Kenny Habul

Kenny Charles Edward Habul (born on 24 May 1973) is an Australian race car driver and a businessman. Born in Sydney, Australia, a former resident of Etadick, Ontario, Greenwich, CT, and a current resident of Mooresville, North Carolina, he is the president and CEO of SunEnergy1.^[1] He has competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the V8 Supercar Development Series, the Australian Formula 3 Championship, the CASCAR Super Series, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series.^[2] In 2018, he won the inaugural Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers' title.^[3] He won the 2022 and 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour with his SunEnergy1 Racing team.^[4]

Kenny Habul
Habul celebrating the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers' title at Laguna Seca
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1973-05-24) 24 May 1973 (age 51) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Racing licence	FIA Bronze
Achievements	2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers' Champion 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers' Champion 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge and 2022 Intercontinental GT Challenge Pro Am Drivers Champion
Awards	2022 Bathurst 12 Hour and 2023 Bathurst 12 Hour Outright Winner
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
15 races run over 4 years
2016 position	53rd
Best finish	44th (2014)
First race	2012 Sargento 200 (Road America)
Last race	2016 Road America 180 (Road America)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
2013 position	108th
First race	2013 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 0 0
NASCAR Canada Series career
7 races run over 2 years
Best finish	27th (2006)
First race	2005 ATTO 100 (Toronto)
Last race	2006 CASCAR 100 (Montreal)
Wins Top tens Poles 0 2 0
Statistics current as of 27 August 2016.

Racing career

Introduction

Habul started his racing career with karting at the age of six.^[5] His following career included racing in Formula Ford, Formula 3, V8 Supercars, CASCAR, NASCAR Trucks, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He also competed in the 2018 Bathurst 12-hour where he finished second outright. That race was the first in four endurance events for the year that made up the Intercontinental GT Challenge. After Bathurst, he headed to the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps where he claimed another podium in the Bronze Driver class, before sealing a second Bronze driver win at the Suzuka 10 Hours in Japan in August. Habul wrapped up the inaugural Bronze driver title at the final round at Laguna Seca in California in October.

Formula Ford

In 1998, after spending several years establishing his business career, Habul returned to racing in the Australian Formula Ford championship. The following year, Habul scored his first category podium in a qualifying sprint support race at the Gold Coast Indy 300 on the streets of Surfers Paradise in Queensland. He finished third behind 2014 IndyCar Champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner, Will Power and Bathurst 1000 podium-getter, Steve Owen.^[6]

Formula 3

In 2002, Habul moved to Formula 3 and competed in support races at the Gold Coast Indy 300. In the following season, Habul contested most of the championship rounds, finishing ninth outright in the national championship.^[7][8]

CASCAR

After moving to Ontario, Habul began racing stock cars, competing in the CASCAR Super Series. In 2005, Habul contested three rounds of the series recording a best result of 10th.^[9] Before the series was purchased by NASCAR in 2007, Habul recorded a career best of third.^[10]

Xfinity Series

After making six starts in the Nationwide Series in 2012 and 2013, in June 2014 Habul announced that he had signed with Joe Gibbs Racing to drive a SunEnergy1-sponsored car in the series' events at Road America and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course that year.^[11]

Habul joined JR Motorsports in 2016 to compete in the road course races. Additionally, SunEnergy1 sponsored him and Josh Berry in the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro,^[12] while also sponsoring Chase Elliott in the Sprint Cup Series.^[13]

Camping World Truck Series

On 6 April 2013, Habul made his Camping World Truck Series debut with RSS Racing, driving the No. 93 Chevrolet Silverado at Martinsville.^{[citation needed]}

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

In 2016, Habul started his own team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Driving in the GTD series, Habul started 2017 by winning the pole in his class for the 12 Hours of Sebring.^[14]

In 2018, Kabul continued his IMSA campaign by competing in the Rolex 24hr Daytona in January, finishing 8th.^{[citation needed]} For the Belle Isle race, Habul teamed up with Bernd Schneider.^[15] The pair finished the weekend in 8th.^[16]

Intercontinental GT Challenge

Kenny Habul after winning the Bronze Drivers' title Intercontinental GT Challenge

In 2018 Habul entered the Intercontinental GT Challenge in the Bronze category, starting the season at the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in February, where he finished on the podium with co-drivers Jamie Whincup, Vautier, and Raffaele Marciello.^{[citation needed]} At the 24 Hours of Spa he finished 20th overall and 3rd in the Pro-Am class with co-drivers Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jaeger, and Martin Konrad.^{[citation needed]} He then won his class in the Suzuka 10 Hours, finishing 10th overall with co-drivers Mikaël Grenier and Luca Stolz for the 10 hour race;^{[citation needed]} the same co-drivers joined Habul for the season finale 8-hour event at Laguna Seca Raceway, where after spending two hours repairing damage in the pits Habul clinched the Bronze Driver Championship title with a 27th place overall finish, fourth in class^[17] In 2022, Habul won the 2022 Bathurst 12 Hour, driving with Konrad, Stolz and Jules Gounon.^[4]

Personal life and awards

Habul attended Merrimac High School, and then received a law degree from Bond University.^[18]

In 2011, North Carolina State House Representative Ruth Samuelson awarded Habul with recognition on behalf of the NC Solar Center. He was also presented with the Energy Leadership Award in 2012 by the Charlotte Business Journal.^[19] On 18 December 2010, Habul was commissioned a Palmetto Patriot by the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Andre Bauer. At the same ceremony Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning and NASCAR Legends David Pearson, Bud Moore, Cale Yarborough and Cotton Owners, all South Carolina natives, were also honoured.^[20]

Music

Habul is credited as a co-composer, along with Zac Brown, Niko Moon and Ben Simonetti for the song Your Majesty, which appears as the eighth track on the Zac Brown Band's 2017 album, Welcome Home.^[21]

Philanthropy

Habul and SunEnergy1 started a relationship with Feed the Children in 2015 in a drive to provide 1,000 Elizabeth City-area families with food and essentials through the Albemarle Food Pantry.^[22]

Images

• 

• 
  The SunEnergy1 Mercedes Benz at Rolex 24 at Daytona.
• 
  The SunEnergy1 Mercedes Benz at COTA.
• 
  2016 Xfinity Series car at Road America
• 
  NASCAR driver Kenny Habul at the 2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 Nationwide race at Road America.
• 
  The SunEnergy1 Mercedes-AMG in action

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	NXSC	Pts	Ref
2012	SunEnergy1 Racing	75	Toyota	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	RCH	TAL	DAR	IOW	CLT	DOV	MCH	ROA 16	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW	GLN 20	CGV 34	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM	55th	62	[23]
2013				DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	RCH	TAL	DAR	CLT	DOV	IOW	MCH	ROA 18	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW	GLN 34	MOH 26	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM	56th	54	[24]
2014	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	Toyota	DAY	PHO	LVS	BRI	CAL	TEX	DAR	RCH	TAL	IOW	CLT	DOV	MCH	ROA 14	KEN	DAY	NHA	CHI	IND	IOW		MOH 31	BRI	ATL	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	KAN	CLT	TEX	PHO	HOM	44th	61	[25]
	SunEnergy1 Racing	75	Toyota																					GLN 26
2015	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	Toyota	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	IOW	CLT	DOV	MCH	CHI	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW	GLN 29	MOH 28	BRI	ROA 14	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM	49th	61	[26]
2016	JR Motorsports	88	Chevy	DAY	ATL	LVS	PHO	CAL	TEX	BRI	RCH	TAL	DOV	CLT	POC	MCH	IOW	DAY	KEN	NHA	IND	IOW	GLN 17	MOH 36	BRI	ROA 34	DAR	RCH	CHI	KEN	DOV	CLT	KAN	TEX	PHO	HOM	53rd	36	[27]

Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	NCWTC	Pts	Ref
2013	SunEnergy1 Racing	93	Toyota	DAY	MAR 26	CAR	KAN	CLT	DOV	TEX	KEN	IOW	ELD	POC	MCH	BRI	MSP	IOW	CHI	LVS	TAL	MAR	TEX	PHO	HOM	108th	01	[28]

^* Season still in progress
¹ Ineligible for series points

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Team	Make	Engine	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pos.	Pts
2016	Stevenson Motorsports	Audi R8 LMS	Audi 5.2 V10	GTD	DAY 7	SEB	LAG	DET	WGL	MOS	LRP	ROA	VIR	COA	PET		47th	25
2017	SunEnergy1 Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD	DAY 18	SEB 3	LBH	COA 3	DET 15	WGL 15	MOS 13	LRP	ROA 12	VIR 16	LAG 12	PET 16	20th	192
2018	SunEnergy1 Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD	DAY 8	SEB 10	MOH 12	DET 8	WGL 8	MOS	LRP	ROA	VIR	LAG	PET		18th	109
2021	SunEnergy1 Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD	DAY 2	SEB 9	MDO	DET 10	WGL 14	WGL	LIM	ELK	LGA	LBH	VIR	PET	30th	778
2022	SunEnergy1	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD	DAY 21	SEB	LBH	LGA	MDO	DET	WGL	MOS	LIM	ELK	VIR	PET	70th	128
2023	SunEnergy1	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD	DAY 22	SEB	LBH	MON	WGL	MOS	LIM	ELK	VIR	IMS	PET		68th	125
2024	SunEnergy1 Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8	GTD Pro	DAY 13	SEB	LGA	DET	WGL	MOS	ELK	VIR	IMS	ATL			13th*	201*

*Season still in progress.

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class pos.
2018	SunEnergy1 Racing	Raffaele Marciello Tristan Vautier Jamie Whincup	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	271	2nd	2nd
2019	SunEnergy1 Racing	Dominik Baumann Thomas Jäger	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	204	DNF	DNF
2020	SunEnergy1 Racing	Dominik Baumann Martin Konrad David Reynolds	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Pro-Am	290	20th	4th
2022	SunEnergy1 Racing	Jules Gounon Martin Konrad Luca Stolz	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Pro-Am	291	1st	1st
2023	SunEnergy1 Racing	Jules Gounon Luca Stolz	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Pro	323	1st	1st
2024	SunEnergy1 Racing	Jules Gounon Luca Stolz	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Pro	275	2nd	2nd

Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results

Year	Team	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	Pos.	Pts
2018	SunEnergy1 Racing	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	ZOL 1	ZOL 2	BRH 1	BRH 2	MIS 1	MIS 2	HUN 1 15	HUN 2 DNS	NÜR 1	NÜR 2	5th	16.5

Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results

Year	Car	Class	1	2	3	4	5	Pos.	Pts
2018	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Bronze	BAT 2	SPA 8	SUZ 10	LUG 13		1st	83
2019	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Bronze	BAT Ret	LUG	SPA	SUZ 12	KYL	1st	25
2020	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	BAT 13	IND 9	SPA	SUZ C	KYL	20th	2
2021	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	BAT C	SPA	IND 8	KYL 7		1st	50
2022	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro-Am	BAT 1	SPA 28	IND 7	KYL		1st	65
2023	Mercedes-AMG GT3	Pro	BAT 1	KYL 3	SPA	IND	GUL NC	11th	40

References

1. Brown, Dominic. "Solar Energy Promises New Jobs In The East Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine". 30 January 2012. New Bern, NC: WCTI-TV. Accessed 11 August 2013.
2. Stabley, Susan. "Mooresville mansion with a green mission". 14 September 2009. Charlotte, NC: Charlotte Business Journal. Accessed 11 August 2013.
3. "Habul seals Intercontinental GT Challenge title – Speedcafe". Speedcafe. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
4. O'Brien, Connor (15 May 2022). "Gounon leads SunEnergy1 Racing to Bathurst 12 Hour glory". Speedcafe. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
5. "Switched On | Ocean Road Magazine | Home Page". Ocean Road Magazine | Home Page. 7 October 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
6. "NatSoft". NatSoft.
7. "Kenny Habul | Racing career profile | Driver Database". driverdb.com. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
8. "Formula 3 Australia – The Official Site". 2 December 2003. Archived from the original on 2 December 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
9. "CASCAR Super Series Results for 2005 – Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
10. "CASCAR Super Series Results for 2006 – Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
11. "SunEnergy1 sponsors Nationwide races for Joe Gibbs Racing". Comox Valley Echo. Courtenay, British Columbia. 6 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
12. "SunEnergy1 to Sponsor JR Motorsports' No. 88 Entry in Five NXS Events". JR Motorsports. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
13. "SunEnergy1 to Sponsor Elliott". Motor Racing Network. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
14. "No. 75 SunEnergy1 Racing". motorsportsnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 28 March 2017.
15. "Mercedes great Schneider 'felt like a rookie' in IMSA cameo". RACER. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
16. "WORLD WRAP: Campbell heads GTE-Am field in Le Mans test – Speedcafe". speedcafe.com. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
17. "Audi, Aussie on top at Laguna Seca – Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour". Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
18. "Habul conquers the mountain like hero Brock". Bond University. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
19. "CBJ Energy Leadership Award nominations close next week". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
20. "NASCAR Legends Honored with Prestigious Palmetto Patriot Award – Darlington Raceway". darlingtonraceway.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2018.
21. "Welcome Home – Zac Brown Band, Zac Brown | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
22. Children, Feed the. "Kenny Habul Partners with Feed the Children to Bring Hope to Elizabeth City Residents". Feed the Children. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
23. "Kenny Habul – 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
24. "Kenny Habul – 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
25. "Kenny Habul – 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
26. "Kenny Habul – 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
27. "Kenny Habul – 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
28. "Kenny Habul – 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 April 2023.

External links

• Kenny Habul driver statistics at Racing-Reference