Harry Tincknell says his Jota Sport team's gameplan worked to a tee as they claimed a category victory and a fifth-placed overall finish at the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour race at the weekend.
The Sidmouth racer and co-drivers Simon Dolan and Oliver Turvey guided their Jota Sport Zytek Z11SN to victory in the LM P2 class in France.
Described by the 22-year-old Tincknell as a 'roller-coaster, up-and-down race', the Kent-based team set an average speed of 125.14mph as they completed 356 laps in the allotted 24 hours – giving them victory by a solitary lap.
"It is one of the most famous races in the world and is the ultimate test of man and machine," said Tincknell.
"We stuck to our gameplan which was just being as fast as we could while also not being too hard on the car.
"Twenty-four hours is an incredible amount of time to race for out there. Being fast is obviously crucial, but you also have to survive the 24 hours.
"We lost a bit of time when it started raining just as I came in, and we also had a bit of a problem with a light that didn't work, so that also cost us.
"But we slowly clawed our way back up through the field and the cars that had been hammering the curbs just to get a few extra tenths started dropping away.
"It was a roller-coaster, up-and-down race. We were really down early on, but to come back and win it was just absolutely amazing."
The victory highlights Tincknell's rapid rise through the motorsport ranks, having made the step up from the European Formula Three Championship.
The Exeter-born racer had previously spent two seasons in the British Formula Three class, and he says the Le Mans success represents the highlight of his fledgling career.
"To win at Le Mans on my debut is the biggest moment in my career to date and is a reward for every day I train in the gym – I can't believe it, it's always been a dream," said Tincknell, who is mentored by former Formula One racer and Le Mans winner Allan McNish.
"Jota did a really good job with the car too. I have stepped up from Formula Three and it is a big step up, but the team have helped me get to know the car really well.
"I drove my heart out and gave it my all – absolutely everything, especially in my quadruple stint on Sunday.
"Everything just flowed as a combination of 15 years of racing, all for this one magical moment.
"Twelve months ago I was watching my mentor Allan McNish winning at Le Mans on television."
