🇺🇸 Brian Thienes

Brian Thienes is an FIA Bronze-rated amateur sportscar driver competing primarily in IMSA endurance and sprint racing. Over 14 seasons since 2002, he has accumulated 97 starts across multiple series with an average finishing position of P10.9 and a single victory in the 2016 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo. His career rating of 3,069 places him among semi-competitive amateur drivers, well below professional and full-time professional fields. The bulk of his recent activity, 43 starts from 2023 onward, has come in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge with Forte Racing, where he has scored 12 podiums including multiple top-three finishes in 2026.[1]

Thienes has raced regularly against drivers of similar or modest standing. Against Jon Brownson, a fellow Bronze-graded driver, he holds a clear advantage with 29 finishes ahead to 16 behind across 45 shared races. He maintains winning records against Dan Tomlin Jr. and the lower-rated Doug Peterson. However, his head-to-head records against stronger professionals are decidedly negative; he finished behind Ryan Justice, a driver rated substantially higher, in 24 of 35 encounters, and trails Dan Tomlin III 22 to 9 across 31 races. Occasional results against genuine professionals appear in his record; he has beaten Gold-graded Graham Rahal twice and FIA Platinum-rated Jonathan Bomarito once, though these remain isolated achievements rather than sustained competitive patterns.

Currently active through early 2026, Thienes continues racing in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge and the IMSA AirBNB Endurance Challenge for Forte Racing, a team fielding mid-field competition with occasional strong drivers. His career reflects the profile of an established amateur gentleman racer competing in club and semi-professional endurance grids alongside younger and professional drivers, with recent success confined to the Bronze-level sportscar field.