Jules Gounon
Jules Jean-Louis Gounon (born 31 December 1994 in Aubenas) is an Andorran-based French professional racing driver. He is best known for his victories in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2017 and 2022, and the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020, 2022 and 2023.[1][2]
Jules Gounon | |
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Nationality | ![]() |
Born | Aubenas, France | 31 December 1994
Related to | Jean-Marc Gounon (father) |
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career | |
Debut season | 2017 |
Current team | Mercedes-AMG AKKodis ASP |
Racing licence | ![]() |
Car number | 88 |
Starts | 33 (33 entries) |
Wins | 4 |
Podiums | 12 |
Poles | 5 |
Fastest laps | 4 |
Best finish | 1st in 2022 |
Previous series | |
2016–17 2015 2014 2014 2013 | ADAC GT Masters Porsche Carrera Cup France Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 NEC French F4 Championship |
Championship titles | |
2017, 2022 2017 | 24 Hours of Spa ADAC GT Masters |
Career
1994-2015: Youth in karting, single-seaters and Porsche Carrera Cup
Jules Gounon is the son of the former racing driver Jean-Marc Gounon, who finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1997.[3] He started karting in 2010 at the age of 15. He was crowned Rotax National French Champion in 2011.[4] In the year after, he clinched the X30 world title.[5] He was promoted to single-seaters, joining the French F4 Championship for the 2013 season and finished second with six wins.[6] He competed one year in Formula Renault 2.0, but failed to impress as he "could not get on well with the team". As his career seemed to be in a deadlock after a difficult 2014 season, he was selected "Espoir Porsche Carrera Cup France 2015" to take part in Porsche Carrera Cup France for the next season with a grant of €30,000.[7] He scored his maiden win in the championship in Val de Vienne[8] and finished sixth in the final standings.
2016-2017: Success in German GT and win in the 24 Hours of Spa
In 2016, he joined Callaway Competition in ADAC GT Masters, the German championship of GT.[9] He drove a brand new Corvette C7 GT3-R with his teammate Daniel Keilwitz.[9] Callaway ran three Corvette for this season. He won three times and put himself in title contention for the last event. However, Jules Gounon suffered a big crash at Hockenheim, staying conscious and alert, but with an injured (although not broken) left leg.[10] Finally he stood third in the final standings while developing his new car during the year. Callaway Competition decided to run only the car of Gounon and Keilwitz for the 2017 season.[11] He scored his first win of the season in Red Bull Ring.[12] After this round, his teammate Keilwitz got injured and was replaced by Renger van der Zande who won with Gounon in Zandvoort, letting the Frenchman take alone the championship's lead.[13] He then had two difficult weekends without podium with Albert Costa and van der Zende. However, he won his third race of the season in Hockenheim after the return of Keilwitz to competition.[14] This last win let him seal the title in the last event.[14] He also clinched the Junior title for drivers under 25.[15]
Also engaged with Jean-Luc Beaubelique and Nico Bastian in Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup (Pro-Am Cup), he took two podiums. He was recruited by Audi Sport Team Saintéloc for the 2017 24 Hours of Spa, the greatest race of GT, teaming up with Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock.[16] Despite running one lap down in the first half of the race because of a mis-threaded wheel, Gounon and his teammates came back in front. He battled with a Bentley in the last hours and created an 11-second gap with it to win the biggest victory in his career.[17][18] This 2017 edition was very tight as six cars arrived in the same lap as the leader.
2018-2020: Official factory driver for Bentley

In 2018, Jules Gounon at the age of 23, was signed by Bentley M-Sport as an official factory driver for Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge, replacing Oliver Jarvis.[19] With Steven Kane and Guy Smith, the Frenchman had to develop the new Bentley Continental GT3 which replaced the former generation.[19] In Paul Ricard, he scored his maiden podium with Bentley finishing second.[20] He missed the win because of a bonnet problem.[21] For the 2018 24 Hours of Spa, he had to leave the race after some braking problems. He also did a one-off in Super GT for the Fuji 500-mile race.[22] He finished thirteenth which represented the best result of the team that season in the Japanese championship. Jules Gounon said about that 2018 season: "I have progressed and learnt a lot. [...] I had to get used with a new car. The target was to have a good car at the end of the season. Unfortunately, we had a lack of speed in straight lines. With this new Continental GT3, Bentley started again from the beginning. 2018 was a season of development. After more than two years of work with German people, I discovered another vision of motorsport with a different way of working. The Bentley Continental GT3 will have a say in 2019".[23]
For the centenary of Bentley in 2019, Jules Gounon was engaged in Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge with Steven Kane and Jordan Pepper. After two complicated races, the Frenchman set the fastest time of the qualifying session in Paul Ricard, faster than his teammates and than his rivals.[24] Battling with the Ferrari 488 GT3 of Miguel Molina, Jules Gounon and Bentley won their first race of the year and also their first win since the introduction of their new car back in 2018.[25] Two weeks later, Jules Gounon participated in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans with Risi Competizione, teaming up with Oliver Jarvis and Pipo Derani on a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.[26] Qualified 17th in the category LMGTE Pro, they finished 11th in this category and 40th overall, despite a mechanical problem in the last hours of the race.[27]
2021
2021 would see Gounon become a works driver for the Mercedes team, as he took part in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup with Daniel Juncadella and Raffaele Marciello.[28] A strong start with a podium in Monza and a sixth place in Le Castellet was followed by disappointment at Spa, where the outfit was forced to retire, having previously taken pole position. The team ended their campaign positively, appearing on the rostrum in the final two races, which included a win at the season finale, ultimately putting Gounon second overall.
2022

Gounon teamed up with Juncadella and Marciello once more at the rebranded AKKodis ASP Team for the 2022 season of the Endurance Cup.[29] Having taken the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa, the Frenchman and his teammates ended up winning the championship at the end of the year, beating out Antonio Fuoco by a mere two points.[30][31][32]
During the same year, Gounon raced in the ADAC GT Masters alongside junior driver Fabian Schiller.[33] The pair finished third in the standings, amassing four wins and a further podium.[34]
2023
Having switched to an Andorran racing license at the start of 2023,[35] Gounon began the campaign in fine style, grabbing a class victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona and following that up by winning the Bathurst 12 Hour race outright for a record-breaking third year in a row,[36] despite racing alongside an amateur driver in the form of Kenny Habul.[37][38][39] Gounon later apologised to fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Maro Engel, with whom he had collided merely half an hour before the finish.[40]
Racing record
Racing career summary
* Season still in progress.
Complete French F4 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 8 |
VDV 2 4 |
VDV 3 11 |
MAG 1 1 |
MAG 2 1 |
MAG 3 1 |
LÉD 1 1 |
LÉD 2 14 |
LÉD 3 1 |
LEC 1 3 |
LEC 2 2 |
LEC 3 7 |
2nd | 236.5 |
Complete ADAC GT Masters results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Callaway Competition | Corvette C7 GT3-R | OSC 1 7 |
OSC 2 Ret |
SAC 1 4 |
SAC 2 1 |
LAU 1 4 |
LAU 2 1 |
RBR 1 3 |
RBR 2 1 |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 Ret |
ZAN 1 8 |
ZAN 2 5 |
HOC 1 6 |
HOC 2 Ret |
3rd | 152 |
2017 | Callaway Competition | Corvette C7 GT3-R | OSC 1 Ret |
OSC 2 2 |
LAU 1 5 |
LAU 2 4 |
RBR 1 1 |
RBR 2 3 |
ZAN 1 1 |
ZAN 2 6 |
NÜR 1 5 |
NÜR 2 8 |
SAC 1 8 |
SAC 2 Ret |
HOC 1 1 |
HOC 2 2 |
1st | 174 |
2021 | Team Zakspeed Mobil Krankenkasse Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | OSC 1 15 |
OSC 2 4 |
RBR 1 13 |
RBR 2 8 |
ZAN 1 8 |
ZAN 2 5 |
LAU 1 Ret |
LAU 2 1 |
SAC 1 9 |
SAC 2 1 |
HOC 1 10 |
HOC 2 5 |
NÜR 1 19 |
NÜR 2 6 |
6th | 136 |
2022 | Drago Racing Team zvo | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | OSC 1 13 |
OSC 2 12 |
RBR 1 12 |
RBR 2 12 |
ZAN 1 Ret |
ZAN 2 7 |
NÜR 1 32 |
NÜR 2 13 |
LAU 1 17 |
LAU 2 10 |
SAC 1 12 |
SAC 2 Ret |
HOC 1 163 |
HOC 2 13 |
3rd | 153 |
* Season still in progress.
Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | Konrad Motorsport | Lamborghini Huracán GT3 | Pro | MNZ Ret |
SIL 24 |
LEC | NC | 0 | ||||
Pro-Am | SPA 6H 28 |
SPA 12H 29 |
SPA 24H 30 |
NÜR 27 |
37th | 6 | ||||||
2017 | AKKA ASP | Mercedes-AMG GT3 | Pro-Am | MNZ 17 |
SIL 22 |
LEC 15 |
CAT 36 |
9th | 46 | |||
Audi Sport Team Saintéloc | Audi R8 LMS | Pro | SPA 6H 7 |
SPA 12H 13 |
SPA 24H 1 |
11th | 28 | |||||
2018 | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley Continental GT3 | Pro | MNZ 24 |
SIL 21 |
LEC 2 |
SPA 6H 11 |
SPA 12H 5 |
SPA 24H 25 |
CAT 21 |
14th | 29 |
2019 | Bentley Team M-Sport | Bentley Continental GT3 | Pro | MNZ 12 |
SIL 12 |
LEC 1 |
SPA 6H 16 |
SPA 12H 28 |
SPA 24H 49 |
CAT 3 |
4th | 49 |
2020 | Bentley K-PAX Racing | Bentley Continental GT3 | Pro | IMO 30 |
NÜR Ret |
SPA 6H 10 |
SPA 12H 5 |
SPA 24H 10 |
LEC Ret |
23rd | 6 | |
2021 | AKKA ASP Team | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Pro | MNZ 2 |
LEC 6 |
SPA 6H 8 |
SPA 12H 4 |
SPA 24H Ret |
NÜR 2 |
CAT 1 |
2nd | 79 |
2022 | AKKodis ASP Team | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Pro | IMO 2 |
LEC 3 |
SPA 6H 3 |
SPA 12H 3 |
SPA 24H 1 |
HOC 40† |
CAT 5 |
1st | 89 |
2023 | AKKodis ASP Team | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Pro | MNZ Ret |
LEC 1 |
SPA 6H 3 |
SPA 12H 2 |
SPA 24H 2 |
NÜR 1 |
CAT 5 |
1st | 104 |
*Season still in progress.
Complete Super GT results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap; small number denotes the finishing position)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | EIcars Bentley | Bentley Continental GT3 | GT300 | OKA | FUJ | SUZ | CHA | FUJ 13 |
SUG | AUT | MOT | NC | 0 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro |
329 | 40th | 11th |
2020 | ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Pro |
339 | 23rd | 4th |
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Montaplast by Land-Motorsport | GTD | Audi R8 LMS | Audi 5.2 L V10 | DAY 2 |
SEB 4 |
LBH |
AUS |
BEL |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
LGA |
PET |
41st | 60 |
2020 | Michael Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian | GTD | Acura NSX GT3 | Acura 3.5 L Turbo V6 | DAY 10 |
DAY |
SEB |
ELK |
VIR |
ATL |
MDO |
CLT |
PET |
LGA |
SEB |
51st | 21 | |
2021 | Risi Competizione | GTLM | Ferrari 488 GTE | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | DAY 4 |
SEB |
DET |
WGL |
WGL |
LIM |
ELK |
LGA |
LBH |
VIR |
PET |
13th | 308 | |
2022 | WeatherTech Racing | GTD Pro | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY 11 |
SEB 3 |
LBH | LGA | WGL | MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
PET |
19th | 542 | ||
GTD | DAY | SEB | LBH | LGA |
MID | DET | WGL |
MOS |
LIM 7 |
ELK |
VIR 6 |
PET |
39th | 533 | ||||
2023 | WeatherTech Racing | GTD Pro | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8 | DAY 1 |
SEB 3 |
LBH 5 |
MON |
WGL |
MOS |
LIM |
ELK |
VIR |
IMS |
PET |
2nd* | 994* |
Complete British GT Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | RAM Racing | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | GT3 | OUL 1 2 |
OUL 2 3 |
SIL 1 |
DON 1 |
SNE 1 |
SNE 2 |
SPA 1 3 |
BRH 1 |
DON 1 2 |
5th | 92.5 |
2023 | 2 Seas Motorsport | Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo | GT3 | OUL 1 4 |
OUL 2 1 |
SIL 1 7 |
DON 1 3 |
SNE 1 7 |
SNE 2 3 |
ALG 1 |
BRH 1 4 |
DON 1 |
4th* | 107.5* |
† Driver did not finish, but was classified as he completed 90% race distance.
* Season still in progress.
References
- "Bentley takes comprehensive win in Bathurst 12 Hour". Speedcafe. 2 February 2020.
- O'Brien, Connor (15 May 2022). "Gounon leads SunEnergy1 Racing to Bathurst 12 Hour glory". Speedcafe. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- Businaro, Martin (9 July 2014). "Course de leur vie #36 Jean-Marc Gounon, France 1994". f1i.com (in French). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- "08/11/11 CNRF: La réussite de l'année !". kartcom.com (in French). 8 November 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- Gauthier, Stéphane (28 October 2012). "Jules Gounon remporte la finale Internationale IAME". racingforever.org (in French). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- "French F4 Championship 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- "JULES GOUNON: ESPOIR PORSCHE CARRERA CUP 2015". autonewsinfo.com (in French). 24 November 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- "PORSCHE CARRERA CUP. AU VAL DE VIENNE, 1ers SUCCES POUR GOUNON ET JAMINET". autonewsinfo.com (in French). 6 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- "ADAC GT Masters - Gounon avec Callaway". autohebdo.fr (in French). 6 April 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Schwerer Unfall von Jules Gounon im ADAC GT Masters-Finale in Hockenheim". motorsport-magazin.com (in German). 2 October 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Jensen, Jens (23 March 2017). "Callaway Competition with one car in ADAC GT Masters". racing24-7.net. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Callaway & Grasser Star At Red Bull Ring". dailysportscar.com. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Runschke, Oliver (22 July 2017). "Win for Corvette duo of Gounon and van der Zande at Zandvoort". automobilsport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Runschke, Oliver (23 September 2017). "Jules Gounon is the 2017 ADAC GT Masters champion". automobilsport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Hockenheim, Course 1 : Jules Gounon (Corvette) vainqueur et Champion 2017". endurance-info.com (in French). 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "24h de Spa - Jules Gounon pilote officiel Audi". autohebdo.fr (in French). 15 June 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Watkins, Gary (30 July 2017). "Sainteloc Racing Audi comes from a lap down to win Spa 24 Hours". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Spa 24 Hours: Winkelhock, Hasse & Gounon Win In Sainteloc Audi". dailysportscar.com. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Newbold, James (15 December 2017). "Bentley signs Jules Gounon to replace Oliver Jarvis in 2018". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Lickorish, Stephen (2 June 2018). "Blancpain GT Paul Ricard: Costa grabs Lexus's first win on last lap". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Castaldi, Gauthier (28 July 2017). "24 Heures de Spa : Gounon défend son bien". ledauphine.com (in French). Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- O'Connell, R.J. (5 April 2018). "Jules Gounon joins EIcars Bentley for Fuji 500 Miles". supergtworld.wordpress.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Mercier, Laurent (9 November 2018). "Jules Gounon (Bentley Team M-Sport) : "L'intensité des courses GT3 est incroyable"". endurance-info.com (in French). Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Giordmaina, Jack (1 June 2019). "Bentley takes pole for Paul Ricard Blancpain GT Endurance Cup race". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Giordmaina, Jack (1 June 2019). "Ricard Blancpain GT: Bentley makes up for 2018 heartbreak with win". autosport.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Euwema, Davey (8 April 2019). "Oliver Jarvis and Jules Gounon complete Risi Competizione Le Mans line-up". motorsportweek.com. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- "Post Race Report from Risi Competizione – 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans". motegiracing.com. 16 June 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
- Lloyd, Daniel (20 February 2021). "New Mercedes Signings Join Marciello at AKKA-ASP". sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- Lloyd, Daniel (30 March 2022). "AKKA-ASP Rebrands as Akkodis ASP Team". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- "The 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa in facts and figures". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- "Spa 24 Hours: Mercedes takes first win since 2013". www.autosport.com. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- "Akkodis ASP clinches Fanatec GT Endurance title double as Dinamic Motorsport Porsche wins dramatic Barcelona finale". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2 October 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- Plümer, Jonas (27 February 2022). "ADAC GT Masters: Gounon und Schiller für das Drago Racing Team ZVO" [ADAC GT Masters: Gounon and Schiller for Drago Racing Team ZVO]. gt-place.com (in German). Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- "ADAC GT Masters Hockenheim 2022: Gounon-Rehabilitation mit Außen-Move". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- Lloyd, Daniel (2 January 2023). "Weekly Racing Roundup (1.2.23)". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup champion Jules Gounon has switched to an Andorran racing license after previously driving under the French flag.
- "Final hour masterclass from Gounon takes defending champions to another crown". Western Advocate. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- Plümer, Jonas (29 January 2023). "WeatherTech Racing gewinnt 24h Daytona in GTD Pro". gt-place.com (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- "Class win for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport in Rolex 24 At Daytona". customerracing.mercedes-amg.com. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- "12h Bathurst 2023: Mercedes-AMG von ASP siegt nach Mamba-Rammstoß". Motorsport-Total.com (in German). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- Smy, Damion (5 February 2023). "Bathurst 12 Hour winner says 'sorry'". Speedcafe. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
External links

- Jules Gounon on Instagram
- Jules Gounon career summary at DriverDB.com