Ben Barker looks set for another busy season of Porsche racing after securing a seat in the ultra-competitive Carrera Cup Germany with Land Motorsport.
The Briton, who already has two seasons in the top flight Porsche Mobil1 Supercup under his belt, impressed the team while standing in for works junior driver Connor di Phillippi during testing, and was promptly offered the chance to join the American and German gentleman driver Wolf Nathan in an expanded three-man line-up.
“The team asked me to fill in for Connor during a scheduled test at Hockenheim and things obviously went very well,” 23-year old Barker commented, “My performance was impressive enough that Land decided to confirm a third car for its programme, and I jumped at the chance to add the German series to plans I already have in the pipeline.”
Barker’s season will kick off at Hockenheim on the opening weekend of May and then largely follow the popular DTM touring car series over eight of the calendar’s nine rounds, winding up back at Hockenheim for the finale in mid-October. While mostly based in Germany, the series also visits Zandvoort in Holland and the Red Bull Ring in Austria, but the jewel in the crown comes at the only non-DTM supporting round, where Barker will pit his wits against the formidable Nordschleife as the series accompanies the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
“There are going to be a few new venues for me to learn, and I’ll be putting in a lot of time on the simulator as a result,” Barker acknowledged, “The chance to race on classic circuits such as Zandvoort and the Nordschleife only adds to the excitement of taking on a new challenge and I can’t wait to get started.
“Carrera Cup Germany is well established as one of the leading Porsche championships anywhere in the world, and the level of competition will be right up there with anything I have tackled before. I will already be familiar with a lot of the drivers having raced in the Mobil1 Supercup and I certainly won’t be underestimating the task ahead. Having said that, however, I expect to be at the sharp end of the field and fighting for both race wins and the overall championship.”
Barker will carry support from car component manufacturer Montaplast throughout his Carrera Cup Germany campaign, which he now expects to dovetail with other racing commitments.
“I am still working on a deal to return to the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup and hope to be able to announce those plans in the very near future,” he confirmed, “In the meantime, thanks to Land Motorsport for offering me the opportunity to add the Carrera Cup Germany to my resume”
