Gounon Accuses Van Der Linde of “Bulls*** Driving” After Hit

Jules Gounon has accused Kelvin van der Linde of “bulls*** driving” as the two drivers made contact while fighting for the lead late in the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

The 75 Express Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo that Gounon shared with Kenny Habul and Luca Stolz looked to be in a strong position to claim victory heading into the closing stages of the Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener, until the ninth and final safety car period changed the strategic complexion of the race.

Van der Linde’s No. 32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO had been among the cars at the tail end of the lead lap runners to top off with fuel at the previous caution, and as such didn’t need to stop for fuel as Gounon and others made their final stops early in the final hour.

It set up a showdown with van der Linde leading Gounon at the final restart with 40 minutes left on the clock, but the two drivers made contact as Gounon tried to dive up the inside of van der Linde at Turn 1.

That flashpoint allowed the eventual race-winning GruppeM Mercedes-AMG into a lead it wouldn’t lose, while Gounon and van der Linde both slid down the order due to damage, with van der Linde also receiving a black-and-orange flag.

Speaking to Sportscar365 after finishing seventh, Gounon made it clear he felt van der Linde was responsible for the incident.

“For me it’s clear that the FIA regulations say wherever we race in the world that you can move only once under braking,” said Gounon. “He moved once on the straight, to the left, and moved back to the right. 

“I thought I had my chance because I had a very good restart, and with the power of the BMW it’s very hard to pass them.

“I went for a move, he saw it, he reacted, went to the inside, but I was already on the ABS and I could do nothing other than hit him. 

“For me it’s very unfair driving, and it’s such a shame to lose the win like this.”

Neither Gounon nor van der Linde, who ended up 13th together with co-drivers Charles Weerts and Jordan Pepper, were penalized for the contact.

Gounon added: “At the end of the race he destroyed both of our races. It’s just bulls*** driving from his side like he always does. Today it cost us the victory.”

Van der Linde: No Regrets About Defensive Move

For his part, van der Linde told Sportscar365 that he felt justified taking a risk to defend the lead given the relatively weak strategic position of his BMW, which was running on old tires and with less fuel on board after its earlier strategic gambit.

It followed the No. 32 crew going off the lead lap early on after contact on the first lap, as well as collecting debris from the kangaroo strike that claimed the HRT Ford Mustang GT3 of Christopher Mies in the opening hour.

“We are fighting for one of the biggest endurance races on the calendar and we took a massive risk to get our car there,” said van der Linde.

“To be honest, I expected [Gounon] to know he had fresher tires, probably a much faster car at that point in the race. I didn’t expect him to go all in on Turn 1.”

Asked whether he could have hung on to the lead had he survived Turn 1 with the lead intact, van der Linde replied: “It’s hard to say. We took a gamble. 

“We had old tires, everyone else had new tires, and I had to fuel save more.

“Realistically, our chances were about 15 percent, but you have to take it for such a big race.”

Van der Linde said that the third-place finish claimed by the sister No. 46 BMW of Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello and Valentino Rossi was roughly indicative of where the No. 32 car might have ended up with a clean run.

“With the calibre of the field this year, you can’t afford any hiccups, you have to be on it for 12 hours,” he said.

“The No. 46 car had close to a perfect race, and it wasn’t enough for a win in the end. It was a clever thing to split us. 

“It brought us in the position where we could fight for it, but in the end it only lasted a corner, which is a shame. At least we can go home saying we tried.”

John Dagys contributed to this report