A prolific winner in Mercedes GT3 cars on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond in 2023, Jules Gounon’s second straight GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title capped a year in which he also claimed a third straight Bathurst 12 Hour win.
Together with Dani Juncadella, he won more races than the IMSA GTD Pro title-winners, including the Daytona 24 Hours. Whether it was Paul Ricard – fastest in qualifying by 0.336s – or Oulton Park, where he lowered his own lap record to snare pole, the Intercontinental GT Challenge champion was quick everywhere.
Jules Gounon really had no right to extend his winning run at Mount Panorama this year. It’s a point he himself acknowledges.
“It was definitely not an expected win,” the second-generation racer told Autosport earlier this year in an interview reflecting on his rollercoaster journey to becoming a professional racing driver.
On paper, the SunEnergy1 Mercedes - entered in the Pro class despite having bronze-rated Kenny Habul in its line-up along with Luca Stolz - couldn’t match up to opposition that could call on three factory drivers. And even leading into the final hour, victory still didn’t seem likely.
Source: Autosport