Autosport Top 50 of 2024: #35 Matt Campbell

Ought to we’ve been stunned that Matt Campbell emerged as the perfect driver in Porsche Penske Motorsport’s #5 entry on this yr’s World Endurance Championship? In all probability not.

It could have been his first WEC prototype marketing campaign, however he was no stranger to the 963 after a yr in IMSA or the collection from previous GTE campaigns. He was on it from the get-go, taking pole at the Qatar season-opener, and maintained robust kind by way of the season.

Performances on his IMSA forays and a victory back in a GT car at the Bathurst 12 Hour made him a useless cert for the Prime 50.

How Campbell aided Porsche’s Daytona glory

There have been no race victories for Campbell on his return to the WEC on the wheel of a prototype, however provided that the Porsche 963 LMDh wasn’t the automotive to have on the Le Mans 24 Hours he arguably ended up with one thing rather more worthy and useful – a win within the blue riband spherical of his beloved IMSA collection at Daytona.

It someway appears improper to label him as a part-timer on the IMSA arm of the Porsche Penske Motorsport squad provided that he’d but to do his first race for the staff within the WEC by the point he pitched up the Daytona Worldwide Speedway in January. However that’s what he was as he joined full-season pairing Felipe Nasr and Dane Cameron, in addition to Penske IndyCar star Josef Newgarden, within the automotive that might go on to win the season-opener.

But he definitely didn’t drive like one.

Daytona so far as the #7 PPM entry was involved was the ‘Matt and Felipe Present’. They anchored the German producer’s first outright victory within the Florida traditional since 2003, driving 17 hours between them – and with out the assistance of their team-mates from earlier than daybreak on Sunday morning. There was an ultra-competitive race to be received, and Porsche and Penske wanted their quickest drivers within the automotive on the crunch stage of the race.

PLUS: How canny Porsche strategy snatched Daytona spoils from Cadillac

Campbell and Nasr stood head and shoulders above their team-mates and have been fairly equally matched. There was a tenth between them, with Nasr within the ascendency, on a 100-lap common, somewhat extra if you measure it over 200 laps of the Speedway. Cameron and Newgarden languished a great distance behind.

Campbell impressed, too, on his subsequent IMSA appearances at Sebring after which Highway Atlanta for Petit Le Mans. He’ll be again full time in North America ’25, sharing with Mathieu Jaminet relatively than 2023 team-mate Nasr. Anticipate extra heroics from the quiet man from Australia.

Campbell (second proper) will swap again to IMSA subsequent yr as a part of a rejigged Porsche line-up alongside Mathieu Jaminet

Photograph by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Pictures