Driver: Jean-François Dumoulin
Number: #04 Spectra Premium / Bernier Crépeau / Groupe Bellemare / MIA Motorsports In Action
Age: 41 years old
Hometown: Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada
When did you start racing?
I have been racing for 23 years now. My first race was in 1994 in the Jim Russel Racing School (Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Canada) in a Formula 2000 car. Later on I began in a Formula 1600 with the prestigious Player’s Driver Development Program.
What is the most stand-out race you’ve been in?
It is probably the NASCAR Nationwide (now NASCAR XFINITY Series) race at the Montreal Grand Prix (Montréal, Québec, Canada) in 2009. It was a huge event to have the Nationwide Series in Montreal and the race last about five hours. I finished it in 7th position aboard a badly managed car.
What is your greatest achievement?
It sure is to be the first Quebec-born driver to win twice the Rolex 24 in Daytona (Daytona, Florida, USA): 2004 (SGS) and 2007 (GT).
What is your pre-race ritual?
I honestly don’t have one. Maybe this is something I should consider…
Who has influenced your career the most excluding family?
It would be Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna, both for their competitiveness and the desire to always surpass themselves.
Which Canadian racer do you idolize the most?
Richard Spénard has been an important part of my career from the beginning as he was my coach and became my co-driver. He is such a great man with good values, talent and taught me a lot in the race car industry.
What is your favourite memory from Honda Indy Toronto?
It has been a wonderful journey when Richard Spénard and I won a race in Motorola Cup Series. We started in 52nd position and finished first. What a great feeling! It was the Molson Indy event at that time.
What advice do you have for aspiring race car drivers?
It is primordial to keep working really hard because yes, it is a lot of work, but there is no better feeling than to achieve your dream. Just keep focusing on your main goal. You also need to surround yourself with the right people.
Do you have a pump-up playlist? Can you give us five songs that are on that list?
The five main songs I listen to are:
- Harder, better, faster: Daft punk
- Lose yourself: Eminem
- We are the champions: Queen
- Native: One republic
- Get up, stand up: Bob Marley
- Remember the name: Fort Minor
