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Le Mans / ALMS
ALMS: 10 Questions With Elton Julian
Green Earth Team Gunnar driver discusses breakthrough win at Long Beach, the LMPC formula and his team ownership role in Patron GT3 Challenge.
After a four-year absence from racing, Elton Julian made his return to the cockpit at Sebring, driving for Green Earth Team Gunnar. (Martin Spetz)
Elton Julian has been around the block in the motorsports world but has been through his share of ups and downs over the past two decades. With a promising career in open-wheel racing in the early ‘90s, the California native was on the fast track to Formula One, becoming the youngest-ever winner in British F3 and gaining a F1 test driver contract at the age of 20.
But Julian hit a snag in the road, forcing him to take a six-year hiatus from racing. He reappeared in sportscar racing in 2005, a discipline he dabbled with in the mid-‘90s, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans and the Twelve Hours of Sebring the following year.
Despite showcasing the speed needed to win races and championships, Julian’s funding ran dry and put him out of the cockpit again. After trying to jump-start is career for a second time, Julian decided to focus his efforts on the team ownership side of the sport, forming DragonSpeed in 2007 with two other partners.
Three years later, he’s busier than ever, moving his team up to the Patron GT3 Challenge and also competing in the American Le Mans Series with Green Earth Team Gunnar. In only their second race together in the LMPC ranks, Julian and co-driver Gunnar Jeannette steered their Oreca FLM09 to the class victory in the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach.
We caught up with Julian to reflect on his breakthrough win at Long Beach, the LMPC formula and his team ownership role. It’s all a part of the latest installment of “10 Questions.”
DAGYS: How does it feel claiming your first American Le Mans Series win at Long Beach?
JULIAN: It’s a combination of thrilling and a relief because we were quite disappointed of the result at Sebring. Obviously we had so much pace at Sebring in testing and practice and to come second was a killer.
Overall, I’ve been ecstatic to be hanging out with such a great group of guys that I’m with. It’s a pleasure to be around them. On top of that, they’re a very good team. What more could I ask for?
DAGYS: What was the toughest aspect of the street fight at Long Beach?
JULIAN: Personally, I didn’t have any major concerns or difficulties to get over. All the marks we set for ourself just got clicked off perfectly. It was one of those weekends that just worked great. The biggest time loss was when we caught up to the packs of GTC cars on track. There was never just one of them, but three or four or five of them in a pack. Those guys were having a great time racing.
There’s been an ongoing debate about the speed differential among the cars, but with it being a street race, you almost threw that out. The GT2 cars weren’t that difficult because we ran most of the race ahead of them. So whenever we started to catch them, three-quarters of a lap, there’d be a yellow.
DAGYS: There was a lot of concern that with 35 cars on track and in a 100-minute sprint race format that the race could have turned into a crash fest. But to everyone’s credit, there were only three full-course cautions. Do you think drivers took a different approach in the race?
JULIAN: There was plenty of capable drivers in the race to begin with. The level of drivers you have in the American Le Mans Series, barring the true gentlemen drivers, is already very impressive. But now you have the combination of Pro, Semi-Pro and Gentlemen. By and large, there’s plenty of pretty qualified people.
When it’s time to go racing, everyone doesn’t seem to make the silly mistakes. A few guys got caught out, but overall, considering the mess the track was in after the TRG Porsche spilled its guts out everywhere early in the race, it could have been really bad. I was really impressed that nobody really lost their head.
DAGYS: Despite having roots in Historics, Green Earth Team Gunnar is still a relatively new operation to professional sportscar racing. Have you been surprised how quickly everything has come together on that end?
JULIAN: That’s been the biggest surprise of all. The ability for this group of people to come together and to really work as a unit. But at the same time, the core group of the team between Kevin, Gunnar and Mark Shomann has remained the same. For the rest of us who have joined the team like me, it makes everything a lot easier. They’re happy-go-lucky people that have a lot of ambition and a hunger to win.
DAGYS: Two races into the inaugural LMPC season, has there been anything with the car or formula you’d like to be addressed or evaluated?
JULIAN: Giving the cars some more power would help, but you can go to both ends of the spectrum. Some days I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine both prototype categories together. It wouldn’t be a bad race if you only just gave the LMPC cars more power. The way we are at a small circuit like Long Beach and Lime Rock, we could actually have a bit of a race with the LMP cars.
To be honest, some of the LMP cars were holding me up in my first stint. I didn’t want to make a move on them because it wasn’t for position, but I would have if I had a reason to. We’d all of a sudden have a 12 car race if the two classes were combined!
I don’t know. Sometimes I want to go faster and sometimes I think it’s fine the way it is. But I’d definitely want to have a few more horsepower, just to get around the GT cars. Because it’s going to cost people a lot of money at some point when accidents occur. Everyone’s going to be bummed out about it when it happens, especially if we could have done something to prevent it.
DAGYS: How does the ORECA FLM09 compare to the Courage C65 you raced in 2005 and 2006?
JULIAN: It’s pretty much the same car. The biggest differences are the paddle shift and power steering. Obviously that makes it a very different experience. With the Courage C65, there was no power steering, so it was a much more physical car to drive. Now the physicality is gone, so it’s left to you on how hard you want to drive it.
I know with the old car, it was work getting through some of the corners and you would maybe not go as fast as you’d like because you couldn’t steer the damn thing at that speed. With this car, you get to charge everywhere. Now you’re on a pretty hard tire and and a small rear wing, so it slips and slides a lot, but has the potential to go a lot faster. With softer rubber thrown at it and some horsepower, it could really do well. For a customer formula: Wow!
DAGYS: You’ve taken a team ownership role in sportscar racing, fielding a Porsche Cup car in the Patron GT3 Challenge. Can you tell us more about that program?
JULIAN: I’m the team owner, chief mechanic and engineer of Dragonspeed. That’s my actual day job. I wish I could be driving race cars for a living! We made a big step up to the Patron GT3 Challenge this year and it coincided with me debuting my team at Sebring and driving for Gunnar. It was a busy week there that involved me driving my team’s truck from Santa Monica, Calif. to Sebring and back.
We’re a small team. We have six guys when we’re at race weekends, but at the shop it’s usually just myself. I pretty much do all of the maintenance, prep, setup and coaching at the shop. We had a great opportunity with Nick Jones to trust in me and in my past racing credentials and to try to pass on the knowledge to him. It’s been a blessing Kevin Jeannette has given me the chance to showcase my talents once in racing, because I haven’t forgotten anything.
Overall, I’m excited. The racing thing didn’t work out for me a long time ago. All of this is kind of gravy. Having Kevin giving me a chance to be part of their success is cool. Plus, it keeps me focused and gives me another goal when I come to the racetrack.
DAGYS: Is it hard to juggle two hats, especially on a weekend when you’re driving for Green Earth Team Gunnar and also in-charge of operating your own team?
JULIAN: I consider myself kind of an old-school guy to begin with. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We had a few scares with the Porsche, mechanically, with taking the gearbox out. Instead of sitting around with my teammates at Marion’s, I’m yanking a gearbox out of a 997. But you know what, it was fun! I found myself at Long Beach trying to figure out what to do with all the extra time.
DAGYS: Would you ever envision DragonSpeed making the step up to GTC in the ALMS, possibly with yourself as the lead driver?
JULIAN: That’s our dream. It would be the ultimate goal to grow this program into GTC. But I can’t tell you that I don’t see cars in the paddock that I don’t wish I ran. It’s really odd now because I’m enjoying running cars as much as I’m driving them. I reckon I have a lot to bring and I can still do both.
DAGYS: You and Gunnar Jeannette are currently tied for the lead in the LMPC championship. How many more races can we expect you to drive this year?
JULIAN: I’ll probably be at Laguna with them. It’s funny as it coincides with a lot of things. I wasn’t originally going to do Long Beach, but it was a local race for me and Christian Zugel couldn’t do the race. So they called me up and it worked out. Laguna was going to be one of them I was always going to be at considering it’s a six-hour race. I’d imagine my next race after that would be Petit Le Mans. But I still kind of hope for the phone call to say, ‘Hey, we could still use you.’
The LMPC championship is one of Gunnar’s major goals. I could get carried away and start dreaming of a championship myself. But to be honest, in December, I didn’t think I’d be racing anything again. I’m not really too worried about that. If they want me to join them and I’m not doing something else, then I’d love to. But I always have to focus on my commitment with my DragonSpeed team.
But Julian hit a snag in the road, forcing him to take a six-year hiatus from racing. He reappeared in sportscar racing in 2005, a discipline he dabbled with in the mid-‘90s, competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans and the Twelve Hours of Sebring the following year.
Despite showcasing the speed needed to win races and championships, Julian’s funding ran dry and put him out of the cockpit again. After trying to jump-start is career for a second time, Julian decided to focus his efforts on the team ownership side of the sport, forming DragonSpeed in 2007 with two other partners.
Three years later, he’s busier than ever, moving his team up to the Patron GT3 Challenge and also competing in the American Le Mans Series with Green Earth Team Gunnar. In only their second race together in the LMPC ranks, Julian and co-driver Gunnar Jeannette steered their Oreca FLM09 to the class victory in the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach.
We caught up with Julian to reflect on his breakthrough win at Long Beach, the LMPC formula and his team ownership role. It’s all a part of the latest installment of “10 Questions.”
DAGYS: How does it feel claiming your first American Le Mans Series win at Long Beach?
JULIAN: It’s a combination of thrilling and a relief because we were quite disappointed of the result at Sebring. Obviously we had so much pace at Sebring in testing and practice and to come second was a killer.
Overall, I’ve been ecstatic to be hanging out with such a great group of guys that I’m with. It’s a pleasure to be around them. On top of that, they’re a very good team. What more could I ask for?
DAGYS: What was the toughest aspect of the street fight at Long Beach?
JULIAN: Personally, I didn’t have any major concerns or difficulties to get over. All the marks we set for ourself just got clicked off perfectly. It was one of those weekends that just worked great. The biggest time loss was when we caught up to the packs of GTC cars on track. There was never just one of them, but three or four or five of them in a pack. Those guys were having a great time racing.
There’s been an ongoing debate about the speed differential among the cars, but with it being a street race, you almost threw that out. The GT2 cars weren’t that difficult because we ran most of the race ahead of them. So whenever we started to catch them, three-quarters of a lap, there’d be a yellow.
DAGYS: There was a lot of concern that with 35 cars on track and in a 100-minute sprint race format that the race could have turned into a crash fest. But to everyone’s credit, there were only three full-course cautions. Do you think drivers took a different approach in the race?
JULIAN: There was plenty of capable drivers in the race to begin with. The level of drivers you have in the American Le Mans Series, barring the true gentlemen drivers, is already very impressive. But now you have the combination of Pro, Semi-Pro and Gentlemen. By and large, there’s plenty of pretty qualified people.
When it’s time to go racing, everyone doesn’t seem to make the silly mistakes. A few guys got caught out, but overall, considering the mess the track was in after the TRG Porsche spilled its guts out everywhere early in the race, it could have been really bad. I was really impressed that nobody really lost their head.
DAGYS: Despite having roots in Historics, Green Earth Team Gunnar is still a relatively new operation to professional sportscar racing. Have you been surprised how quickly everything has come together on that end?
JULIAN: That’s been the biggest surprise of all. The ability for this group of people to come together and to really work as a unit. But at the same time, the core group of the team between Kevin, Gunnar and Mark Shomann has remained the same. For the rest of us who have joined the team like me, it makes everything a lot easier. They’re happy-go-lucky people that have a lot of ambition and a hunger to win.
DAGYS: Two races into the inaugural LMPC season, has there been anything with the car or formula you’d like to be addressed or evaluated?
JULIAN: Giving the cars some more power would help, but you can go to both ends of the spectrum. Some days I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to combine both prototype categories together. It wouldn’t be a bad race if you only just gave the LMPC cars more power. The way we are at a small circuit like Long Beach and Lime Rock, we could actually have a bit of a race with the LMP cars.
To be honest, some of the LMP cars were holding me up in my first stint. I didn’t want to make a move on them because it wasn’t for position, but I would have if I had a reason to. We’d all of a sudden have a 12 car race if the two classes were combined!
I don’t know. Sometimes I want to go faster and sometimes I think it’s fine the way it is. But I’d definitely want to have a few more horsepower, just to get around the GT cars. Because it’s going to cost people a lot of money at some point when accidents occur. Everyone’s going to be bummed out about it when it happens, especially if we could have done something to prevent it.
DAGYS: How does the ORECA FLM09 compare to the Courage C65 you raced in 2005 and 2006?
JULIAN: It’s pretty much the same car. The biggest differences are the paddle shift and power steering. Obviously that makes it a very different experience. With the Courage C65, there was no power steering, so it was a much more physical car to drive. Now the physicality is gone, so it’s left to you on how hard you want to drive it.
I know with the old car, it was work getting through some of the corners and you would maybe not go as fast as you’d like because you couldn’t steer the damn thing at that speed. With this car, you get to charge everywhere. Now you’re on a pretty hard tire and and a small rear wing, so it slips and slides a lot, but has the potential to go a lot faster. With softer rubber thrown at it and some horsepower, it could really do well. For a customer formula: Wow!
DAGYS: You’ve taken a team ownership role in sportscar racing, fielding a Porsche Cup car in the Patron GT3 Challenge. Can you tell us more about that program?
JULIAN: I’m the team owner, chief mechanic and engineer of Dragonspeed. That’s my actual day job. I wish I could be driving race cars for a living! We made a big step up to the Patron GT3 Challenge this year and it coincided with me debuting my team at Sebring and driving for Gunnar. It was a busy week there that involved me driving my team’s truck from Santa Monica, Calif. to Sebring and back.
We’re a small team. We have six guys when we’re at race weekends, but at the shop it’s usually just myself. I pretty much do all of the maintenance, prep, setup and coaching at the shop. We had a great opportunity with Nick Jones to trust in me and in my past racing credentials and to try to pass on the knowledge to him. It’s been a blessing Kevin Jeannette has given me the chance to showcase my talents once in racing, because I haven’t forgotten anything.
Overall, I’m excited. The racing thing didn’t work out for me a long time ago. All of this is kind of gravy. Having Kevin giving me a chance to be part of their success is cool. Plus, it keeps me focused and gives me another goal when I come to the racetrack.
DAGYS: Is it hard to juggle two hats, especially on a weekend when you’re driving for Green Earth Team Gunnar and also in-charge of operating your own team?
JULIAN: I consider myself kind of an old-school guy to begin with. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We had a few scares with the Porsche, mechanically, with taking the gearbox out. Instead of sitting around with my teammates at Marion’s, I’m yanking a gearbox out of a 997. But you know what, it was fun! I found myself at Long Beach trying to figure out what to do with all the extra time.
DAGYS: Would you ever envision DragonSpeed making the step up to GTC in the ALMS, possibly with yourself as the lead driver?
JULIAN: That’s our dream. It would be the ultimate goal to grow this program into GTC. But I can’t tell you that I don’t see cars in the paddock that I don’t wish I ran. It’s really odd now because I’m enjoying running cars as much as I’m driving them. I reckon I have a lot to bring and I can still do both.
DAGYS: You and Gunnar Jeannette are currently tied for the lead in the LMPC championship. How many more races can we expect you to drive this year?
JULIAN: I’ll probably be at Laguna with them. It’s funny as it coincides with a lot of things. I wasn’t originally going to do Long Beach, but it was a local race for me and Christian Zugel couldn’t do the race. So they called me up and it worked out. Laguna was going to be one of them I was always going to be at considering it’s a six-hour race. I’d imagine my next race after that would be Petit Le Mans. But I still kind of hope for the phone call to say, ‘Hey, we could still use you.’
The LMPC championship is one of Gunnar’s major goals. I could get carried away and start dreaming of a championship myself. But to be honest, in December, I didn’t think I’d be racing anything again. I’m not really too worried about that. If they want me to join them and I’m not doing something else, then I’d love to. But I always have to focus on my commitment with my DragonSpeed team.
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