Jean-Karl "J. K." Vernay (born 31 October 1987) is a French professional racing driver. He was 2010 Indy Lights and 2017 TCR International Series champion. He has won races at the World Touring Car Cup, where he finished fifth in 2018 and won the WTCR Trophy in 2020.
Career history
Karting
2000: third in France Cadet Championship 2001: fifth in Speedy Junior World Cup at the Masters Karting Paris Bercy 2002: second in Junior Monaco Kart Cup 2004: second 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 first with six wins and twelve podiums on fourteen races. The following year, he finished runner-up and best rookies in the French Formula Renault Championship with seven podiums.
Vernay drove two rounds as race driver in the 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season and the last round as practice session driver.
In 2007, Vernay 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, Vernay raced in the Formula Three Euroseries with Signature-Plus team finishing tenth. A second place was his best result, with another finish of hird in the non-championship Ultimate Masters of Formula 3 at Zolder behind Nico Hülkenberg and team-mate Yann Clairay.
Vernay continued in the series in 2008, continuing with Signature-Plus. He ended up eighth in the championship, with three 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. 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. 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.Sam Schmidt Motorsports signs JK Vernay , Sam Schmidt Motorsports PR via Motorsport.com, February 22, 2010, Retrieved 2010-02-22 He won in his series debut on the Streets of St. Petersburg in a wet race.Vernay Wins Wild St. Pete Season-Opener , eFormulaCarNews, March 28, 2010, retrieved 2010-03-28 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 three 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 2011, Vernay was the test and reserve driver for Peugeot Sport, testing the Peugeot 908 on several occasions.
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 would drive a W Racing Team Volkswagen Golf at the TCR International Series.
Racing record
Career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition2005 Formula Campus France La Filière 14 6 2 3 12 219 1st 2006 French Formula Renault 2.0 SG Formula 13 2 3 7 7 108 2nd Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC† 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix A1 Team France 4 0 0 0 0 3 4th‡ 2007 Formula 3 Euro Series Signature-Plus 20 0 0 0 1 23 10th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 3rd 2008 Formula 3 Euro Series Signature-Plus 20 0 0 0 3 35 8th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th 2009 Formula 3 Euro Series Signature 20 2 0 2 5 47 5th Masters of Formula 3 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd 2010 Indy Lights Sam Schmidt Motorsports 13 5 3 2 9 494 1st 2011 Formula Renault 3.5 Series Pons Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC Blancpain Endurance Series Vita4One 2 0 0 0 0 4 31st American Le Mans Series Signatech Nissan 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC† Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Peugeot Sport TotalReserve driver 2012 Porsche Carrera Cup France Sébastien Loeb Racing 14 6 4 3 13 253 1st FIA World Endurance Championship Luxury Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am IMSA Performance Matmut 8 1 0 0 3 1223rd 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 1 0 0 1 N/A 1st European Le Mans Series - LMGTE 3 0 0 0 0 22 10th Porsche Supercup MRS-GT Racing 9 0 0 0 0 29 13th 2014 Super GT Dome Racing 3 0 0 0 0 11 19th GT Asia Series Absolute Bentley Racing 3 0 0 1 1 0 NC† Macau GT Cup 1 0 0 0 0 0 10th 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 5 0 0 0 2 48 6th GT Asia Series Bentley Team Absolute 2 0 0 0 0 16 33rd Audi R8 LMS Cup FAW-VW Audi Racing Team 2 1 0 1 1 32 12th 2016 TCR International Series Leopard Racing 22 3 2 4 7 246 3rd 2017 TCR International Series Leopard Racing Team WRT 19 1 0 0 7 226 1st TCR BeNeLux Touring Car Championship Team WRT 3 0 0 0 2 64 20th TCR China Touring Car Championship TeamWork Motorsport 2 1 2 2 2 58 10th TCR Asia Series 2 1 0 0 1 0 NC† V de V Endurance Series - LMP3 CMR / Sport Garage10000031st 2018 World Touring Car Cup Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team 30 4 2 4 5 245 5th TCR Europe Touring Car Series Leopard Lukoil Team WRT 12 3 2 4 5 159 2nd TCR BeNeLux Touring Car Championship 8 5 2 2 6 163 1st F4 Chinese Championship FFA Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 30th Stock Car Brasil Bardahl Hot Car 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC† 24H TCE Series - TCR Liqui Moly Team Engstler 2018-19 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia by TSRT 1 0 0 0 1 18 11th 2019 World Touring Car Cup Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport 30 0 0 1 3 211 10th Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup Phoenix Racing 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC TCR Australia Touring Car Series Melbourne Performance Centre 1 1 1 1 1 42 28th 2020 World Touring Car Cup Team Mulsanne 16 1 0 0 5 194 3rd 2021 World Touring Car Cup Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team 16 2 0 2 4 177 3rd Pure ETCR Championship Hyundai Motorsport N 5 1 0 0 2 316 2nd 24 Hours of Nürburgring - TCR10001N/A 2nd 2022 FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup Hyundai Motorsport N600002548th 24 Hours of Nürburgring - TCR10001N/A2nd 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Isotta Fraschini 5 0 0 0 0 0 33rd 2026TCR World TourSP Compétition 2 0 0 0 0 12 24th* † As Vernay was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. ‡ Team standings. * Season still in progress.
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points 2006 SG FormulaZOL1ZOL2IST1IST2MIS1MIS2NÜR1NÜR2DON1DON2LMS1LMS2CAT1CAT2 NC† 0
† As Vernay was a guest driver he was ineligible for points
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 Ref 2006–07 FranceNEDSPRNEDFEACZESPRCZEFEACHNSPRCHNFEAMYSSPRMYSFEAIDNSPRIDNFEANZLSPRNZLFEAAUSSPRAUSFEARSASPRRSAFEAMEXSPRMEXFEACHNSPRCHNFEAGBRSPRGBRSPR4th67
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 HOC1 HOC2 BRH1 BRH2 NOR1 NOR2 MAG1 MAG2 MUG1 MUG2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 CAT1 CAT2 NOG1 NOG2 HOC1 HOC2 10th 23 2008 Signature-Plus Dallara F308/033 Volkswagen HOC1 HOC2 MUG1 MUG2 PAU1 PAU2 NOR1 NOR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 BRH1 BRH2 CAT1 CAT2 BUG1 BUG2 HOC1 HOC2 8th 35 2009 Signature Dallara F308 Volkswagen HOC1 HOC2 MUG1 MUG2 PAU1 PAU2 NOR1 NOR2 ZAN1 ZAN2 NÜR1 NÜR2 BRH1 BRH2 CAT1 CAT2 DIJ1 DIJ2 HOC1 HOC2 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 Ref 2010 Sam Schmidt MotorsportsSTPALALBHINDYIOWWGLTOREDMMOHSNMCHIKTYHMS 1st 494
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points 2012 Luxury Racing LMGTE Pro Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 Ferrari F142 4.5 L V8 SEB SPA LMS SIL SÃO BHR FUJ SHA NC 0 2013 IMSA Performance Matmut LMGTE Am Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ SHA BHR 3rd 122 2024 Isotta Fraschini Hypercar Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C Isotta Fraschini 3.0 L Turbo V6 QAT IMO SPA LMS SÃO COA FUJ BHR 33rd 0
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 Ref 2013 MRS GT-Racing ESP MON GBR GER HUN BEL ITA UAE UAE 13th 29
24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps IMSA Performance Matmut Raymond Narac Christophe Bourret Porsche 911 GT3 RSR LMGTE Am 306 25th 1st Isotta Fraschini Carl Bennett Antonio Serravalle Isotta Fraschini Tipo 6 LMH-C Hypercar 302 14th 14th
Complete European Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 Rank Points 2013 IMSA Performance Matmut LMGTE Porsche 997 GT3-RSR Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 SIL IMO RBR HUN LEC 10th 22
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 GT500OKAFUJAUTSUGFUJSUZBURMOT 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 BHR1 BHR2 EST1 EST2 SPA1 SPA2 IMO1 IMO2 SAL1 SAL2 OSC1 OSC2 SOC1 SOC2 CHA1 CHA2 MRN1 MRN2 SEP1 SEP2 MAC1 MAC2 3rd 246 2017 Leopard Racing Team WRT Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR RIM1 RIM2 BHR1 BHR2 SPA1 SPA2 MNZ1 MNZ2 SAL1 SAL2 HUN1 HUN2 OSC1 OSC2 CHA1 CHA2 ZHE1 ZHE2 DUB1 DUB2 1st 226 † Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 75% of the race distance.
Complete World Touring Car Cup 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 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 DC Points 2018 Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team Audi RS 3 LMS TCR MAR1 MAR2 MAR3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 GER1 GER2 GER3 NED1 NED2 NED3 POR1 POR2 POR3 SVK1 SVK2 SVK3 CHN1 CHN2 CHN3 WUH1 WUH2 WUH3 JPN1 JPN2 JPN3 MAC1 MAC2 MAC3 5th 245 2019 Leopard Racing Team Audi Sport Audi RS 3 LMS TCR MAR1 MAR2 MAR3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 SVK1 SVK2 SVK3 NED1 NED2 NED3 GER1 GER2 GER3 POR1 POR2 POR3 CHN1 CHN2 CHN3 JPN1 JPN2 JPN3 MAC1 MAC2 MAC3 MAL1 MAL2 MAL3 10th 211 2020 Team Mulsanne Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR BEL1 BEL2 GER1 GER2 SVK1 SVK2 SVK3 HUN1 HUN2 HUN3 ESP1 ESP2 ESP3 ARA1 ARA2 ARA3 3rd 194 2021 Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR GER1 GER2 POR1 POR2 ESP1 ESP2 HUN1 HUN2 CZE1 CZE2 FRA1 FRA2 ITA1 ITA2 RUS1 RUS2 3rd 177 † Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.
Complete TCR Europe Touring Car Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)