Barnicoat Joins Optimum Motorsport for 2026 British GT Championship
Silverstone, UK – Ben Barnicoat has been confirmed as the driver for Optimum Motorsport’s #77 McLaren GT3 Evo for the 2026 British GT Championship, partnering with Morgan Tillbrook. The 29-year-old Brit takes over from Marvin Kirchhöfer, a McLaren factory driver, and is poised to compete in the GT3 Pro-Am class.
Barnicoat, recognized as a Lexus factory driver in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, has a strong familiarity with McLaren’s GT machinery, having previously served as a factory driver. He successfully clinched the 2023 IMSA GTD Pro class title alongside Jack Hawksworth. His upcoming season in British GT will coincide with his ongoing commitments in IMSA.
In anticipation of the season, Barnicoat expressed enthusiasm: “I’m really excited to be competing in British GT this year alongside Morgan with Optimum Motorsport. Morgan’s a proven force in this series, and I’ve already had success with this team, so I’m confident we can have further success together in 2026.”
Barnicoat’s last appearance in British GT was during a single GT3 class start at the 2023 Silverstone event, driving with Brendon Iribe for Inception Racing. This forthcoming season marks his first full campaign in one of Europe’s leading domestic GT championships after competing in all but two races in 2018 with a McLaren 570S GT4.
Optimum’s #77 crew demonstrated strong potential in the previous season, securing three podium finishes and experiencing a single retirement at the Donington Decider. With Barnicoat and Tillbrook at the helm, the team aims for championship glory.
Media Day testing is scheduled for March 31 at Silverstone, leading up to the season-opening Silverstone 500 from April 25-26.
