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Porsche factory driver Matt Campbell has all but ruled himself out of a tilt at the 2024 Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.
The Queenslander was called up to help Yasser Shahin try and win this year’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS with a cameo at last month’s Vailo Adelaide 500.
However, there are no subsequent trips home on the cards as it stands, with Campbell revealing in this week’s Speedcafe Podcast that he is highly unlikely to race at Mount Panorama next October.
“At the moment, unfortunately not, by looks of it, due to some conflicts,” he told host Mark Fogarty regarding the 2024 enduros.
“Same position I was in this year, unfortunately.
“You know, everything was looking really good, we had everything ready, and then there was a date change at last-minute, so weren’t able to do it.
“But next year, it looks to be more or less the same, which is a bit of a shame.
“I love coming back and competing in the enduros, but obviously Porsche comes first and that’s my main programme, so maybe down the track there’s another opportunity there.”
The situation increases the probability that fellow factory Porsche driver Kevin Estre returns to the Grove squad next year after making his Supercars debut as Matt Payne’s co-driver this year.
Campbell’s most recent Bathurst 1000 start came in 2022 with Grove Racing, and he said that he “quite possibly” was in line to reprise his role in one of its Penrite Mustangs.
The 2022 IMSA GTD Pro champion, and 2016 Carrera Cup Australia title winner with McElrea Racing, did affirm that he has a hunger to win the Great Race one day.
“Without question; I mean, I want it on the CV,” he declared.
“There’s a few races around the world that I want to try and tick off first, but definitely want to put a 1000 on the bucket list.
“It’s a race that I’ve been watching ever since I remember and, having been a part of it a few times and been in a good car a couple of times, just never has come to fruition.
“So, maybe down the road.”
Campbell’s unavailability for the enduros is such despite being swapped from Porsche Penske Motorsport’s IMSA programme, which has a direct clash with the Sandown 500 on September 20-22, to its FIA World Endurance Championship effort.
The same applies for a Mount Panorama enduro he has won already, namely the Bathurst 12 Hour, which will be held next year on February 16-18, a week before the WEC Prologue in Qatar.
“Unfortunately, we have too many calendar conflicts with the prototype programme,” he said of the once-around-the-clock GT3 race.
“I’d love to be able to come back and do it but, unfortunately, everything just clashes too much next year; it’s really, really difficult to be able to fit in some GT races.
“I’m sure there will be still a few around the world, but Bathurst won’t be one of them.
“So a big shame, obviously. I love the Bathurst 12 Hour – it’s basically the only home race I get to do nowadays – so, maybe we have to wait until ‘25.”
