Bruni, Tincknell join Proton's IMSA GTP attack with Porsche LMDh
Gianmaria Bruni and Harry Tincknell will drive for the Proton Porsche LMDh squad in the IMSA SportsCar Championship alongside their campaign with the German team in the World Endurance Championship.
Former WEC GTE Pro sparring partners Bruni and Tincknell will give Proton Competition's US-based Porsche 963 its debut at Road America on 6 August just four weeks after they drive the sister car in the WEC’s Hypercar class for the first time at Monza at the beginning of July
Proton boss Christian Ried told Motorsport.com that it made sense to have the same drivers for the team’s two LMDhs as a result of its late start to its twin programmes in the WEC’s Hypercar class and GTP in IMSA.
Supply-chain issues resulted in the delay of delivery of the first customer 963s until the end of April, though the Jota and JDC-Miller MotorSports team are already racing their cars in WEC and IMSA respectively.
“This is a learning season with us with the LMDh, so it will be good to have the same drivers racing our cars in both series,” explained Ried.
Pole sitter GTE Pro: #91 Porsche GT Team Porsche 911 RSR - 19 GTE-PRO: Gianmaria Bruni
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Tincknell, a six-time IMSA race winner with Mazda in the Daytona Prototype international era, said: “It’s great to double up in the two series because we are in catch-up mode.
“We’re doing the last three races in WEC and IMSA, so we’ll kind of have a full season behind us going into next year.”
Tincknell, who was confirmed in Proton’s Hypercar entry late last month, added that he was looking forward to racing in IMSA again after four season with Mazda in 2018-21.
“I love racing in IMSA and one of my best memories in motorsport is winning Petit in 2020 with Mazda, while I’m looking forwards to Indianapolis because it will be a new track for me,” he said.
#77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR - 19 of Harry Tincknell
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Bruni and Tincknell will drive as a duo at Road America and then Indianapolis in September before they are joined by a yet-to-be-named third driver for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta in October.
Proton has only named two drivers for the Monza 6 Hours on 9 July so far, but Ried explained that he is still working towards a three-driver line-up.
He revealed that berth could be filled as early as this week.
Ried's son to make Le Mans debut
Ried handed his son, Jonas, a last-minute Le Mans 24 Hours debut last week alongside Tincknell and Don Yount in Proton’s #88 Porsche 911 RSR GTE Am entry.
The 18-year-old, who is racing a Proton-run ORECA-Gibson 07 in the European Le Mans Series this year, was brought into the line-up after Brendan Iribe opted against contesting the race this year with regular co-driver Ollie Millroy.
Ried had only tested the 911 RSR once before last weekend’s official Le Mans Test Day, which came when he was 15 and racing in the Italian Formula 4 Championship.
“It’s not ideal for Jonas to come and do Le Mans without any proper testing, but it will be good experience for him and I’ve told him just to enjoy it,” said Christian Ried.
Jonas Ried is the third generation of his family to drive for the team started by his grandfather Gerold.
The #88 Proton GTE Am entry will disappear from the WEC after Le Mans and effectively be taken over by the #99 LMDh in Hypercar.
Wayne Taylor Racing to add second Acura in 2024 IMSA season
United Autosports to join IMSA in 2024 after WEC axes LMP2 class
Did classic Le Mans battle justify contentious Toyota BoP hit?
Did classic Le Mans battle justify contentious Toyota BoP hit? Did classic Le Mans battle justify contentious Toyota BoP hit?
Glickenhaus Le Mans 24 Hours result "like a dream"
Glickenhaus Le Mans 24 Hours result "like a dream" Glickenhaus Le Mans 24 Hours result "like a dream"
How Ferrari scored a historic victory at Le Mans
How Ferrari scored a historic victory at Le Mans How Ferrari scored a historic victory at Le Mans
Tincknell to race Proton Porsche LMDh at Monza WEC round
Tincknell to race Proton Porsche LMDh at Monza WEC round Tincknell to race Proton Porsche LMDh at Monza WEC round
Proton in line for dual Porsche LMDh campaigns in WEC/IMSA
Proton in line for dual Porsche LMDh campaigns in WEC/IMSA Proton in line for dual Porsche LMDh campaigns in WEC/IMSA
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy Why a Mazda IMSA Prototype title would bring bitter joy
Jani completes Proton's LMDh line-up for 2023 WEC season
Jani completes Proton's LMDh line-up for 2023 WEC season Jani completes Proton's LMDh line-up for 2023 WEC season
WeatherTech switches from Porsche to Mercedes for rest of 2022
WeatherTech switches from Porsche to Mercedes for rest of 2022 WeatherTech switches from Porsche to Mercedes for rest of 2022
Tincknell returns to WEC in Proton Porsche alongside Priaulx Jr
Tincknell returns to WEC in Proton Porsche alongside Priaulx Jr Tincknell returns to WEC in Proton Porsche alongside Priaulx Jr
NASCAR 2023 Nashville schedule, entry list, and how to watch
NASCAR 2023 Nashville schedule, entry list, and how to watch NASCAR 2023 Nashville schedule, entry list, and how to watch
Josh Berry to replace Harvick at Stewart-Haas NASCAR Cup team in 2024
Josh Berry to replace Harvick at Stewart-Haas NASCAR Cup team in 2024 Josh Berry to replace Harvick at Stewart-Haas NASCAR Cup team in 2024
Dumas to drive 1,400HP electric Ford SuperVan 4.2 at Pikes Peak
Dumas to drive 1,400HP electric Ford SuperVan 4.2 at Pikes Peak Dumas to drive 1,400HP electric Ford SuperVan 4.2 at Pikes Peak
Horner admits he felt Red Bull’s first win was already job done in F1
Horner admits he felt Red Bull’s first win was already job done in F1 Horner admits he felt Red Bull’s first win was already job done in F1
How Porsche's Daytona hiccups evoked the premiere of its Group C king
How Porsche's Daytona hiccups evoked the premiere of its Group C king How Porsche's Daytona hiccups evoked the premiere of its Group C king
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era How MSR took Acura to the first win of sportscar racing's new era
Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return
Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return Inside BMW's long-awaited prototype racing return
How Porsche and Penske are gearing up for sportscar racing's bold new era
How Porsche and Penske are gearing up for sportscar racing's bold new era How Porsche and Penske are gearing up for sportscar racing's bold new era
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age The long road to convergence for sportscar racing's new golden age
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game How Porsche's Le Mans legend changed the game
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes Why BMW shouldn't be overlooked on its return to prototypes
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.