Gounon Rejoins SunEnergy1 at Kyalami

Jules Gounon will contest the upcoming Kyalami 9 Hour with SunEnergy1 Racing, competing alongside fellow Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour winner Kenny Habul.

Gounon and Habul will pilot the SPS Automotive Performance-operated Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, which is entered into the Pro-Am class.

A third driver for the team is yet to be confirmed, although Habul told Sportscar365 at Bathurst that Martin Konrad is set to contest the remainder of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli season with the team.

Habul also named Philip Ellis as part of the lineup, although the German-born driver appears to have been ruled out.

Luca Stolz, who teamed with Gounon and Habul to secure victory at Bathurst a few weeks ago, has been moved across to a second SPS entry. The German driver will share driving duties with Reece Barr and Miguel Ramos.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Maro Engel, Mikael Grenier and Raffaele Marciello reunite at GruppeM Racing to form Mercedes-AMG’s sole Pro-class entry at the event.

The German manufacturer is further represented by the local Stradale Motorsport squad, fielding an all-South African lineup consisting of Charl Arangies, Arnold Neveling and Clint Weston.

“We were extremely successful in the 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge season, posting three wins in four races, taking the manufacturers’ title and claiming both drivers’ championships,” said Mercedes-AMG customer racing boss Stefan Wendl.

“We would obviously like to reprise this exceptionally good result in 2023.

“With the victory for SunEnergy1 Racing and third place for the Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing in the Bathurst 12 Hour, we have got the new season off to a highly successful start.

“This gives us cause for optimism going into the upcoming Kyalami 9 Hour; it’s a race that we also won the last time it was held.

“We wish our Customer Racing teams all good fortune in South Africa and look forward to an exciting weekend.”