Harry Tincknell has taken an early lead in this year’s European Le Mans Series after the Briton won the 4 Hours of Silverstone Saturday. Tincknell plus co-drivers Simon Dolan and Giedo van der Garde (NL) steered their G-Drive Racing Gibson 015S-Nissan LMP2 class sports car to a dominant 95secs victory in the championship’s opening race.The victory earned Tincknell his third ELMS career win – his eighth top-three ELMS podium from 11 starts – after switching to the sports car category in the corresponding race in 2014. Harry’s last win at Silverstone had been in an FIA Formula 3 European Championship race in April 2013. The Tincknell/Dolan/van der Garde Gibson lined-up on the second row of the grid after Harry had set the fourth fastest time around a wet but drying 3.667-mile “Grand Prix” circuit in qualifying earlier in the day with Tincknell duly starting the race.Tincknell, who had claimed a pole-position plus second place and the fastest race lap in the corresponding 2014 and ’15 Silverstone races respectively, had built up a 27 seconds lead before pitting after 51mins for fuel. Harry resumed still leading and handed over the Gibson to Dolan with 90mins gone with a 20secs lead while Van der Garde drove the final 42mins to the chequered flag. Tincknell/Dolan/van der Garde will start the second round of the six-race series at Imola, Italy, on 15 May with a seven-point advantage.

Harry Tincknell (GB). Age: 24. Born: Exeter, Devon, England. Lives: Sidmouth, Devon, England:

“A comfortable victory is a great way to start the season so I’m absolutely delighted. The start was tricky on the damp track which caught a few cars out. I took the lead at Brooklands and managed to pull away. I tried to manage the tyres the best I could with the aim of giving Simon [Dolan] the car with a healthy lead which worked out perfectly. Simon did a first class job while Guido finished the job off in style. Apart from the start and considering the large grid, it was a clean race. Roll on Imola is all I can say!”