Def Leppard Guitarist Vivian Campbell Visits Owsley County for Rally Event

Vivian "Viv" Campbell, the guitarist for Def Leppard and an active rally competitor with his own team, Viv Motorsport, was in the Booneville area last weekend for an event at the Appalachian Overland Triangle in Owsley County.

Campbell's visit came in mid-March 2026, just days after he competed in the Rally in the 100-Acre Wood on March 13-14, a gravel rally in Missouri that marked his first full return to motorsport after Def Leppard wrapped up a nearly month-long residency in Las Vegas. The Owsley County stop placed him squarely back in rally country not long after that Missouri event.

On the racing circuit, Campbell is no casual participant. He drives the No. 964 Mitsubishi Mirage in the RC2 class of the full 2026 American Rally Association schedule, with Michael Hordijk serving as his co-driver. The car itself turns heads: while most people associate the Mirage with grocery runs and fuel economy, Campbell's version is a purpose-built rally machine wrapped in white livery featuring large Def Leppard graphics alongside logos from several other bands in his career, including Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Dio, and Shadow King.

The 2026 ARA schedule puts Campbell on the same stages as high-profile competitors Travis Pastrana and Lia Block, though he races in a separate class. For Campbell, the draw to rallying runs deeper than a celebrity side project. "I think it's by far the most exciting form of motorsport," he said. "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!"

That mission to grow rally's American audience appears to extend to appearances like the one at the Appalachian Overland Triangle, bringing the sport directly to communities in the region. The specific nature of Campbell's role at the Owsley County event, whether as a competitor, demonstrator, or guest, was not detailed in local reporting, and it remains unclear whether he brought the No. 964 Mirage to the Appalachian Overland Triangle specifically. What the local record confirms is that one of rock's most recognized guitarists spent part of his mid-March weekend in Booneville, on familiar terrain for anyone who takes rally seriously.