Australian Matt Campbell to race in Porsche Supercup

MATT Campbell has won a lucrative scholarship to race in next year's Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, which is part of the Formula One support card in Europe and the US.

The 21-year-old from Warwick, Queensland – whom anyone with any nous in Australian motor sport says is a genuine superstar in the making – was selected from nine young candidates from international Carrera Cup and GT3 Cup Challenge series around the world after a rigorous two-day evaluation at Lausitzring, Germany.

From a very humble family background, the laid-back, self-effacing Campbell is off to race at tracks like Monaco, Monza and Circuit of Americas – and the great part of this fairy tale is that he has done it on pure talent.

Campbell, an occasional Wheels hotshoe, was the standout driver in the scholarship process, awarded €200,000 to put him on the grid of the ultra-competitive Porsche Supercup championship, the brand’s premier and toughest international one-make series.

As part of his inclusion in the programme, Campbell will also receive training in communications, fitness and mental preparation and receive mentorship from the programme's permanent driver coach and former Porsche champion, Sascha Maassen.

Campbell’s ascension up the Porsche ladder has been spectacular. He entered the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2015, initially demonstrating immense pace in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car before translating this into strong race results in the latter half of the season. In the final four rounds (11 races), Campbell scored 10 top two performances, including six race victories, and finished third for the season behind eventual champion Nick Foster and David Russell.

Then to no surprise, Campbell then clinched the 2016 Carrera Cup title in his second season, winning 13 of the 23 races, seven out of a possible eight pole positions and also being victorious in the outright Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Australia joint race at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Campbell’s goal is to continue through the Porsche ranks and aim for a place in the World Endurance Championship line-up.