BRAZIL ENDS BUSY FIRST HALF OF 2025 FOR BEN TUCK
Ben Tuck concluded the first half of his 2025 programme with the retirement of his Ford Mustang GT3 from Round 5 of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Interlagos circuit, Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday with a suspected technical issue taking them out of the race at the five-hour mark.
The retirement at the 6 hours of São Paulo stopped what was building into a superb fight back from the #77 Ford Performance Proton Competition crew of Ben Barker, Ben Tuck and Bernardo Sousa. After struggling during the early part of the weekend, the trio the started the race in 16th place. Almost as soon as the lights went out, Bernado Sousa launched into a strong fight back climbing up to tenth position across his busy double stint.
Ben Tuck was tasked with driving the middle two hours of the race, a double stint in which he went all out, logging the third fastest GT3 lap of the race on the way to taking the #77 Ford Mustang from second to last place after the pit stop and into the lead.
Tuck handed over to Ford factory driver, Ben Barker, with around two hours to go, who steadily built on the efforts of Sousa and Tuck to move the mighty Mustang up the order. By the time he had refuelled for the last time he was lying in 11th place and was ready to resume the charge, when on his out lap, the #77 Ford developed a critical technical problem. Although he was able to limp the car back to the pits, the car could not continue and was retired.
The retirement cut short a worthy fight from 16th on the grid, but Ben was proud of his co-drivers and happy to have experienced a legendary circuit for the first time:
“It’s really unfortunate that we had to retire the car. It’s been a tricky weekend, but we all put in a massive effort, and we were running really well and looking to finish in the top eight or even better. But to have raced at Interlagos was incredible, I absolutely love this track!”
After racing and testing for 13 out of the last 15 weekends, Ben is looking forward to a few weeks summer break before resuming his 2025 season when he returns to Spa-Francorchamps in the European Le Mans Series on 24th August 2025.
