The first time Matt Campbell raced in a Porsche 911 was in 2014. At the time he was a relatively unknown 19-year-old rookie in Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia, but he would go on to win the B class championship that season and made a positive impression.
Year after year, he’d turn more and more heads in his home country as he finished third in the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia on his debut in 2025, then went on to win that championship the following year in 2016, finally catching the eye of the manufacturer itself.
The young champion became a Porsche Junior driver in 2017, a Young Professional Driver in 2018, and by 2019, he joined the ranks of Porsche’s elite works drivers.
With Porsche, Campbell has become a two-time IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Champion, a class winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on his debut, an overall winner of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and twice a winner of the Bathurst 12 Hour Race.
But that incredible run comes to an end this weekend at the 29th Motul Petit Le Mans, as Campbell prepares to make his final start as a Porsche works driver, and his final start in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 with co-drivers Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor.
“(It) felt like any other race, to be honest,” Campbell told DSC. “I mean, it’s been quite a number of months since I’ve last been at an IMSA race at Sebring.
“It just felt like a normal race weekend coming into it, but I’m sure that after the weekend, being my last-ever event (with Porsche), it’ll finally sink in. I’m just looking forward to the last one, and hopefully we can end it on a high.”
Of the many high points in Campbell’s career, looking back, he is proudest of his time with Porsche Penske Motorsport, representing the marque in the top classes of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA. For Campbell, it was the culmination of what he set out to accomplish from the moment he first joined the brand.
“We’ve been able to tick every box along the way that we set out to try and achieve,” Campbell said. “That’s transitioning from a Junior role, Young Professional, Factory driver, and then finally reaching the pinnacle with Porsche and racing in a factory program full-time in prototypes.
“That was always the goal when I first joined Porsche. Obviously, at the time, they still had an existing LMP1 programme. Being in this role for a number of years has been very, very special – especially when you think of the partnership we have with Penske as well. So, it’s been an incredible journey.”
It’s a journey that will wrap up after the race Saturday, before Campbell officially departs Porsche for Ford Racing, proceeding full-speed-ahead into the testing programme for its 2027 Hypercar.
In the wake of Porsche’s WEC Hypercar withdrawal and the necessary consolidation to go all-in on IMSA, Campbell was dropped from a full-season role to just the three big races in IMSA this year. Outside of a handful of Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie races, a reserve role for Manthey at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, and a Spa 24 Hours drive, there’s not been much racing this year for one of Porsche’s most prolific stars of the last decade, a strange note to end things on.
But Campbell leaves with happy memories despite the reduced role in his final year, and also grateful that Porsche gave its blessing for him to test for Ford.
“I’ve been fortunate that Porsche have been able to let me do both things. We’re all ending on good terms, which is the most important thing,” he said. “They’ve given me the opportunity to be in this position in my professional career, and this platform.
“Although it hasn’t been so much racing, I’ve also done less racing in the past as well – so it hasn’t worked out too bad to be honest. And I’m going to be in a race car a lot, especially from now on.”
Campbell is still the reigning IMSA GTP champion until the end of Saturday, and he is determined to give his all and end this great run with victory at Road Atlanta, and he especially likes his chances if the expected rainfall does indeed affect Saturday’s race.
“There haven’t been many wet races in either the WEC or IMSA calendars in the past year, but when there has been rain, we were always extremely strong,” Campbell recalls. “At Le Mans in ’24, and also last year at COTA.
“If it is like that, I’m hoping for a little bit of weather. I know we’re going to be strong at this track, especially in terms of strategy and finishing the race.
“It would be extra special, especially if it’s the last race where all three of us will be together. And especially at this race; I think we’ve all won it in different categories or been on the podium, but never got this one overall. So we all want to try and tick it off the list.”
As Campbell prepares to close one chapter of his professional career and begin another, Porsche fans the world over will never forget the magic moments that he has given them in sportscar racing. He could give them one more to close out an incredible 13-year run.
Feature image © Porsche
