Porsche Junior Matt Campbell has made immediate impact on the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series with an impressive debut in the opening two races of the 2017 season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
The reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion, who relocated from the Queensland town of Warwick to Germany over the off-season, started the weekend with his customary strong qualifying performance, scoring pole position for both races.
A poor launch from the start line of race one saw Campbell drop down the order, an error made worse by the long run from the starting grid to turn one. Campbell battled with his teammate Josh Webster for fifth mid-race, eventually getting by the Brit and commencing his pursuit of fourth place. Campbell managed to reach the rear of fourth placed Robert Lukasโs Porsche, however ran out of laps to pass the Polish driver before the finish.
Michael Ammermรผller claimed a dominant 10-second victory in race one from Dennis Olsen, Daniel Cammish, Lukas and Campbell in fifth.
Campbell had a better start to race two, however dropped behind fellow front row starter Daniel Cammish. Campbell had front-running pace and went for the lead early in the race, a move that momentarily placed him in the lead, though he ran wide, which allowed Ammermรผller into the lead. Campbell then dropped to third when fellow Porsche Junior Olsen passed the Australian at the final chicane mid-race.
Campbell had no answer for the leading duo, who were battling for the lead in the closing laps; Ammermรผller ultimately claiming his second race win from Olsen and Campbell.
โIโm very happy with my debut weekend in Supercup. Qualifying was great, as were the first two races of the season. I just need to work on the starts!โ said Campbell.
โI didnโt know where I would stack up after testing but to come away with the double pole positions in my first weekend, I couldnโt have been happier. And even though we didnโt convert our qualifying and starting positions into better results over the weekend, Iโm still over the moon.
โWe had a new clutch in the car for race one and I was just a bit too aggressive on the release, but to grab a podium and to be able to fight for the lead in race two was great. Thereโs a long season ahead but itโs a great starting point for the year that we can only build on from here.
โI canโt thank Fach Auto Tech enough for the great weekend and I canโt wait to get to Monaco.โ
Campbell was also thrilled with the support he received from Australia during his Supercup debut.
โThe support from home has been incredible. A few friends from Australia came to support me at the track to see my Supercup debut in person, including Andy and Mel McElrea, so it was great to have them there.
โI had so many messages from home and my phone was always going off which was great to see. Porsche Supercup were also talking about how much interest there was from Australia. Iโm really thankful for the support!โ
Campbell now sits fourth in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup standings after the first of eight events for the 2017 season. Ammermรผllerโs two victories places the German in the lead of the series with 40 points from Olsen (36), Cammish (30) and Campbell (28).
Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup will return in two weeks when it races as a support category at the iconic and technical Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix circuit on May 25-28, 2017.
Results
Race 1, Barcelona
1. Michael Ammermรผller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
2. Dennis Olsen (N/Walter Lechner Racing Team)
3. Daniel Cammish (GB/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
4. Robert Lukas (PL/Olimp Racing by Lukas Motorsport)
5. Matt Campbell (AUS/Fach Auto Tech)
6. Josh Webster (GB/Fach Auto Tech)
7. Mattia Drudi (I/Dinamic Motorsport)
8. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Middle East)
Race 2, Barcelona
1. Michael Ammermรผller (D/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
2. Dennis Olsen (N/Walter Lechner Racing Team)
3. Matt Campbell (AUS/Fach Auto Tech)
4. Daniel Cammish (GB/Lechner MSG Racing Team)
5. Dylan Pereira (L/Lechner Racing Middle East)
6. Tom Oliphant (GB/Lechner Racing Middle East)
7. Philip Morin (S/Martinet by Almeras)
8. Daniele die Amato (I/Dinamic Motorsport)
Standings โ after Race 2
1. Michael Ammermรผller โ 40 points
2. Dennis Olsen โ 36 points
3. Daniel Cammish โ 30 points
4. Matt Campbell โ 28 points
5. Robert Lukas โ 21 points
6. Dylan Pereira โ 20 points
