at the rear. It doesn’t require you to drive it at the limit to get the most out of it, like a Porsche. You can drive it under that limit and still produce quick times.
“It’s a new car, there will be a lot of development involved in getting the car up to pace. But there were positives from Daytona, it’s a car that will be up to speed quicker than we initially thought. It has a lot of potential.
“It just needs fine-tuning.”
Images courtesy of Asian Le Mans Series, Multimatic & Ford Performance
