Ben Barker and the Gulf Racing team head into the festive season in good spirits after returning to the FIA World Endurance Championship podium at the BAPCO 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The all-British combination headed to their final race of 2019 knowing that they had exhibited competitive pace in recent rounds, and only needed a little good fortune to have been challenging for a top-three finish, but we’re equally aware that the 2019-20 championship features the strongest GTE-Am class for some time. After working methodically through the first two practice sessions at the Bahrain International Circuit, Barker put the #86 Porsche 911 RSR on top third time around, setting Gulf Racing up for one of its best qualifying sessions of the campaign.
“We could have been even better than fifth,” Barker admitted, after losing his fastest time to a marginal track limits error, “My best lap was half a second quicker than the one that eventually counted, so we would definitely have been further forward. However, this session was all about Mike Wainwright’s performance and what that meant to the team in the circumstances. It was the closest our respective times have ever been and played a big part in putting us in the top five.”
As has been the case in recent races, team owner Wainwright was entrusted with taking the start and continued his impressive weekend, refusing to allow potentially faster drivers to make inroads as he handed the #86 car over to Barker still inside the top five. The team’s most experienced driver then began to move up the order, turning in average lap times faster than any other Porsche pilot as the Gulf car progressed to second in class before the similar pace of the leader slowed the rise.
Unlike recent races, Gulf Racing also benefited from a turn of good fortune as a full-course caution finally coincided with its refuelling strategy, keeping the #86 in the hunt as Barker handed back to Wainwright. Again, the boss excelled, keeping the chasing pack at a distance, securing the 40secs gap that Barker had established over his pursuers. With both the Cambridge native and team-mate Andrew Watson proving well-matched on pace, the Gulf machine remained in the podium positions to the end, crossing the line in third place.
As the #86 took the chequered flag under the floodlights, the entire Gulf team was on the pit wall to celebrate its first podium finish with Wainwright on board since the Mexico City round in 2017, leaving Barker to explain what it meant to all involved.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it feels good to get that monkey off our back,” he insisted, “This is a really great result for the team and just reward for the effort that everyone has put in during that time. The team has never been anything less than excellent, both in terms of strategy and pit-stops, but luck hadn’t exactly been going our way.
“This wasn’t about good fortune, though. This was all down to Mike and his performance behind the wheel. His average lap times were mega all weekend, and he comfortably held his own amongst the most competitive group of AM drivers. That will be a great confidence boost for him going forward, but the result has definitely energised the whole team too. I’m so proud to be a part of this organisation which, let’s not forget, is one of the smallest in the entire field and yet continues to punch above its weight. It should be no surprise that everyone is already looking forward to the next race.”
The 2019-20 WEC season continues at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas after the Christmas break, but Barker will be in action twice before that, with early New Year outings in both the Dubai 24 Hours – at the wheel of a Black Falcon Mercedes GT3 – and the Bathurst 12 Hours, with the Grove Racing team he has guided to three wins in five years, as he enjoys the festive season in sunnier climes.
