This Hall of Fame Guitarist Is Also a Winning Rally Racer

Rock fans know that Vivian Campbell is an extremely accomplished guitarist, yet many are unaware that he is also a winning rally racer.

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The longtime member of Def Leppard has spent extensive time competing in the dirt and gravel for his team, Viv Motorsport. Campbell drives the No. 964 Mitsubishi Mirage, which bears some very familiar logos.

This purpose-built rally machine has a white livery with massive Def Leppard graphics. It also has logos for some of his other bands. This includes Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Dio and Shadow King.

Many people view the Mirage as a standard commuter car, but Campbell's vehicle is far from a gas-saver rolling around city streets.

It features a turbocharged direct injection 1.6-liter Prince engine that delivers 275 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. It has 10 inches of suspension travel in the rear and 9 inches in the front, which help Campbell hit jumps and race over tough terrain.

This little Mirage also has four-wheel-drive, a five-speed sequential transmission, a bespoke standalone engine management system, and a bespoke cooling package. In short, it has everything the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer needs to scratch that competitive itch.

Campbell has done just that after falling in love with the sport at the Circuit of Ireland Rally in North Ireland. He spent five months in rally school before making his debut. He won his first event in 2021 and has since competed in several events while driving a variety of cars.

Campbell piloted a Subaru Impreza to a podium finish in the 2022 Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan. He drove a Honda Civic to a class win in the 2022 RallyFest RallySprint in New England. He drove his Mirage to a class win in the 2025 Overmountain Rally in Newport, Tennessee.

"I got into rally because it's a great challenge for drivers, and in my opinion, just about the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on," Campbell wrote in 2025.

"I think it's by far the most exciting form of motorsport. Part of what I hope to do is to bring more exposure to rally in the United States. Growing up in Ireland, rally was huge!"

Now, the prolific guitarist is taking on a new challenge. He is competing in the full 2026 American Rally Association schedule while competing in the RC2 class. He will have Michael Hordijk as his co-driver.

This schedule means that Campbell will compete on the same tracks as such racers as Travis Pastrana and Lia Block. He will just compete in a different class while hitting jumps and sliding around.

This schedule includes the Rally in the 100-Acre Wood on March 13-14. This gravel rally in Missouri provided the first opportunity for Campbell to get fully back in the swing of things after Def Leppard's nearly month-long residency in Las Vegas.