DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It’s been darn near a decade since Jack Hawksworth first drove a Lexus RC F GT3. It was December 2016, and the occasion was the IMSA Winter Test at Daytona International Speedway.
Fast forward to November 2025, and Hawksworth was back at Daytona for another IMSA-sanctioned test – still wheeling a Lexus RC F GT3, but now with more than 100 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career starts, 12 race wins and the 2023 Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class championship added to his résumé.
On December 4 in Tokyo, Toyota Gazoo Racing unveiled the GR GT3, the car that is set to replace the RC F GT3 as GR’s worldwide production-based sports car platform in 2027.
But until then, Hawksworth has one more season of IMSA competition to look forward to in the Lexus. As a bonus, Vasser Sullivan is reshuffling its driver lineup and Hawksworth will be reunited his ’23 championship-winning co-driver Ben Barnicoat in the No. 14 RC F GT3 running in the GTD PRO class.
Barnicoat and Hawksworth were teamed together from 2022-24, and they never finished lower than fifth in the GTD PRO standings. Last year, Hawksworth transferred to Vasser Sullivan’s No. 12 GTD entry, which he and Parker Thompson guided to fourth in that class’ points chase. Meanwhile, Barnicoat and Aaron Telitz endured a character-building year in the No. 14 GTD PRO car; in fact, Barnicoat sustained injuries in a March mountain biking accident that forced him to miss three races as the team rotated in multiple co-drivers.
The final decision to team Hawksworth and Barnicoat in the No. 14 GTD PRO car (with IndyCar star Kyle Kirkwood joining them for IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds) was not confirmed until after the November Daytona test. But both drivers seemed confident that they would be reunited for another championship run.
“It’s been a good combination in the past, so it kind of makes sense,” Hawksworth said between sessions at Daytona shaking down a brand-new Lexus RC F GT3 chassis. “We’re already preparing for 2026, and it’s nice to get back out there. It’s the beginning of the marathon. Before you know it, we’ll be at the Roar (Roar Before the 24 test sessions), then the race (the Rolex 24 At Daytona). That’s the one race that’s eluded us as a team so far.
“At the end of last year, we started to come back strong, but there was some stuff as a team we needed to improve this past season,” he added. “The team has taken some good steps. Personnel wise, we’re genuinely way more prepared than last season. Sometimes it’s good to freshen things up as well. We’re as confident as we can be.”
Barnicoat is eager to turn the calendar to 2026 and put behind a year when if it could go wrong, it generally did. He’s particularly enthusiastic about again sharing a car with his friend and fellow Englishman Hawksworth.
“Obviously I had the best memories I’ve had in IMSA racing with Jack and Kyle,” Barnicoat said. “What me and Jack achieved from the end of 2022 to the end of 2024 was really special; it was the peak and highlight of my career. When you start racing in IMSA and sports cars, you dream of being champions and winning the big races. We’ve won Petit (Motul Petit Le Mans) and Sebring (Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring), so we just need to tick off Daytona as a trio.”
While not eager to dwell on the star-crossed 2025 campaign, Barnicoat was willing to discuss it.
“2025 will easily go down as the worst and toughest year of my career,” he noted. “Hopefully I don’t have to experience anything like that again. It was obviously awesome to recover, bounce back, get back in the car, but the second half of the season was a bit mixed. The results weren’t what we wanted them to be. We didn’t get the reward as a team for a challenging year.
“It’s the first season that we haven’t had a podium in the No. 14 since I’ve been there, which was a big shock and a disappointment. But at the same time, that kind of last kick was a huge step of motivation – let’s work hard and do everything we can to make sure we start everything perfectly in Daytona.”
Hawksworth and Barnicoat were happy to see the GR GT3 finally revealed to the public; the car has been demonstrated in disguised form over the past year at events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed to build interest and anticipation. But they will have one more year racing the RC F GT3 in conjunction with the new car’s development for its 2027 racetrack debut.
“If we have a completely new package, maybe it’s a hindrance because gremlins, teething issues can come and get you,” Barnicoat noted. “We’ve learned a lot over 10 seasons with this car and I think we have the best shot we’ve had. This the one race that’s eluded us. We haven’t put all the pieces together yet to finally take home the big win and get the Rolex watch.”
