Nissan recruits co-driver for carsales.com.au Altima

Nissan Motorsport has announced rising star Matt Campbell will join regular driver Todd Kelly in the carsales.com.au Altima for this year's endurance rounds of the V8 Supercar championship.

Placing second in the Carrera Cup last year, Campbell brings a depth of experience well beyond his 21 years to the Nissan Motorsport team. At the age of 16 he was the Queensland State Champion for Super Sprints and in 2014 he moved out of single seaters into the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Australia (Class B).

“I’m really happy to be part of Nissan Motorsport for the endurance races this year”, Campbell said.

“Todd has a lot of knowledge behind him, so hopefully I can learn as much as I can and fast track my learning experience. Bathurst is the biggest race in Australian motorsport; to be a part of it is an amazing opportunity from Nissan Motorsport and a dream come true.”

The young driver anticipates being on a steep learning curve, moving from single-seaters and Porsches into V8s.

“The differences in handling characteristics between my Carrera Cup car and the Nissan V8 Supercar will require a change of technique. With the help of Nissan Motorsport, I’m sure I’ll be able to get up to speed.

"My goals now are to hone down my driving of the car, to get more miles, and simply to get to know the car better. The first opportunity was great to get behind the wheel and drive the car, this test it is time to really knuckle down and get more familiar with everything.”

Nissan Motorsport co-owner Todd Kelly and his brother Rick have been watching Campbell's climb through the ranks for some time.

"We’ve been following Matt’s progress and he’s really stood out in his Porsche,” said Todd.

"After the previous test day we were all blown away with how good a job he did straight away. He was not only fast but also reliable, and he didn’t put a foot wrong. We’d been working with Matt and his people since then, so it’s great to be able to announce him as our driver for the endurances races."

Despite knowing the pressures placed on a young driver, Todd is confident Campbell will rise to the occasion for the high-profile endurance events.

“We know what it’s like to do your first Sandown and Bathurst and arrive at a big team. Rick and I did the same thing and while I was a little bit younger when I started my first Bathurst, Matt has got a bit more maturity and handles all that stuff no worries. He just gets in the car and switches on and does the job, so I think he’ll do a great job”