Jules Gounon
Jules Gounon | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1994 Aubenas, France |
| Occupation | Racing driver |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Known for | Winning the 24 Hours of Spa (2017, 2022) and Bathurst 12 Hour (2020, 2022, 2023) |
Jules Jean-Louis Gounon (born 31 December 1994 in Aubenas) is a professional racing driver from France currently residing in Andorra. He is distinguished by his triumphs at the 24 Hours of Spa in both 2017 and 2022, as well as his multiple victories at the Bathurst 12 Hour event in 2020, 2022, and 2023.
1994-2015: Early years in karting, single-seaters, and Porsche Carrera Cup
Starting his karting journey in 2010 at age 15, Gounon clinched the Rotax National French Championship title in 2011. The subsequent year, he secured the X30 world championship. Transitioning to single-seater racing, he achieved second place overall in the 2013 French F4 Championship, winning six races. After encountering difficulties during the 2014 Formula Renault 2.0 season and facing career setbacks—including working as a car cleaner—Gounon earned the "Espoir Porsche Carrera Cup France 2015" scholarship with assistance from his grandfather. This award provided a €30,000 budget to compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup France, where he notched his inaugural win at Val de Vienne and concluded the season sixth in the standings.
2016-2017: German GT achievements and Spa victory
In 2016, Gounon joined Callaway Competition to race in the ADAC GT Masters series, piloting a new Corvette C7 GT3-R alongside Daniel Keilwitz. He secured three victories and was a strong championship contender until a crash at Hockenheim resulted in a leg injury. Despite this setback, he finished third overall and contributed to the car's development. For the 2017 season, Callaway concentrated on a single Corvette entry with Gounon and Keilwitz as drivers. Gounon took victory at Red Bull Ring and, teaming up with substitute driver Renger van der Zande, won at Zandvoort to seize the championship lead. After some challenging rounds, he earned his third win of the year at Hockenheim following Keilwitz’s return, ultimately capturing both the ADAC GT Masters title and the Junior championship for competitors under 25.
Concurrently, Gounon competed in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Pro-Am category alongside Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Nico Bastian, achieving two podium finishes. He was then recruited by Audi Sport’s Team Saintéloc for the prestigious 2017 24 Hours of Spa event, partnering with Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock. Despite experiencing an early setback due to a wheel issue that put them a lap down, their team mounted a comeback to secure victory after a tense final-hour battle with Bentley—marking the most significant win of Gounon’s career to that point.
2018-2020: Bentley factory driver tenure
At age 23 in 2018, Jules Gounon was signed as an official factory driver for Bentley M-Sport, competing in both the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. He replaced Oliver Jarvis on the team.[1] Alongside teammates Steven Kane and Guy Smith, he played a key role in developing Bentley’s new third-generation Continental GT3, which succeeded its predecessor.[1] At Paul Ricard, Gounon achieved his first podium finish with Bentley by placing second despite encountering bonnet issues. However, during the 2018 24 Hours of Spa, he retired due to brake complications. Additionally, he participated once in the Super GT Fuji 500-mile race, finishing thirteenth—the highest result for his team that season in Japan.[2] Reflecting on 2018, Gounon described it as a developmental year focused on Bentley’s relaunch with their new Continental GT3 platform, anticipating improved results in 2019.[3]
For Bentley’s centennial celebrations in 2019, Gounon returned to compete again in both the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge alongside Kane and Jordan Pepper. After initial difficulties, he secured pole position at Paul Ricard, outperforming both teammates and rivals.[4] Engaged in close competition with Miguel Molina’s Ferrari 488 GT3, Gounon led Bentley to their first victory of the year and since launching their new vehicle.[5] Shortly thereafter, he made his debut at the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans driving for Risi Competizione alongside Jarvis and Pipo Derani in a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo. The trio qualified seventeenth in LMGTE Pro class and finished eleventh despite encountering mechanical issues late in the race.[6]
2021
In 2021, Gounon was appointed as a factory driver for the Mercedes squad, taking part in the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup alongside teammates Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello. The season featured a podium finish at Monza and a sixth-place result at Le Castellet. Despite securing pole position, the team retired from the Spa race. They ended the year on a high note by earning podiums in the final two events, including a victory in the season finale, which helped Gounon secure second place overall.
2022
For the 2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, Gounon remained alongside Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello at the newly rebranded AKKodis ASP Team. The trio triumphed at the esteemed 24 Hours of Spa and narrowly won the championship by just two points over competitor Antonio Fuoco.
In addition to his endurance racing efforts, Gounon participated in the 2022 ADAC GT Masters with young driver Fabian Schiller, achieving third place overall thanks to four victories and multiple podium finishes.
2023
In 2023, after switching to an Andorran racing license, Gounon started the season impressively with a class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. He also secured an unprecedented third consecutive outright win at the Bathurst 12 Hour, despite sharing the car with amateur driver Kenny Habul. Later in the event, he issued an apology following a collision involving fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Maro Engel near the race’s conclusion.
Throughout 2023, Gounon competed across three championships: he defended his title in the GTWC Europe Endurance Cup alongside Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy; raced in the GTD Pro category of the IMSA with Juncadella for WeatherTech Racing; and partnered with Ian Loggie in the British GT Championship. Although retiring at Monza, Gounon successfully retained his Endurance Cup crown by securing victories at Le Castellet and the Nürburgring, as well as finishing runner-up at the 24 Hours of Spa.
In IMSA competition, Gounon, Juncadella, Engel, and Cooper MacNeil claimed victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The duo of Gounon and Juncadella added three further wins during the season, including triumph at the finale, the Petit Le Mans, ultimately placing second in the drivers' championship and winning the Michelin Endurance Cup title. In British GT action, Gounon recorded one victory at Oulton Park and concluded sixth in overall standings despite missing one round.
Participating throughout the entire Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar, Gounon secured the championship with a win at Bathurst, podium finishes at both Kyalami and Abu Dhabi's Gulf 12 Hours, along with second-place results at Spa and Indianapolis. Remarkably, these achievements were accomplished while driving for four distinct Mercedes-affiliated teams.
Personal life
Gounon is the son of former professional racer Jean-Marc Gounon, who achieved second place at the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in Formula One driving for Minardi and Simtek. Since 2022, he has been romantically involved with WEC competitor Michelle Gatting.
Summary of racing career
... [Table truncated for brevity; subsequent years follow similar format with key results highlighted] ... ... [Ongoing seasons and entries summarized] ...| Season | Series | Team | Races | Victories | Pole positions | Fastest laps | Podium finishes | Points | Final standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | French F4 Championship | Auto Sport Academy | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 236.5 | 2nd |
| 2014 | Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | KTR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30th |
| AVF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Formula Renault 2.0 NEC | KTR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 23rd | |
| AVF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2015 | Porsche Carrera Cup France | Martinet by Alméras | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 125 | 6th |
| 2016 | ADAC GT Masters | Callaway Competition | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 152 | 3rd |
| 2024 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 13th |
* Season currently underway.
Full French F4 Championship results
(key) (Bolded races denote pole positions) (Italicized races indicate fastest laps)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | Total Races Completed (DC) | Points Scored | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | LMS 1 6 |
LMS 2 Ret |
LMS 3 2 |
PAU 1 8 |
PAU 2 1 |
PAU 3 9 |
SPA 1 5 |
SPA 2 17† |
SPA 3 DNS |
VDV 1 Template:Small 8 |
VDV 2 Template:Small 4 |
VDV 3 Template:Small 11 |
MAG 1 Template:Small 1 |
MAG 2 Template:Small 1 |
MAG 3 Template:Small 1 |
LÉD 1 Template:Small 1 |
LÉD 2 Template:Small 14 |
LÉD 3 Template:Small 1 |
LEC 1 Template:Small 3 |
LEC 2 Template:Small 2 |
LEC 3 Template:Small 7 |
Runner-up | 236.5 |
Full Formula Renault 2.0 NEC Results
(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Position | Points Earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | KTR | MNZ 1 Retired |
MNZ 2 14th |
rowspan="2"|23rd |
rowspan="2"|54 | |||||||||||||||
|
nowrap| AVF |
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SIL
SIL
HOC
HOC
HOC |
Full Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Results
(key) (Bold races mark pole position; italicized races represent fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final Standing | Points Accumulated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | KTR | ALC 1 25th |
ALC 2 26th |
SPA 1 |
SPA 2 |
MSC 1 |
MSC 2 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
HUN 1 |
HUN 2 |
30th | 0 | ||||
| AVF | LEC 1 Retired |
LEC 2 Retired |
JER 1 |
JER 2 |
Full Porsche Carrera Cup France results
(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Martinet by Alméras | LÉD 1 3rd |
LÉD 2 Caution |
LMS 1 7th |
LMS 2 6th |
VDV 1 1st |
VDV 2 6th |
MAG 1 3rd |
MAG 2 2nd |
NAV 1 Disqualified |
NAV 2 Disqualified |
NAV 3 Did Not Start |
LEC 1 5th |
LEC 2 5th |
6th overall | 125 points |
Full ADAC GT Masters results
(key) (Entries in bold represent pole position) (Entries in italics indicate fastest lap)
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