Shot at Bathurst history awaits SunEnergy1 team
06 Feb
KENNY HABUL’S SunEnergy1 Racing will attempt a rare Bathurst achievement when they return in search of a Repco Bathurst 1000 hat trick this February.
The ex-pat Aussie, now based north of New York in the United States, returns to the mountain with his Bathurst-winning co-drivers from 2022 and 2023 and will look to join his racing idol Peter Brock with a third straight Bathurst win.
No team has ever won the 12-Hour three times in a row in the GT3 era and only the dominant Mazda – in the Production Car era – achieved the feat in the early 1990s.
Jules Gounon and Luca Stolz return to the Mountain this year – though for Gounon his piece in Bathurst history is even stronger as the Frenchman seeks a fourth-straight win.
Gounon won with Bentley in 2020 and then backed that up with repeat wins with Habul’s squad in 2022 and last season – all three of them under incredible pressure.
His 2023 win set up a remarkable season that also saw him claim the Intercontinental GT Challenge title to add to his already remarkable CV that also includes a pair of Spa 24 Hour victories.
“I had a nice winter as the reigning IGTC champion. The title means a lot to me as it is something I worked to achieve for many years. You only reach it with consistent achievements in the world’s biggest and toughest races,” he said.
“This year, I would like to build on this success and drive four good races. But that will certainly be more difficult as the pressure is higher when you aren’t racing as an outsider. I hope for a good week at Bathurst. It is my undisputed favourite track and I can hardly wait to get back there.”
28 year old German Stolz has been the unsung hero of Habul’s Bathurst campaigns, however his workmanlike stints throughout each of the last two seasons have been key to their repeat success.
His own Bathurst track record is hugely impressive; alongside his pair of wins in Kenny’s Mercedes, he was third with Black Swann Racing aboard a Porsche in 2018, and finished fifth with Craft-Bamboo Racing in 2020.
“I am totally happy to return to Mount Panorama Circuit. For me, the race at Bathurst is always a highlight on the calendar,” he said.
“The track suits me very much and the scenery is simply mega. Together with Jules and Kenny, I was able to win the race the past two years. Of course, we will do everything to achieve the third consecutive win.”
Habul’s team will look the same this year in terms of car, driver and livery, however behind the scenes the Aussie has changed the way he actually runs his racing cars.
In the past, the SunEnergy1 outfit would link with another squad to actually run the cars; at Bathurst last year it was the experienced Akkodis ASP team that helped deliver them victory.
This year, however, Habul has set up his own shop to field his cars in both global GT3 races and IMSA competition in the United States.
Bathurst’s enduro classic will also mark his first race at home since his massive crash at Spa Francorchamps last year as his team practiced for the annual 24-hour classic.
Habul returned to the seat late last year in the Gulf 12 Hours in Abu Dhabi, finishing 16th outright and 7th in the Pro-Am class.
He then contested last week’s Daytona 24 Hour enduro in Florida, the SunEnergy1 GTD Pro entry he shared with Gounon, Stolz and Maro Engel failing to finish after 193 laps.
