EIcars Bentley have announced that Jules Gounon, Bentley Motorsport factory driver, will join the team for this August’s revival of the Fuji GT 500 Mile Race, the fifth round of the 2018 Autobacs Super GT Series, on 4-5 August at Fuji Speedway.
The 23-year-old Frenchman tested the #117 Bentley Continental GT3 at the pre-season test at Fuji Speedway in preparation for his Super GT debut later this year.
“The Fuji test was fantastic, and a great opportunity to discover Japan, the circuit and championship, all of which are completely new to me,” said Gounon.
“It was amazing to see so many fans there just for a test as well as the wide variety of cars, which are very well prepared. It’s no surprise that Super GT is such a tough series. The test itself went really well and, from what I saw over the two days, it’s also clear what a professional outfit EIcars Bentley are.”
In reference to his teammates Yuji Ide and Ryohei Sakaguchi, Gounon commented: “My two co-drivers are also really quick so hopefully we can build towards a good result together at Fuji later this year.”
The son of former F1 and Le Mans driver Jean-Marc, Jules Gounon enjoyed his breakout campaign last year when he won both the ADAC GT Masters Championship for Callaway Competition, and the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for Audi Sport.
“Not only us, but our team members and also many Japanese race fans look forward to seeing the Bentley return and will welcome Jules in August. I think we will get some good results this year,” said EIcars’ lead driver Ide, a former winner in both GT500 and GT300 classes.
Gounon will compete for Bentley Team M-Sport in the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, and the Intercontinental GT Challenge – including the Suzuka 10 Hours later in August.
He’ll test with the team again on 16-17 April at Suzuka Circuit.
Super GT World 