Senior Motorsport Australia official Jennifer Campbell has been appointed the new Race Director of the Toyota GR Cup for the upcoming 2026 season.
Serving under Rob Thiry in 2025 as Deputy Race Director of Aussie Racing Cars, Campbell has served several leadership and officiating roles over the years.
After signing the dotted line to officially become GR Cup Race Director, Campbell felt excited at the prospect of taking over a category that has served as a proving ground for so many of the nation’s best drivers.
“It was a feeling of excitement certainly, I’m really excited to get everything going ahead of the start of the season,” Campbell said.
“It’s a privilege to get any sort of role in this position, but to be a part of the Toyota GR Cup in this way is an extremely exciting opportunity as not only is it a Spec Series, but the category also plays an important role in shaping the development of our country’s next generation of drivers.
“I’m still learning, I’m always going to keep learning, we’ll all learn together and we look forward to what will be a great year for the category.”
In addition to being the Deputy Race Director for Aussie Racing Cars, Campbell has been the Deputy Clerk of the course at the Bathurst 12 hour, the Sandown 500 Round of the Supercars Championship and SpeedSeries at Phillip Island, as well as the Chief Grid Marshal for the Australian Grand Prix.
Campbell has been a committed member of the officials cohort at a young age, beginning trackside duties at the age of 16, the minimum age for trackside officials, and even earlier supporting her parents to officiate where she could.
Campbell, who spent two years as part of Motorsport Australia’s Senior officials Development Program, was grateful for the abundance of support she has received from instructors and mentors over the years.
“There has been so many people I’ve spent time with and asked questions,” Campbell added.
“Ferrari Race Director Tony Jenkins springs to mind, Trans Am Race Director Matt Balcombe dragged me up into race control in 2021, James Taylor, I’ve known him for quite a lot of years as well and has helped push me in the right direction, David Mori and Rob Thiry too who was my mentor in Aussie Racing Cars. Kimberly Hughes has also been just a great rock and person to discuss things with.
“So many people have helped to put me in this position and I look forward to getting things started for the upcoming season.”
Motorsport Australia Officials Manager Aidan Siegel was extremely happy with Campbell’s appointment to the role, stating she is more than qualified to lead one of the nation’s top race categories.
“Jen has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, professionalism and race control expertise across some of the country’s biggest events,” Siegel said.
“Her appointment as Race Director is a well-earned step forward in her career as an official and reflects both her capability and commitment to officiating excellence.
“We’re confident she will do an great job leading the Toyota GR Cup in 2026.”
The five-round 2026 Toyota GR Cup season begins at Sydney Motorsport Park on 20-22 February.
