Mount Panorama and Jules Gounon are almost always mentioned in the same sentence. The connection between the circuit and the driver is something truly special. Once again, Gounon is travelling to Bathurst to push his records there to an even higher level.

This weekend, the Bathurst 12 Hour will be held once again at Mount Panorama in Australia. In recent years, Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul and Luca Stolz have been the stars of the show. They won the race in 2022 and 2023, and secured five consecutive podium finishes in the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Gounon also won in 2020, with Jordan Pepper and Maxime Soulet in the Bentley Continental GT3.

The Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver just returned from Dubai and Daytona and is looking forward to come back to Bathurst. What is the secret to being “Gounon-level” fast there? “Well, there are a lot of very fast drivers there. It wouldn’t be very humble to think that you own the place!” Gounon says with a laugh in an interview with GT REPORT.

“I definitely don’t own Mount Panorama, but I owe the circuit a lot of gratitude. The mountain has been very kind to me,” he continues. “The record over the past five years, with three wins and five podiums, is simply incredible.”

The Frenchman, who races under the umbrella of Andorra, already felt a special connection with Mount Panorama in his first year. “I always try to fly in a bit earlier. It’s very unique to drive there from Sydney. You also get to spend a few days at Bondi Beach. I love the country and the people there.”

Racing junkies like Gounon, Habul and Stolz live for Bathurst moments

According to Gounon, Bathurst and Mount Panorama have features you won’t find elsewhere. “You drive through the mountains and then, from 10 or 15 kilometres away, you see Mount Panorama. Every year when I go there, I get goosebumps, because there’s a kind of aura around this place.”

This year, he is teaming up again with Habul and Stolz on the #75 Mercedes-AMG GT3 of 75 Express. “Kenny has his house near the mountains, almost within the circuit. Every year in the evenings we go there together with Luca. Sometimes we even walk the track and just try to be grateful. There’s really something special about places like Bathurst, the Nürburgring and Le Mans,” Gounon explains.

The trio shares a close bond, which adds even more emotional weight to a weekend and a race like that. “I still remember winning that crazy race in 2023. The evening before our return flight, we said goodbye to each other and were almost in tears: f***, we did it again,” he says.

“That’s motorsport. You go to Daytona, you don’t finish the race, and you feel low. Then you win Bathurst and you’re on top of the world. That’s why we’re racing junkies, and we really live for those kinds of moments.”

Adding a fourth Bathurst victory

For Gounon, hardly any edition of the Bathurst 12 Hour has been anything but special. “Some moments are very rare, and you have to appreciate them. That certainly applies to me as well. In 2024, I set the lap record in the special Mercedes-AMG GT3 to link my name with the brand, that was something unique.”

It is clear that Gounon cannot wait to hit Australian asphalt again. After 2023, it’s time for a fourth victory, and he, Habul and Stolz are determined to put that one on their record as well.

“Every time I talk about Bathurst, I get goosebumps. That doesn’t happen with every place I go to. So I’m really, really looking forward to it.”

Photos by Stuart Bowling and David Gallagher

This is part two of our exclusive Jules Gounon interview. Read part one here, where Gounon looks back on Daytona, IMSA and DTM, and opens up on the challenge of mastering the Mercedes-AMG GT3 “Mamba”.