Kenny Habul


Kenny Charles Edward Habul is an Australian racing driver and a businessman. CEO of solar energy provider SunEnergy1, Habul is a two-time winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour and the inaugural Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze Drivers' champion. Habul also is the founder of motorsports team 75 Express which competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and GT World Challenge Australia and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Racing career

Introduction

Habul started his racing career with karting at the age of six. 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.

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.

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 tenth. Before the series was purchased by NASCAR in 2007, Habul recorded a career best of third.

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.
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, while also sponsoring Chase Elliott in the Sprint Cup Series.

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.

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.
In 2018, Kabul continued his IMSA campaign by competing in the Rolex 24hr Daytona in January, finishing eighth. For the Belle Isle race, Habul teamed up with Bernd Schneider. The pair finished the weekend in eighth.

Intercontinental GT Challenge

In 2018, Habul competed in the inaugural Intercontinental GT Challenge Bronze category. He began the season at the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in February, finishing on the podium with co-drivers Jamie Whincup, Tristan Vautier, and Raffaele Marciello. At the 24 Hours of Spa he placed 20th overall and third in the Pro-Am class with co-drivers Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jaeger, and Martin Konrad.
Later that year, Habul won the Pro-Am class in the Suzuka 10 Hours, finishing 10th overall with Mikaël Grenier and Luca Stolz. The same co-drivers joined him for the season finale at Laguna Seca, where despite spending two hours in the pits for repairs, Habul secured the Bronze Driver Championship with a 27th-place overall finish and fourth in class.
In 2022, Habul won the Bathurst 12 Hour overall with co-drivers Martin Konrad, Luca Stolz, and Jules Gounon.

Personal life and awards

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

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.

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.

Images

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

Xfinity Series

Camping World Truck Series

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

YearTeamMakeEngineClass123456789101112Pts
2016Stevenson MotorsportsAudi R8 LMSAudi 5.2 V10GTDDAY
7		SEBLAGDETWGLMOSLRPROAVIRCOAPET47th25
2017SunEnergy1 RacingMercedes-AMG GT3Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTDDAY
18		SEB
3		LBHCOA
3		DET
15		WGL
15		MOS
13		LRPROA
12		VIR
16		LAG
12		PET
16		20th192
2018SunEnergy1 RacingMercedes-AMG GT3Mercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTDDAY
8		SEB
10		MOH
12		DET
8		WGL
8		MOSLRPROAVIRLAGPET18th109
2021SunEnergy1 RacingMercedes-AMG GT3 EvoMercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTDDAY
2		SEB
9		MOHDET
10		WGL
14		WGLLIMELKLGALBHVIRPET30th778
2022SunEnergy1Mercedes-AMG GT3 EvoMercedes-AMG M159 6.2
L V8		GTDDAY
21		SEB
LBH
LGA
MOH
DET
WGL
MOS
LIM
ELK
VIR
PET
70th128
2023SunEnergy1Mercedes-AMG GT3 EvoMercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTDDAY
22		SEBLBHMONWGLMOSLIMELKVIRIMSPET68th125
2024SunEnergy1 RacingMercedes-AMG GT3 EvoMercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTD ProDAY
13		SEBLGADETWGLMOSELKVIRIMS
7		ATL30th464
202575 ExpressMercedes-AMG GT3 EvoMercedes-AMG M159 6.2 L V8GTD ProDAY
15		SEBLGADETWGLMOSELKVIRIMS
11		ATL25th402

*Season still in progress.

Complete Bathurst 12 Hour results

Complete Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup results

Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results