Photo : Jean-René ROGER- ACO

 

 

Not content with having hotly disputed the LM P2 driver title in the ELMS 2014 right up to the last leg, the 23-year-old Briton won the category at Le Mans with fellow countrymen Simon Dolan and Oliver Turvey in Jota Sport’s Zytek-Nissan. They came fifth overall.

Harry Tincknell: It was incredible. We thought we would clinch a place in the top three, but as for winning at first attempt... Le Mans is a difficult race. We had problems early on and dropped down to fourteenth. It wasn’t until an hour and half before the chequered flag that we were really in the running for a victory in LM P2. The last hour was as long as the other 23 put together but I’ll never forget being on that podium in front of those thousands of spectators.

Before you joined Jota Sport in the European Le Mans Series, you raced single seaters. Is endurance a long-term career choice?
Absolutely, especially as my manager is none other than Allan McNish who everyone knows had a fabulous career in endurance (three wins in the Le Mans 24 Hours and four at the 12 Hours of Sebring, Ed.). My future definitely lies in endurance. After my first season in LM P2, I had a long discussion with Nissan and ended up signing a contract as a factory driver in LM P1. I hope it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

What what your initial reaction to the programme and to the GT-R LM NISMO that is set to be one of the big attractions of the Le Mans 24 Hours this year and throughout the 2015 season?
It’s not the first time I’ve raced with a roof over my head, but it will be my very first time in a prototype with a front engine. I haven’t yet taken the wheel of the GT-R LM NISMO but I’m looking forward to it. It’s an exciting programme. We think it will work, but it will take time to perfect the car and improve performance. We’ll find out more at Silverstone, the first leg of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Six of the nine Nissan drivers at the Le Mans 24 Hours have already been announced: as well as Harry Tincknell, Olivier Pla, Tsugio Matsuda, Michael Krumm, Lucas Ordonez and Jann Mardenborough will take the wheel of the GT-R LM NISMO on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The 83rd Le Mans 24 Hours will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June 2015.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO                                  Translated by Emma Paulay

Photo: PARIS, FRANCE, POTEL & CHABOT, ESPACE CAMBON-CAPUCINES, THURSDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2015, ACO LE MANS 24 HOURS PRESS CONFERENCE. Factory driver for Nissan in his second endurance season, Harry Tincknell is one of the big hopefuls of a generation of drivers who have opted for endurance as a real career choice.