Joao Barbosa

João Ricardo da Silva Coelho Barbosa, born on March 11, 1975, is a Portuguese auto racing driver with a career spanning several decades and multiple racing series. He began his racing journey in karts, securing Portuguese karting championship titles in 1988 and 1989. Progressing to open-wheel cars, he clinched the Portuguese Formula Ford Championship in 1994 and the Italian Formula Alfa Boxer title in 1995. In 1996, he finished as the runner-up in the Italian Formula 3 Championship, which earned him a test in the Scuderia Minardi Formula One car.

Barbosa's career then shifted towards sports car racing, where he achieved considerable success in the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. Driving for Mosler Automotive, he secured a GT2 class win at Lime Rock Park in 1999. He continued to excel, earning multiple wins and podiums in the following years. A significant milestone was a GTS class win at the Daytona 24 Hours.

Barbosa has claimed four Daytona 24 Hours wins (2003, 2010, 2014, 2018), two IMSA SportsCar Championship titles (2014, 2015), and a 12 Hours of Sebring victory in 2015. He currently competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Sean Creech Motorsport in the LMP2 class.