TINCKNELL SET FOR SURPRISE ONE-OFF BRITISH F3 RETURN WITH DOUBLE R

Cooper Tires British Formula 3 International Series squad Double R Racing is thrilled to confirm it will field a minimum of three cars for the mid-summer race meeting at Thruxton, having agreed a deal with multiple category race winner Harry Tincknell to make a one-off return to the championship.

The 22-year-old from Exeter, who this year makes his sportscar racing debut in the European Le Mans Series as a JOTA Sport driver, jumped at the chance to link-up with Anthony 'Boyo' Hieatt's front-running squad for the fifth event of the British F3 season on 16th/17th August.

With ultra-fast Thruxton having been absent from the British F3 calendar for three years, successful career drivers such as Tincknell have been attracted to the challenge of racing an F3 car around the 2.35-mile Hampshire track with its return to the national championship's calendar.

Double R, which carried Italian youngster Antonio Giovinazzi to the Vice-Champion's position in last year's title battle, is delighted to welcome Tincknell into the team for rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the season where he will join full-season drivers Camren Kaminsky and Andy Chang.

By making a return to British F3 for the Thruxton weekend, Tincknell will also qualify for this year's Macau F3 Grand Prix an event he sees as unfinished business which will take place between 13th and 16th November.

"Thruxton coming back onto the British F3 calendar is a big draw for racers like Harry, he's a top quality driver and we're absolutely over the moon he'll be racing in Double R colours there, said team principal Hieatt, It's also going to be a fantastic opportunity for Camren and Andy to work with a multiple race winner who has experience from European F3 as well.

"We're all delighted to be going back to Thruxton this season, it's an incredible challenge for the drivers and a real spectacle for the crowds as well. With Harry confirmed, and other top drivers like Alex Lynn [Red Bull Junior driver in GP3 Series] stating their intent to take part in the Thruxton races, it's shaping up to be the highlight race meeting of the British F3 season."

Tincknell, who is a British Racing Drivers' Club (BRDC) Rising Star, graduated into single-seater car racing from karting in 2008 and went on to win the Formula Renault UK Championship 'Graduate Cup' the following year before also adding the end-of-season Winter Cup title.

Moving into British F3 in 2011, he became a race winner in his maiden season and in 2012 added four more victories on his way to fifth overall in the championship. Moving up the ladder into the FIA Formula 3 European Championship last year, the Briton took one win and three podiums en-route to an impressive fifth in the standings. He was also fourth in the RTL GP Masters of F3 at Zandvoort.