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VANCOUVER, Canada (June 1, 2004) – Those who have watched Gunnar Jeannette racing in the Panoz LMP-01 may think he’s been a professional racer for a long time, but in fact it was 2000 when he began his career. His first race that year was the 24 Hours of Daytona in which he teamed with Paul Newman – the oldest and youngest drivers in the field paired up together. He followed that up with the 24 Heurs du Mans, where he made history as the youngest driver ever (he was 18) to complete that historic race. He impressed so well that in 2001 he returned with Freisinger Motorsports and finished second in class and 7th overall! He had a test with the Porsche Factory Team, but ended up with a contract as test driver for the Panoz Motorsports LMP team and was later promoted to a front seat drive which he handled with great good humor and natural flair. In 2003 he returned to Le Mans for the last hurrah of the Panoz LMP car and in one of the epic battles of the race, he diced with Jean-Mark Gounon’s Courage C 60-Judd, of Courage Competition for 45 thrill packed minutes to a well-earned P3. Gunnar will join us at Le Mans in 2004 in a Courage LMP2 car for Team Elite, before rejoining teammate David Saelens and the Panoz team at Mid-Ohio in the new GTLM. RFM caught him between acts for a little cross-exam on 2003 and a look at the year to come.

Margot Orenchuk: Describe to me a typical (racing) day: the demands on your time from media to the team to the driving.

Gunnar Jeanette: A normal day at the track for me would include, waking up early with the guys and going in to the track with them (unless we have an unusually late session or an unusually late night for that matter) having breakfast there and then maybe a meeting with some of the engineers to discuss the day/session plans or goals. Then it’d be out in the session get a read on everything that’s going on and have a debrief with everyone involved; normally our engineers, team manager, engine people, tire engineers. After that there might be some kind of media stuff to do, like an autograph session or doing some TV or radio spots and sometimes even some special events giving laps around the track in a Panoz racing school car or doing other wacky off the wall stuff. I try to fit lunch in here somewhere too, but sometimes that doesn’t even happen. If there is none of that to be done, I’ll normally hang with the mechanics and see what’s going on or cruise around the track and watch some of the support series. If it’s qualifying day and I’m in the car I like to find somewhere quiet and isolate myself before the session and just go over everything in my head and try to get everything sorted out before I even step into the car. This is pretty important for me. More debriefs and meetings follow and yada yada yada, try to have a good dinner for the next day, which is usually at the track with everyone else. Finally that’s followed by going back to the hotel, maybe going out with some friends if it’s not too late or even doing more PR stuff and then off to bed!

MO: What is you favorite off-track activity? What to you do with those few special precious FUN hours you get?

GJ: I really enjoy cycling, both mountain and road. While I’m spending time up in Georgia by Road Atlanta, I do a lot of mountain biking since there’s such great trails around the area, and when I’m back home in West Palm Beach I go out on group road rides with my friend Andy Jensen who’s an awesome cyclist.

Other than that some things that I love to do, but don’t get a lot of time to enjoy would have to be skydiving, karting, rock climbing, white water rafting, and pretty much anything else including speed and or nature. Oh did I mention chasing around pretty women?

MO: What has been your all-time favorite track? And why?

All time favorite track would have to be Watkins Glen, because it’s just so much fun to drive around. It’s in a very nice part of the world also, but overall it’s a great track to drive.

MO: Do you prefer endurance racing to sprint racing?

GJ: I have to say that I prefer endurance racing, there’s so much more that goes into it than a sprint race. The car has to work flawlessly for a very long time; all the drivers have to be very consistent and fast now since the cars are capable of running sprint pace for 24 hours. The fitness level of the drivers has to be higher than it would in a sprint race and the teams also. Plus its really cool racing through the night and watching the sun come up while you’re driving.

MO: What is the fastest you have ever driven on a street? And what car do you drive at home?

GJ: I honestly don’t know what the fastest I’ve ever driven on the street is, for sure it’s well over 100 mph but there isn’t a single event that I remember being the fastest. It’s probably in a race car though, we shakedown the race cars in Florida before they leave for an event on our street which we call the Westroads Grand Prix.

At home I’ve got a lovely little VW GTi337, which is a great car and I also have a Chevy S-10 truck.

MO: What is the funniest story you have about what has happened to you during a race weekend?

GJ: The funniest thing probably is my first year with Panoz Motorsports at the LeMans test in 2002. We had just finished the test day, which was also my 20th birthday, and we’re standing around in the garage and the whole team brings out a cake and singing happy birthday which was pretty cool I thought. Well Brabs is kind of leading it and right as they got to about the end he winds up and clocks me with this cake which is on a metal plate. It had such force that it knocked my glasses clean off and most of the cake flew right over me. I learned shortly there after that it’s a birthday tradition there to get hit with a cake.

MO: Tell me about the “bump” at Miami in (2003). What type of physical toll did that race take on you?

GJ: The bump at Miami was pretty interesting for sure, it took a while to figure the right line to drive over it, but once you did it was really enjoyable. It was kind of sketchy catching traffic coming up to it and stuff like that but overall I like it. A lot of people were bitching about it hardcore because all in all it was a bit dangerous, but when it came down to it, the bump gave some of the best pictures and TV in my opinion for the season and no one will forget about it. I wouldn’t be against doing something similar somewhere else!

MO: What is the one question you can’t stand being asked at this point by the media?

GJ: There really isn’t anything that stands out to me… but I do like the original interviews with strange and funny questions that rarely get asked.

MO: What is the one question you never get asked that you would like to be? And, please, answer it now.

GJ: Again, nothing really stands out.

MO: Do you have any rituals you do before a race? (that you can talk about!)?

GJ: There’s nothing that I’d really consider a ritual, but I do like to try to get some quiet time before all the madness starts. Also I like to find the cute grid girls and mess about with them before hopping in the car.

MO: What was the most special racing memory you have of 2003?

GJ: The two most special things of 2003 were of course finishing 3rd in class and 5th overall at LeMans with me being the one that pulled it off at the end for the team. The other memory is finishing second at Mosport with Scott Maxwell. It was my first ever LMP900 podium and doing it with Scott was real special

MO: Tell us more about that epic battle at Le Mans in those last exciting minutes!

GJ: It was great for sure my best moment in racing -- period. I got in the car in 5th place and at just about the end of my first stint we were getting black flagged because we had a little nose damage that the French officials thought warranted a black flag. So I came in and they changed the nose in the stop and went back out in 6th place with the 2 Pescarolo Courages in between Gounon and me. After having to literally push and shove my way past the Pescarolo Courages I made it to Gounon and after a lap or two got by easier than I expected. I pulled a little gap initially but then he caught back up and the fight was on.

All in all it lasted about 45 minutes, maybe more but honestly I was so focused at the time that I don’t have a whole lot of memory of it. I remember seeing him locked up coming right for me in the mirrors both times, but I was trying to keep it as smooth as possible and use my advantages while making sure that he didn’t get to use his. The last pit stop was very exciting and without the guys nailing a perfect stop we wouldn’t have made it out back in front. Going through all the slow traffic at the very end had a few close calls, but we made it through clean to a great result.

MO: What is the scariest memory you have behind the wheel?

GJ: My scariest racing memory involves a brake failure at around 150mph concluding in hitting the concrete wall head on at 120mph. Thank goodness it was a front engine car and I was wearing a HANS device to I got out of the car uninjured. The car couldn’t say the same.

MO: Do you anticipate coming back to the ALMS in 2004?

GJ: I will be back in the ALMS starting at Mid Ohio racing the new Panoz GTLM

MO: Do you have a seat for Le Mans?

GJ: At LeMans I’ll be driving the Team Epsilon Courage LMP2 car.

RFM thanks Gunnar for this glimpse into his racing world and we wish him the best of luck at Le Mans and beyond!