In endurance motorsport there is an unwritten rule that fans learn over time: the drivers who win the most are not always the most famous. The Le Mans circuit, with its 24-hour format, overnight rain, traffic from slower categories and technical demands across every class, produces heroes that the mainstream media never discover but that the endurance paddock venerates. Harry Tincknell is one of them.
Harry William Tincknell was born on October 29 1991 in Exeter, Devon, in southwest England. The city where Tincknell was born is known for its medieval cathedral, its university and its quiet county town character. It is not a place associated with elite motorsport, and yet from there emerged one of the most complete drivers in modern endurance racing: the first driver in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to win in both the LMP2 and LMGTE Pro classes in different editions, a record that places him in a category of his own.
2001-2008: Karting as life school
Tincknell began his karting career in 2001 at just nine years old, competing in the Dunkeswell Club Championship and the South West British Championship series. Year by year he climbed through British karting categories: in 2003 he won the Winter Series at Shenington in the TKM class. In 2005 he moved to the ICA Junior category of the Belgian championship, finishing fifth. In 2006 he competed in the WSK International Series ICA Junior. In 2007 he frequented no fewer than eight different championships and trophy races, accumulating experience across multiple categories and circuits. In 2008, his final karting year, he was runner-up in the Euro Rotax Max Challenge.
A curious detail from 2007: one of his results was fourth in the South Garda Winter Cup, finishing behind Yannick de Brabander, António Félix da Costa and Robin Frijns. Three drivers who would later reach the top of professional motorsport, with Tincknell among them without yet knowing it.
2008-2013: Single-seaters and the climb toward endurance
Tincknell moved to single-seaters in 2008 with the Formula Renault UK Winter Series, finishing seventh with consistent points finishes. In 2009 he joined the Formula Renault UK Championship where he finished fifth overall winning the Graduate Cup, with eleven victories. His progression was clear but without the financial resources that allowed others to go faster.
In 2012 with Carlin his form improved noticeably: four victories and nine podiums to finish fifth in the championship. In 2013 he competed in the European Formula 3 Championship with Carlin, scoring one victory and two podiums and finishing fifth. He was a high-level, consistent and technically solid driver, but without the vehicle to reach Formula 1.
Life pointed in another direction. And it turned out to be the right one.
2014: The historic Le Mans debut — LMP2 victory on his first appearance
In 2014 Tincknell signed with JOTA Sport for the European Le Mans Series in LMP2. It was his debut in endurance motorsport, a completely different discipline from single-seaters: sharing the car with co-drivers, managing tyres over long stints, coordinated pit stops, strategy decisions across hours of racing. The young Englishman adapted with a naturalness that attracted attention.
And then came Le Mans. The 24 Hours. The greatest race in the world. It was only his fourth endurance race of his entire career. And Tincknell with JOTA Sport won the LMP2 class. The Rookie of the Year award for that Le Mans came with it. On his first appearance in the most legendary race on the global calendar. That debut has no equal in the recent history of the event.
He was also runner up in the 2014 European Le Mans Series with one victory and three podiums.
2015-2016: ELMS championship victory and the Nissan LMP1 debut
In 2016 he signed with G-Drive Racing in the ELMS and won the LMP2 championship with two victories and four podiums. Simultaneously he debuted in the WEC with the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing UK team in the LMGTE Pro class driving the Ford GT. Alongside Andy Priaulx and Marino Franchitti he won the Fuji and Shanghai rounds, finishing third in the LMGTE Pro championship.
2017-2019: Ford, WEC and the American adventure with Mazda
Tincknell continued with Ford in WEC during 2017 and 2018, scoring victories and being a key part of the American programme. When Ford withdrew, Tincknell transitioned to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the United States with Mazda Team Joest, driving the Mazda DPi in the prototype class. In 2019 with Mazda he won at Watkins Glen and Road America.
2020: The year of two historic achievements — Le Mans LMGTE Pro and Daytona
2020 was the most important year of Tincknell’s career. In January he won the Sebring 12 Hours with Mazda. And in August at the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans, he won the LMGTE Pro class driving the Aston Martin with Aston Martin Racing. With that victory he became the first driver in history to win at Le Mans in both LMP2 (2014) and LMGTE Pro (2020) in separate editions. A unique record that no one else in the history of the world’s greatest race can match.
2025-2026: The Aston Martin Valkyrie and the biggest challenge of his career
In 2025 Tincknell began his most ambitious challenge as a Hypercar driver: the Aston Martin THOR Team driving the Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH, one of the most complex and technically advanced cars in endurance racing history. For 2026, alongside continuing in WEC with Aston Martin THOR Team, Tincknell added a full IMSA season in LMP2 with Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen.
Key quotes and curiosities
Tincknell’s official Twitter/X profile: Pro Racing Driver, 2-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, European Champion.
On his 2014 Le Mans debut: he won the LMP2 class in only his fourth endurance race ever, on his first appearance at the event, being named Rookie of the Year.
Among the curiosities: Harry Tincknell is the only driver in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to have won in both the LMP2 and LMGTE Pro classes in separate editions. His career spans more than 15 years of endurance activity across three continents, three different disciplines (single-seaters, prototype, GT) and four different manufacturers as a factory driver (Nissan, Ford, Mazda, Aston Martin). Tincknell also served as a development and test driver for Jaguar in Formula E for two seasons, 2016-17 and 2018-19, though never considered for a race seat.
Sources: Wikipedia Harry Tincknell English, harrytincknellracing.com official, Multimatic Motorsports official multimaticmotorsports.com, IMSA official imsa.com, Grokipedia, Formula E Wiki Fandom, Motorsport.com, Autosport
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