12 HOUR WINNERS ‘SPEECHLESS’

The Bathurst 12 Hour winning drivers have let their emotions spill out after achieving a hard-earned triumph in the Mount Panorama enduro.

Jules Gounon, Kenny Habul, Luca Stolz and Martin Konrad drove the #75 SunEnergy1 Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 to a convincing victory as Mercedes-AMG machines finished 1-2-3.

The win was particularly special for Habul, who knew ‘King of the Mountain’ Peter Brock as a personal mentor and inspiration.

“I’m speechless. I’ve got half a woody I’m so excited,” Habul said.

“Brocky was so good to me when I was a kid, I had a rough childhood and he took me in and he looked after me when I was 13, 14. He’s such an incredible inspiration in my life.

“Thanks to Mercedes AMG, thanks to the mountain, thanks to the town of Bathurst for this, thanks to Australia for having the best race.

“I’ve been everywhere I’ve done Spa, Suzuka, Hungary wherever I mean, this is the greatest track in the world and the most difficult.”

Gounon has now gone back-to-back in Australia’s international endurance race, but that did not make this time around any less meaningful.

“This is so iconic, I’m so proud to be here and now we win, amazing,” Gounon said.

“Thanks to Mercedes, the team, Triple Eight, amazing. I’m really, really, really happy.

“Triple Eight are so professional, their checklists and stuff, I’m not surprised they are so successful in everything they do. I was really impressed by their work.”

Speaking on the final stint in which he maintained a sub-10s margin over Maro Engel in the Craft-Bamboo Racing machine, Gounon expressed that determination got him across the line.

“I was pushing a lot, Maro also, it was very difficult,” Gounon recounted.

“It was the first one that’s gonna give up but I never give up.

“I’m so happy for Kenny, Martin and Luca who were fantastic today.

“It was crazy weather when I was driving I was like this is a remake of 2020, please no rain, I was looking at the clouds.”

Triple Eight Race Engineering rounded out the podium, Shane van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney and Prince Jefri Ibrahim scoring themselves some silverware in the #888 Mercedes-AMG.

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