Porsche factory trio Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Thomas Preining will share Manthey EMA’s 911 GT3 R at the LIQUI MOLY Bathurst 12 Hour on February 3-5.
Their ‘Grello’ liveried entry is one eight cars contesting the Pro class at Mount Panorama on what could well be the 991.2-spec model’s final manufacturer-backed outing before making way for the incoming 992.
All three drivers have previously contested the event. However, it’s undoubtedly Campbell’s name that is most likely to turn heads given his previous exploits on home soil.
It was the Queenslander’s memorable overtake on Jake Dennis that won the race for Porsche in 2019 – incidentally the final appearance of the 991.1 – before he also took pole position 12 months later. The global pandemic and subsequent Pro-Am emphasis means he hasn’t returned to the 12 Hour since.
He and Jaminet – who makes his third visit to Bathurst next month – finished fourth overall in 2020 before becoming regular race winners together around the world in various Porsche machinery. That run included victory in the 2022 Daytona 24 Hours, which paved the way towards winning IMSA’s GTD Pro drivers’ title.
They also shared a EMA/Manthey Porsche at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa last season.
Preining, meanwhile, raced at Mount Panorama in 2020 but is perhaps best known for his recent DTM exploits. The 24-year-old Austrian scored two victories en route to fifth in 2022’s standings, and also finished as the top Porsche driver.
Manthey and EMA’s previous collaborations also include several VLN appearances, while the Australian element finished second overall and won the Silver class at Bathurst in 2020 with McLaren. Their partners are the most successful team in Nurburgring 24 Hours history and also finished sixth at Mount Panorama in 2018.
The factory-driven Porsche will also use #912 – the same number with which Campbell, Dennis Olsen and Dirk Werner scored Porsche’s only Bathurst 12 Hour victory in 2019.