‘Underemployed’ is a description little used of Matt Griffin for the past several seasons, and that looks unlikely to change in 2015 as the Irish racer embarks on another multi-series program of races.
Having finished runner-up in the GTE class of the 2014 ELMS, the 32-year old will be going all out to reclaim the title he came so close to retaining last year and again teams up with Duncan Cameron in an AF Corse-fielded Ferrari 458. In addition, the long-time driver pairing will be entering the Spa round of the FIA WEC as a precursor to the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the two will also be participating in all non-clashing GT Open and Blancpain Endurance Series rounds. Finally, Griffin will be swapping teams and joining regular stablemates Clearwater Racing for four rounds of the GT Asia series.
“I’m really looking forward to this year’s racing,” he told DSC. “I’ve had probably the best start to a season that I can remember, even if the results probably don’t reflect that. I won the A6-Am class of the Dubai 24 Hours with Dragon Racing, finishing third overall, and then came really close to a podium at Daytona in GTD with AF after we had problems early on – we would definitely have won had we not lost so many laps, but pulled back all but one of them by the flag. And then at Bathurst my Clearwater Ferrari lost two and a half laps early on through mechanical issues, but we managed to pull a lap and a half back by the end to finish eighth overall; and even though I was a lap down, I was battling with the leaders and they were holding me up! So I’m feeling really good about my pace going into the main season.”
Griffin’s and Cameron’s ELMS and Le Mans teammates will be revealed in due course, but both are well known to readers of DSC and will further bolster an already solid Pro-Am pairing. “This will be my fourth Le Mans on the trot and I’m really looking forward to it. But my number one goal is the ELMS title. Duncan tested recently for the first time this year and it’s as though he’d never been out of the car. The team’s good, Duncan’s good and I’m happy with where I am, so I’m feeling confident.
“I’m really looking forward to the GT Asia races as well. I won with Clearwater in Shanghai last year and it’s a really competitive series, with a high standard of Pro and Am drivers.”
His next event is the Blancpain test at Paul Ricard next week, although he and Cameron will miss the opening round of the BES due to its clashing with the Silverstone ELMS opener.
In addition to all this track time, Griffin also has the small matter of relocating back to the Emerald Isle to overcome. “I’ve reached the stage in my career where I can live where I want to, truth be told, but it will be good to head back to Ireland after all these years away. But I’ll still be spending half my year at an airport or on a plane!”
MH
