Tincknell victory at Snetterton

Tipton St John’s Harry Tincknell secured his third victory of the 2012 Cooper Tires British F3 International Series season at Snetterton, Norfolk.

In qualifying, Tincknell secured a respectable fifth position on the grid for the weekend’s feature race after posting a fastest lap of 1:41.408, with his second quickest lap of 1:41.707 strong enough to earn a sixth-place start for race one.

Tincknell experienced some poor fortune shortly after the opening race began. Contact with his team-mate Jazeman Jaafar caused the Sidmouth racer to suffer a puncture, costing him valuable time. Any chance of a recovery was ruled out when the race was stopped at the half-way point due to torrential rain, and the Carlin Motorsport pilot had to settle for a 12th-place finish.

Tincknell’s misfortune did however mean that he would begin the reverse grid second race on pole. The 20-year-old embraced the opportunity, holding off the rest of the field for the duration of the 11-lap encounter to take the chequered flag, his third triumph of 2012.

A further puncture in race three, which limited Tincknell to seventh place, couldn’t dampen the Devonian’s spirits, with the driver firmly cemented in a highly respectable sixth position overall.

Next up for Tincknell is a visit to the home of the British Grand Prix, Silverstone, on September 8-9.

“It was a weekend of ups and downs, but I’m delighted to have taken yet another victory,” said Tincknell. “To already have three wins under my belt, with six races still to come, is a fantastic effort. My thanks go to all the guys at Carlin Motorsport for another excellent job.”