I'm a Racer Who Chose a Camper Van as My Company Car

As a racing driver, work can be strapped into a Mustang GT3 screaming around a track at night, flames spitting out of the exhaust as I hunt down the competition or try to extend a lead.

Work can also be a cramped debrief with engineers in the race truck or a promotional event for our sponsors. And because I live in the UK but mostly race in North America, work also involves a lot of flights and anonymous hotels near tracks.

It’s the kind of life I dreamed of and that still gets the blood pumping, but a busy race calendar plus testing and promotional work means I really value my downtime to mentally reset between each event. Which is why, when I’m not racing the Mustang GT3, I drive the Ford Nugget I chose as my company car.

Actually, it was my partner who swayed me. She’s always wanted a camper and as soon as I signed my Ford contract, she was straight online to see if they did one. We both loved the look of the Nugget and now I’ve had a year living with one, it’s perfect. I get itchy feet easily but still need to unwind after a race, so my partner and I pack up the Nugget, bring the dog and have a few nights away together.

When I’m not at a track, I love being in the water on my surfboard. Since having the Nugget we’ve discovered loads of great, hidden camping spots in Devon and Cornwall, UK, where we can park up on the cliffs and be in the waves within minutes the next morning.

Those trips mean we drive right across Britain, and the Nugget’s ideal for that. It’s comfy, refined, the sound system is great and it’s small enough for country lanes. I like driving it so much that I even use it for the weekly shop. Plus — unlike my previous daily drivers — it’s got a shower that can also hose down the dog or our bikes and boards.

We've also taken it on trips abroad, including a stunning few days down in the Dolomites recently. I love being able to park up somewhere and go for a hike and know we can come back to cold drinks, comfy seats and a different view every night.

It must be something to do with racers and how we’re wired differently, but good luck finding a driver or engineer who isn’t obsessively into coffee, watches or cycling. I’m one of them — I actually own a couple of little cafes in my local area. My Nugget’s always stocked with a few different presses and percolators so all I need to do is toss in some specialist beans and I can have the perfect coffee wherever I park.

I’ve made a lot of my mates jealous by sending them photos of the beautiful places I’ve enjoyed that morning’s first coffee in bed. (And yes, I’m also into cycling — you have no idea how physical racing is until you do it, and cycling is a great way to keep my body up to speed but get my mind off the track.)

The Nugget’s also been handy for work. If I’m coaching in the UK, I drive to the track, enjoy a night in the Nugget and wake up in my own space. It beats waking up to the motorway dawn chorus under the same copy-paste artwork in a chain hotel.

Last year, I actually drove it down to Le Mans in France for the 24-hour race there. Le Mans is like nothing else — we’re there for well over a week, over 330,000 people go, and most of the racetrack is actually closed roads between different towns. That’s how big it is. In the middle of all this, the Nugget was the ideal little sanctum away from everything. I parked it in the driver’s compound behind the pit lane, and my mum spent the week in it.

Another Ford Racing driver was totally sold as well; my teammate Fred Vervisch ended up putting his name down for a Nugget. He’s had it for a few months now, so we share camping tips and tricks with each other. I guess it’s a nice way to chill out after setting a lap record at the Nürburgring.

As much as I’ve loved this Nugget, I’m more excited for my next one. It’ll have all-wheel drive so we can take it onto more beaches and forest tracks without getting stuck. Fred and I should talk to the team about designing a racing special edition…

Ben Barker is an official Ford Racing driver and Nugget fan.