Saturday, September 27, 2014

FIA WEC: Rising star Harry Tincknell drives Le Mans winning Audi


Harry Tincknell Press Release

Harry Tincknell was handed a dream job recently when the rising motor racing ace from Devon was invited to drive this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour winning Audi.

The Sidmouth-based driver who celebrates his 23rd next month (29 Oct), got behind the wheel of a hybrid-diesel Audi R18 e-tron quattro at the Misano race track in Italy.

Motorsport, a respected monthly publication that has been in existence since 1925, arranged for Exeter-born Tincknell to driver the 200mph Audi on the back of Tincknell himself winning the LMP2 class with JOTA Sport at Le Mans in June.

The Audi competes in the top LMP1 category with the German manufacturer winning the annual Le Mans race 13 times since its debut in 1999.

Tincknell, who visited the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin Texas last week with his mentor, three-time Le Mans winner Allan McNish, is in contention for the European Le Mans Series title.

Tincknell along with co-drivers Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell compete in the fifth and final round of the European Le Mans Series in Portugal next month (19 Oct) .

Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 22. Born: Exeter, Devon. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon (GB):

“Driving the Audi was a dream come true and it is days like I had at Misano which I have been working for my whole career to experience. The first experience of the putting my foot down was incredible. The power was like nothing that I had ever experienced before. The car felt like a spaceship for the first two laps, huge levels of downforce and ultra efficient braking.

“Driving a diesel race car for the first time, the immediate thing you notice is how quiet it is. In the braking zones you hear the hybrid working hard to regenerate the energy to use on the next straight.

“Of course it was an amazing experience to drive a car so well engineered. I’m currently racing in the LMP2 class which is only one step down from these cars. It’s a big step up in terms of speed but in some areas, the LMP2 car is very close, in the slow speed corners for example, so I think I am in the perfect place to learn and hopefully one day step up into that pinnacle class of sportscar racing.”