Zagame Ferrari Confirmed for Hampton Downs Debut

Zagame Autosport has firmed up plans to enter next month’s GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS season finale at Hampton Downs with a Ferrari 296 GT3.

The team revealed back in July its aspirations to mount a full-season assault with its Ferrari in 2026, in preparation for which it would also aim to make a one-off entry in the final round of the season on Oct. 31-Nov. 2.

Now its entry for the New Zealand round has been officially confirmed, with debutants Josh Buchan and Cameron Campbell confirmed to share driving duties.

Both two-time TCR Australia champion Buchan and Ferrari Challenge Australasia racer Campbell will be racing GT3 machinery for the first time.

Team manager Rod Wilson said: “The first part of the plan was to give Cam a season in Ferrari Challenge so he could learn the circuits and get race-fit. The second part is stepping into GT3 and being ready for 2026.

“GT Festival Hampton Downs will essentially serve as a shakedown for us as it puts us in a real-world situation where we can understand what we need in terms of tooling, infrastructure, people, and engineering support.

“Hampton Downs will tick a lot of boxes for Cam. It will be the first race he’s done with pit stops, so we wanted to use this last round to learn as much as we can and prepare for a full-season campaign next year.”

Buchan steps up to GTWC Australia after racing for Zagame in the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series at the wheel of a McLaren Artura GT4, as well as clinching back-to-back TCR Australia titles in 2023-24.

“With my TCR journey finishing at the end of this year, this opportunity has come at the perfect time,” he said. “I get to step into the category and join an amazing team with some really good people who are super motivated – I can’t wait.

“Although Cameron is relatively new to the game, he’s an awesome guy and a super-talented Am driver with a really strong work ethic. For someone who hasn’t raced much before, he’s extremely motivated to pull his weight, and the least I can do is reciprocate that.

“We’re really going there to find out what we’re lacking and what we’re doing well so we can prepare properly for next year. That said, both Cam and I will give it our best and hopefully come away with some decent results.”

Campbell, who finished third in the Trofeo Pirelli class of Ferrari Challenge Australasia, added he hopes for a strong showing in the midfield on his GTWC Australia debut.

“To be honest, I am absolutely terrified but the adrenaline is incredible,” he said. “More than anything, I don’t want to let the team down and I want to put my best foot forward – especially for Josh.

“Looking at the GT World Challenge Australia field, it’s stacked with talent. Just being on the grid is humbling, but to be in the fight – even mid-pack – would be a tremendous outcome.”