Kirchhofer to Sub for Barnicoat at Laguna Seca

Photo: AWA

McLaren factory driver Marvin Kirchhofer will sub for Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3 in next weekend’s Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Kirchhofer, who won the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GTD class with Corvette customer squad AWA, will join Aaron Telitz in the Vasser Sullivan’s GTD Pro entry for the first two-hour and 40-minute race of the season.

The 31-year-old German also took part in the full GTD Pro season last year in Pfaff Motorsports’ McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.

Barnicoat, meanwhile, continues his recovery from injuries sustained in a mountain biking accident, with no timeline for the Englishman’s return to the cockpit.

“First of all, I want to wish a speedy recovery to Ben,” said Kirchhofer. “I’ll try my best to be a good replacement in Laguna Seca.

“I appreciate the trust of Lexus, Vasser Sullivan Racing, and TRD for the opportunity to race with them in Laguna Seca. I would also like to thank McLaren for letting me pursue this opportunity.

“I’m very excited to get behind the wheel of the Lexus RC F GT3 and I really hope that we can get a strong result in one of the toughest tracks the series competes at.”

Lexus motorsports senior manager Jeff Bal added: “While we continue to wish Ben a speedy recovery, we are fortunate to welcome Marvin to the team.

“He was able to join us for a test at Laguna Seca a few weeks ago and immediately fit right in with the team. With his experience, we know he is more than capable of helping Aaron and the 14 crew bring us another strong finish for Vasser Sullivan and Lexus Racing.”

Toyota-contracted driver Jose Maria Lopez filled in for Barnicoat at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring but is unavailable next weekend due to his FIA World Endurance Championship commitments with Akkodis ASP Team in the LMGT3 ranks with the Lexus RC F GT3.