Matt Campbell has become the latest driver to be selected to represent Team Australia for the upcoming FIA Motorsport Games.
The 27-year-old will compete in the GT Sprint at the famous Paul Ricard Circuit in October, hoping to add a Gold medal to what is already an impressive resume. Campbell will join Stephen Grove and Brenton Grove, who will contest the GT Endurance category, TCR representative Aaron Cameron and Karting youngsters Aiva Anagnostiadis and Peter Bouzinelos on Team Australia.
Stephen and Brenton Grove representing Australia in the 2019 FIA Motorsport Games Ahead of his FIA Motorsport Games appearance, Campbell was excited for the new challenge. “I’m looking forward to my first participation in the FIA Motorsport Games later this year with Team Australia and joining Brenton and Steve in the GT component,” Campbell said. “It should be a lot of fun as it will be the first time driving together with the Groves after competing against each other for many years now.” Racing for more than a decade now, the Queenslander has long been a part of the Porsche Motorsport pyramid for which he joined in 2014 via the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge (now the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Australia). His big breakthrough came in 2016 when he won the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship and was invited to take part in Porsche’s prestigious Global Junior Shootout. Becoming the first driver to win the Shootout from the Southern Hemisphere, Campbell landed a position as a Porsche factory driver and has since been competing in many GT events around the world. Highlights of his international career to date include an outright third place in the 2017 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and outright second in both the 2018/2019 FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am class and 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - the former of which included a class victory at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Matt Campbell, Stephen Grove and Brenton Grove
This year, Campbell is on the hunt for the IMSA Sportscar Championship title in the United States alongside long-time teammate Mathieu Jaminet of France, with the duo leading the standings ahead of the final round. His impressive run of form was rewarded earlier this year when he was named as a core driver in the Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 hypercar for the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship. With such a strong record in GT racing, Team Australia captain Stephen Grove was confident Campbell would fare well at the Games. “I have known Matt for a long time and have experienced first-hand his exceptional car control and race craft,” Stephen said. “He will bring invaluable experience, not only to the GT race but will be a great asset for the entire Team Australia.” Brenton echoed his father’s sentiments about the talented Queenslander and was looking forward to competing alongside him. “We were always keen to try and line up a drive together so when the opportunity presented itself, we had to take it,” Brenton added. “To have him continue his relationship with Grove Racing into a car he’s more familiar with is exciting, we’re doing everything we can to try and generate another medal for Australia.” Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca was pleased to welcome Campbell to the team. “A big congratulations to Matt for being selected as the latest representative for Team Australia at the FIA Motorsport Games,” Arocca said. “To have a driver of Matt’s calibre join the team is a major boost for our campaign at this year’s FIA Motorsport Games and I have no doubt his addition will have a positive impact. “As an individual with a successful racing history, Matt brings a wealth of experience in GT racing to the fold and we wish him all the best in his endeavours for Gold in France.” The FIA Motorsport Games will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on 28-30 October where Stephen Grove will captain the Australian team.
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