Ben Barnicoat
Racing debutant Ben Barnicoat had been a household name long before his switch to cars, as his karting sucesses were rewarded with the support of the reputable Racing Steps Foundation. And, this year, he was joining single-seaters full-time with a car title already in his CV, as he had won the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup meeting in November of 2013.
As he’s already proven he can wheel a Formula Renault 2.0 machine, RSF placed him with reigning champions Fortec in the NEC series, which had never been won by a single-seater rookie.
Unsurprisingly, Barnicoat did not need much time to get up to pace, raising eyebrows as he battled from 13th on the grid to fourth in race two of the Monza opener. He was on target to score a maiden podium at Silverstone, but clashed with Callan O’Keeffe while battling for second.
And then it all clicked into place. At Hockenheim, he took second before converting his first pole in the series into the maiden win. Podiums at Spa and Assen vaulted him into the championship lead, which he then lost through no fault of his own – snatching the lead in the second Assen race before his engine gave up.
Unfazed, he won the next race at Most and was back to the top of the standings. He finished fourth twice in the last round and, with the title set to go down to the wire, the final race was cancelled due to rain, leaving Barnicoat as champion.
Impressively versatile, quick and showing great composure, Barnicoat was well worthy of the title. This year has cemented him as next in the line of successful RSF-backed talents like James Calado, Oliver Rowland or Jack Harvey. And, as he continues with Fortec into the Eurocup next year, we’re surely going to hear a lot more of him.
David Gruz