Briscoe Hoping to Remain in WEC After Glickenhaus Exit

Ryan Briscoe described the FIA World Endurance Championship as “the place to be” as he plots his next career steps after Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’ exit from the series after three seasons.

The Australian-born racer contested the season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain with Floyd Vanwall Racing Team, which was his first WEC appearance since Glickenhaus confirmed the shuttering of its LMH program last month.

Briscoe drove six races for the Jim Glickenhaus-led outfit, which included an overall podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022.

He indicated that conversations with Vanwall about a Bahrain appearance began after Glickenhaus’ final race appearance at Monza.

“When our talks with Vanwall began, I gave Jim a call,” Briscoe told Sportscar365.

“I was like, ‘Where are we?’ Because I told him I started a conversation with Vanwall about doing Bahrain. He said, ‘Unfortunately, we won’t be there.’

“He was, as always, very honest and open about everything that he’s doing. So we had a good long talk, actually. He asked that I’d just keep in touch.

“Obviously, it’s always a tough market for the drivers. There are a lot of drivers out there and always seemingly a limited number of race seats.

“I was really excited for the opportunity.

“Even knowing coming [to Bahrain], it’s not like you’re coming into a situation where we [would] be racing for the win. But still, we’re at the pinnacle of sports car racing, and it’s a great place to be.”

Briscoe said he treated the Bahrain weekend as an opportunity to get to know the Colin Kolles-led outfit and “maybe start a conversation about if there’s something for the future or not,” adding that remaining on the WEC grid would be a preferred choice for 2024.

“I really enjoy it,” he said. “The series is like doing so well at the moment. It’s definitely the place to be, I would say.

“I’d love the opportunity to stay. It has to make sense and I think the only way for me to get a read on the temperature of, the potential of it and everything was to be here. To get a feeling firsthand.”

Should a WEC seat fail to materialize, Briscoe remains open about a return to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, where he competed full-time from 2016 to 2020.

Briscoe’s most recent WeatherTech Championship appearance was with Racers Edge Motorsport with WTR Andretti at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, although he revealed he has held unsuccessful talks with Action Express Racing about a Michelin Endurance Cup seat.

“The world’s so small now, whether it’s WEC, which races all over the world, or in the U.S. where it’s U.S. based, it doesn’t really make a difference,” he said.

“I have a lot of experience on all the tracks in the U.S. too and I’ve done IMSA for many, many years. So I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on how all that works too.”

“Honestly, like in the last few years, I’ve gotten into doing coaching a little bit as well on the side, just as a side thing.

“It’s quite rewarding and I think LMP2, where it’s sort of a Pro-Am situation, I can see appeal in that as well, where you’d be working with maybe a driver that needs some guidance.

“I sort of like the idea of that as well. I’m definitely not limiting my options for the future.”