Jaminet, Campbell Hopeful of More GT3 Outings Post-Bathurst

Porsche LMDh drivers Mathieu Jaminet and Matt Campbell are hopeful of getting more occasional GT3 race outings beyond this weekend’s Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

The two factory aces have been prominent in the German manufacturer’s GT3 exploits but are this year racing for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the GTP class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

One weekend after their LMDh debuts at Daytona, Campbell and Jaminet are teaming up with Thomas Preining in a Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R at Bathurst.

While the nine-race GTP program and its associated testing commitments limit the number of GT races that the pair can do this year, both have expressed interest in contesting major races like the Nürburgring 24 and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

“I like to keep in touch from time to time, even if it’s only one or two races a year,” Jaminet told Sportscar365.

“I know Matt wants to do it as well. So it would be nice to keep the pairing in the GT cars, because we know it works well.

“It would maybe also make sense to run Nordschleife together, or some other races outside of Bathurst.”

Campbell added that he “100 percent” wants to get further Porsche GT3 appearances beyond Bathurst, despite the scheduling limitations.

“I still want to be able to do some GT racing, there’s no question about that,” the 2019 Bathurst 12H winner told Sportscar365.

“For sure it will be a lot less, but if I can do a few of the big GT3 races throughout the year, that would be perfect. With the IMSA and testing schedule, it’s quite busy.

“We’re limited to how much we can do, but hopefully we can still do a couple throughout the year.”

The two Porsche factory drivers, who have regularly raced together in GTs, have been placed in different Porsche 963s for the WeatherTech Championship season.

However, Bathurst gives them the chance to share the wheel of a GT3 again, following their IMSA GTD championship run last year.

“We really pushed to try to get this race, because it fits well with the calendar and it is one of the only GT races we’re going to drive this year,” said Jaminet.

“To be back with him, not only because he’s one of the best Porsche drivers for Bathurst, but also to be back with a friend is always cool.

“Seeing all his friends and family is always nice. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Campbell added: “We know each other so well and we like the same things from the car.

“He’s also very experienced at Bathurst, and very fast, so I can’t wait to work together with him.

“We’ve learned a lot with this current-generation car because we’ve been racing it together for three years. I think we can start really strong.

“Thomas has got a bit of experience there in 2020, so I’m looking forward to the weekend. It’s a bit of a shift in focus compared to [Daytona]. It’s a completely different style of racing.”

Pro Category Send-Off for Porsche’s Outgoing GT3

Bathurst is set to mark the final major race for the Type-991.2 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which is being replaced by the new Type-992 model this year.

The Type-991.2 is racing at Bathurst because Balance of Performance coordinator SRO Motorsports Group is not measuring the 2023 Porsche until next month.

Porsche has signed on as a points-paying IGTC manufacturer but won’t enter a Pro-category  Type-991.2 into the Kyalami 9 Hour, which is the only other race where the older car could run.

“The quantity is maybe not huge, but the quality of the field is very good in the Pro class,” Jaminet said.

“I’m sure it’s not going to be easy. It will be a tough fight because a lot of cars have good potential. I feel that we have got everything we need.

“It will be the last race of our 991.2 car. I thought it would be Petit Le Mans last year, but it keeps coming back! This time I’m sure it’s the last one.

‘The last time we did it with the 991.1 the sister car with Matt won the race, when it was the last-ever race of the car. So it would be nice to repeat the story.

“We have the data and everything from the previous time we raced there in 2020, so we feel confident that the package is decent. We should be somewhere, that’s for sure.”