Jean-Karl Vernay
| Jean-Karl Vernay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | French |
| Born |
31 October 1987 Villeurbanne (France) |
| Super GT (GT500) | |
| Years active | 2014 |
| Teams | Dome Racing |
| Car no. | 18 |
| Previous series | |
| 2013 2012 2011 2010 2007-2009 2006-07 2006 2005 |
FIA WEC (LMGTE Am) Porsche Carrera Cup France Formula Renault 3.5 Indy Lights F3 Euroseries A1 Grand Prix French Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Campus France |
| Championship titles | |
| 2012 2010 2005 |
Porsche Carrera Cup France Indy Lights Formula Campus France |
| Awards | |
| 2010 | Indy Lights Rookie of the Year |
Jean-Karl "J. K." Vernay (born 31 October 1987) is a French professional racing driver.
Career history
Karting
- 2000 : 3rd in France Cadet Championship
- 2001 : 5th in Speedy junior world Cup in Paris Bercy
- 2002 : 2nd in Monaco kart cup
- 2004 : 2nd in Belgium Championship, Formula A and 21st in world championship, Formula A
Formula
In 2005, Villeurbanne-born Vernay drove in the French Formula Campus series and finished 1st with 6 wins and 12 podiums on 14 races. The following year, he finished runner-up and best rookies in the French Formula Renault Championship with 7 podiums.
He drove two rounds as race driver in the 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season and the last round as practice session driver.
In 2007, Jean-Karl was selected to be part of the Red Bull Junior Team program that offers funding and support for promising young drivers. With Tom Dillmann, they were the first French drivers to take part in the programme. Vernay is still a part of the team, along with fellow Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne.
The same year, he raced in the Formula Three Euroseries with Signature-Plus team finishing 10th. A second place was his best result, with another finish of 3rd in the non-championship Ultimate Masters of Formula 3 at Zolder behind Nico Hülkenberg and team-mate Yann Clairay.[1]
Vernay continued in the series in 2008, continuing with Signature-Plus. He ended up eighth in the championship, with 3 podiums coming at the Norisring, Brands Hatch and Le Mans. He also started his Brands Hatch podium race from pole position, thanks to the series' reverse grid system.
Vernay competed in a third season in 2009 for Signature, with team-mates Mika Mäki and Tiago Geronimi.[2] Vernay finally took his first win in the Euroseries, at the 42nd attempt, winning the sprint race at Hockenheim. He added a second win in the final race of the season, again at Hockenheim, passing Christopher Zanella on the final lap. At the season-ending Macau Grand Prix, Vernay set an outright lap record en route to a victory in the qualifying race, giving him pole position for the main event.[3] However, he lost out to Edoardo Mortara in the main race, after fluffing a gear shift.
Vernay has moved to the United States to race in the Firestone Indy Lights series in 2010 for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.[4] He won in his series debut on the Streets of St. Petersburg in a wet race.[5] He followed this up with another win at Barber Motorsports Park and a third-place finish at Long Beach, leaving him 28 points clear at the top of the standings after 3 rounds. Vernay went on to win four races that season and clinched the championship over James Hinchcliffe with one race to go, having to just start the final round.
Vernay is the first Indy Lights champion since 1996's David Empringham to not go on to compete in IndyCar.
Sports cars and touring cars
In 2012, Vernay won the Porsche Carrera Cup France driving for Sébastien Loeb Racing. Vernay won the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Am class in 2013 while competing for IMSA Performance Matmut, driving a Porsche 997 GT3-RSR. He also contested in the full 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship season. In 2014, Vernay will drive for Weider Modulo Dome Racing in Super GT GT500 class.
In 2016, Vernay will drive a W Racing Team Volkswagen Golf at the TCR International Series.
Racing record
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Formula Campus France | La Filière | 14 | 4 | 3 | 205 | 1st | |
| 2006 | French Formula Renault 2.0 | SG Formula | 13 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 108 | 2nd |
| Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | ||
| 2006-07 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team France | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4th‡ |
| 2007 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Signature-Plus | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10th |
| 2008 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Signature-Plus | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 8th |
| 2009 | Formula 3 Euro Series | Signature | 20 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 47 | 5th |
| Macau Grand Prix | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 2nd | ||
| 2010 | Indy Lights | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | 13 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 494 | 1st |
| 2011 | Formula Renault 3.5 Series | Pons Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 2012 | Porsche Carrera Cup France | Sébastien Loeb Racing | 14 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 253 | 1st |
| 2013 | FIA WEC - LMGTE Am | IMSA Performance Matmut | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 3rd |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | N/A | 1st | ||
| Porsche Supercup | MRS-GT Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 13th | |
| 2014 | Super GT | Dome Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 19th |
| 2015 | Blancpain Endurance Series | Belgian Audi Club Team WRT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 6th |
| 2016 | TCR International Series | Leopard Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6th* |
† As Vernay was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. ‡ Team standings. * Season still in progress.
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | A1 Team France | NED SPR |
NED FEA |
CZE SPR |
CZE FEA |
CHN SPR |
CHN FEA |
MYS SPR |
MYS FEA |
IDN SPR |
IDN FEA |
NZL SPR |
NZL FEA |
AUS SPR |
AUS FEA |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
MEX SPR Ret |
MEX FEA 20 |
CHN SPR Ret |
CHN FEA 8 |
GBR SPR PO |
GBR SPR PO |
4th | 67 |
Complete Formula 3 Euro Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Signature-Plus | Dallara F306/010 | Mercedes | HOC 1 7 |
HOC 2 4 |
BRH 1 16 |
BRH 2 12 |
NOR 1 5 |
NOR 2 Ret |
MAG 1 8 |
MAG 2 2 |
MUG 1 5 |
MUG 2 Ret |
ZAN 1 Ret |
ZAN 2 7 |
NÜR 1 12 |
NÜR 2 10 |
CAT 1 Ret |
CAT 2 Ret |
NOG 1 8 |
NOG 2 4 |
HOC 1 10 |
HOC 2 Ret |
10th | 23 |
| 2008 | Signature-Plus | Dallara F308/033 | Volkswagen | HOC 1 5 |
HOC 2 Ret |
MUG 1 25 |
MUG 2 Ret |
PAU 1 Ret |
PAU 2 14 |
NOR 1 3 |
NOR 2 4 |
ZAN 1 6 |
ZAN 2 4 |
NÜR 1 13 |
NÜR 2 7 |
BRH 1 8 |
BRH 2 2 |
CAT 1 17 |
CAT 2 11 |
BUG 1 5 |
BUG 2 3 |
HOC 1 5 |
HOC 2 4 |
8th | 35 |
| 2009 | Signature | Dallara F308 | Volkswagen | HOC 1 6 |
HOC 2 1 |
MUG 1 3 |
MUG 2 12 |
PAU 1 7 |
PAU 2 2 |
NOR 1 4 |
NOR 2 5 |
ZAN 1 6 |
ZAN 2 7 |
NÜR 1 6 |
NÜR 2 15 |
BRH 1 13 |
BRH 2 8 |
CAT 1 Ret |
CAT 2 14 |
BUG 1 18 |
BUG 2 Ret |
HOC 1 3 |
HOC 2 1 |
5th | 47 |
American open-wheel racing results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Indy Lights
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sam Schmidt Motorsports | STP 1 |
ALA 1 |
LBH 3 |
INDY 13 |
IOW 3 |
WGL 1 |
TOR 1 |
EDM 2 |
MDO 8 |
SNM 1 |
CHI 4 |
KTY 3 |
HMS 15 |
1st | 494 |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | IMSA Performance Matmut | LMGTE Am | Porsche 911 GT3 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | SIL 7 |
SPA 6 |
LMS 1 |
SÃO 4 |
COA 3 |
FUJ 5 |
SHA 2 |
BHR 6 |
3rd | 122 |
Complete Porsche Supercup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | MRS GT-Racing | ESP 12 |
MON 11 |
GBR 21 |
GER 11 |
HUN 11 |
BEL 14 |
ITA 9 |
UAE Ret |
UAE DSQ |
13th | 29 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 |  IMSA Performance Matmut |
Raymond Narac Christophe Bourret |
Porsche 911 GT3 RSR | LMGTE Am | 306 | 26th | 1st |
Complete Super GT results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dome Racing | Honda NSX-GT | GT500 | OKA 5 |
FUJ 10 |
AUT 7 |
SUG | FUJ | SUZ | BUR | MOT | 19th | 11 |
Complete TCR International Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Leopard Racing | Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR | BHR 1 Ret |
BHR 2 DSQ |
POR 1 2 |
POR 2 5 |
BEL 1 |
BEL 2 |
ITA 1 |
ITA 2 |
AUT 1 |
AUT 2 |
GER 1 |
GER 2 |
RUS 1 |
RUS 2 |
THA 1 |
THA 2 |
SIN 1 |
SIN 2 |
MYS 1 |
MYS 2 |
MAC 1 |
MAC 2 |
6th* | 31* |
* Season still in progress.
References
- ↑ "Hülkenberg wins F3 Masters as Grosjean stalls". MaximumMotorsport.co.uk. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-09. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
- ↑ "Vernay stays at Signature in Euro F3". autosport.com. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
- ↑ Thomas, Stella-Maria; Waite, Lynne (2009-11-21). "Vernay wins caution plagued Macau qualification race". motorsport.com. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ↑ Sam Schmidt Motorsports signs JK Vernay, Sam Schmidt Motorsports PR via Motorsport.com, February 22, 2010, Retrieved 2010-02-22
- ↑ Vernay Wins Wild St. Pete Season-Opener, eFormulaCarNews, March 28, 2010, retrieved 2010-03-28
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Karl Vernay. |
- Personal web site jkvernay.com
- Career statistic driverdb.com
- Signature Team web site signature-team.com
- Red Bull Junior Team 2007 redbull-juniorteam.com
- A1GP Driver Statistics results.a1gp.com
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Loïc Duval |
Formula Campus Champion 2005 |
Succeeded by Kévin Estre |
| Preceded by J. R. Hildebrand |
Firestone Indy Lights Champion 2010 |
Succeeded by Josef Newgarden |
| Preceded by Kévin Estre |
Porsche Carrera Cup France champion 2012 |
Succeeded by Gael Castelli |