Barnicoat Awarded Sean Edwards Trophy

Ben Barnicoat has been awarded this year’s Sean Edwards Trophy, established in the name of the late British driver to recognize up-and-coming GT racing talent.

The award was given Friday evening during SRO Motorsports Group’s 25th anniversary celebrations in Paris.

Barnicoat took part in both the Blancpain GT Series and Pirelli World Challenge, for Strakka Racing and K-PAX Racing, respectively, in the 20-year-old Englishman’s first full season of sports car racing.

The Formula 3 Europe graduate earned three podium finishes alongside fellow McLaren GT driver Alvaro Parente in the PWC SprintX competition, in a year that saw the McLaren 650S GT3 generally struggle. 

The award was established last year in memory of Edwards, who died in a coaching accident in Australia in 2013. Jules Szymkowiak won the award in 2016.

“When I heard that I was one of the nominees for the Sean Edwards Trophy, I was convinced that Dries Vanthoor would win it, since he has had a great season,” Barnicoat said.

“It has been tough for us this year, but we carried on working hard, and I am extremely grateful to win this award. I hope this helps me to secure my place on the grid next year.”

Champions in all SRO-run European and Asian championships were crowned Friday evening, including Blancpain GT Series overall title-winners Mirko Bortolotti and Christian Engelhart of Grasser Racing Team.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John