CAMPBELL HUNTS PRE BATHURST GLORY

By Auto Action

Date posted: September 27, 2022

Before Australian Porsche factory star Matt Campbell tackles the mountain, he has his sights set on sealing a maiden IMSA GTD PRO class championship.

This weekend the 27-year-old Queenslander and his co-driver Mathieu Jaminet, effectively need to reach the green flag at the season finale at the Petit Le Mans to secure the crown.

They have proved to be an irresistible pair in 2022, guiding the #9 Plaid Motorsports machine to five class wins, while only one other pair has scored more than one victory.

The latest success was at the previous round in Virginia, where Jaminet flew home with a final-stint assault to steal the victory from the Corvette Racing team of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.

The result sent the Porsche pair 265 points ahead of Garcia and Taylor in the standings, and with a maximum 350 points on the line, but only 200 points available to 10th spot, the Corvette drivers need a miracle.

Despite sitting in such a comfortable position, Campbell is not going to take his foot off the gas, and is dreaming of securing the crown in style by winning the season finale.

“We have had a fantastic run for the championship so far, quite surreal,” Campbell said.

“To be able to finish with another win would be very, very special.

“We are going for it, no question, and also for me it would be three straight (wins) at Petit, which would be very, very cool.”

Campbell can be confident of lifting the trophy with a sixth victory in 2022, and 11th IMSA career win as he arrives at a track he loves.

The Australian won the previous two GT Le Mans class races at Road Atlanta, which is a form guide that has left co-driver Jaminet pitching a tongue-in-cheek method towards the event.

“I was like, ‘why not just take in the start and stop in the race and go have some beers’” Jaminet said.

“They (Plaid Motorsports) were not a big fan of the idea.”

No matter how it arrives, if Campbell does claim his first ever IMSA GTD PRO class championship as expected, he will be arriving to Mount Panorama with a spring in his step.

At next weekend’s ‘Great Race’ he will swap his Porsche for David Reynolds’ #26 Grove Racing Ford Mustang.

It will be Campbell’s fourth attempt at the 1000km classic and second with the Grove Racing squad after teaming up with Andre Heimgartner last year.

His best result and only finish at the mountain was fifth with Shane van Gisbergen in the wet and wild 2017 race.

This year Campbell will hope to help Reynolds unlock similar speed to when he held the Peter Brock Trophy aloft for Erebus five years ago.

Now driving a Penrite backed Ford Mustang, Reynolds and Campbell will be an intriguing pair to watch at the 60th anniversary ‘Great Race’ at Bathurst.

But before then, Campbell has an IMSA GTD PRO class championship to win and he will be chasing it at the Petit Le Mans this Saturday October 9/12.

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest edition of AUTO ACTION.

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CAMPBELL HUNTS PRE BATHURST GLORY

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