Tincknell’s IMSA, WEC Clashes Remain Unresolved

Photo: Porsche

Harry Tincknell says he’s “not 100 percent sure” which championship will be prioritized in his dual series campaign with Ford Multimatic Motorsports and Proton Competition, which faces two clashes this year.

The Multimatic-contracted driver, along with The Heart of Racing’s Alex Riberas, are the only IMSA GTD Pro drivers with season-long efforts in both the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship.

With GTD Pro class races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park clashing with the WEC rounds at Spa-Francorchamps and Interlagos, Riberas will prioritize a full WEC effort in The Heart of Racing’s LMGT3 class Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.

Tincknell, who is part of Ford Performance’s factory lineup in the WeatherTech Championship driving the No. 64 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Mike Rockenfeller, revealed that it hasn’t yet been decided which series he will take part in for the entire season.

The 32-year-old Brit is also undertaking a WEC program in Proton’s Porsche 963 in the Hypercar class.

“It’s TBC. As far as I’m aware, there’s no set parameters or anything,” Tincknell told Sportscar365. “I’m just going to be told where I’m going, basically. I’m not 100 percent sure right now.”

In addition to Tincknell and Riberas there are four other drivers attempting to compete in both series.

Alpine’s Paul-Loup Chatin as well as Peugeot Hypercar drivers Mikkel Jensen and Paul di Resta are all set to miss the LMP2 headline WeatherTech Championship round at CTMP, which is the only clash between the two categories.

TF Sport WEC LMGT3 driver Charlie Eastwood, who is racing for the balance of the IMSA LMP2 season with Tower Motorsport, faces the same clash in July.

Despite his exact schedule yet to be confirmed for the two overlapping weekends, Tincknell said it’s “really cool” to be able to compete in both championships on a regular basis.

“It’s amazing that from Multimatic, Ford and Proton and everyone, to be able to come to an agreement where we can do it all,” he said.

“Of course I love IMSA and I’m really excited being with a brand like Ford in IMSA and obviously all of the heritage of the WEC that I had from 2016-19.

“We’re determined to get that car winning as quickly as possible but at the same time my overall goal is to win Le Mans outright and compete the GT, LMP2 and top class [trifecta of wins].

“To have the opportunity to be able to do that in a Porsche is amazing.”

Tincknell said he’s looking forward making his first top-class start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since the ill-fated Nissan LMP1 program in 2015.

“Le Mans is obviously the crown jewel of the endurance year so I’m super looking forward to that, of course,” he said.

“But I’m just super excited that there’s so many weekends this year where I’m excited going into a weekend as another opportunity to perform and do well and win big races.

“The fact that we’ve got Sebring, Watkins Glen, Petit Le Mans and all of the races I’ve got good memories of in the past, I’m doing all of those plus Le Mans overall, it’s sort of a pinch yourself kind of moment, honestly.

“It’s great. At the same time, even within Multimatic, there’s other projects and things I’m doing in the background as well.

“It’s a very busy year. I’m not at home much but it keeps me super sharp, so that’s great.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John