Gounon ‘heartbroken’, insists he had to ‘go for it’ in fateful clash

A “heartbroken” Jules Gounon maintains he had to “go for it” on Kelvin van der Linde in the defining moment of Sunday’s victory battle.

Gounon and van der Linde collided battling for the race lead on the final restart, handing the lead — and eventual victory — to Maxime Martin and Team GMR.

The combatants were divided over who was at fault, with Gounon — who was on course for a fourth Bathurst 12 Hour win — insisting van der Linde’s move was “unfair” given there was 40 minutes remaining on the clock.

Van der Linde, meanwhile, claimed Gounon was impatient, given the strategy situation between the two cars.

The #75 finished sixth, and the #32 13th after being forced to pit for repairs due to a mechanical black flag.

On social media, 75 Express driver Gounon doubled down on his claim that the #32 “reacted” to his move, but didn’t hide from his disappointment.

“Heartbroken,” Gounon wrote.

"The last two years, it feels like nothing has truly clicked. So many times we’ve had the pace, the potential, the pieces in place… and somehow it just hasn’t come together when it mattered most.

"Today felt different.

"We had the speed. The teamwork. The belief. Huge job by Kenny [Habul], Luca [Stolz] and the #75 Express crew, we put ourselves exactly where we needed to be.”

Gounon paid tribute to fellow Mercedes-AMG driver Ralf Aron, who was transported to a hospital in nearby Orange following the horrific crash that suspended the race.

On the van der Linde clash, Gounon added: "On the restart, I got a strong run on the #32 BMW and committed under braking to take the lead back. They reacted to my move, and with nowhere to go, contact was unavoidable. Knowing their straight-line strength, that was probably the window.

"Maybe I should have waited. Maybe I could have tried something different, Maybe a cross back, but in racing, it’s a millisecond decision and sometimes those are the ones that stay with you for a long time.

"But after the last couple of seasons, I couldn’t not go for it. I didn’t want to leave the mountain wondering what if.

"It hurts. Because we were right there.

"The mountain looked after us today, and that’s what matters most.

"Wishing @aronralf a speedy recovery."