AF Corse’s Matt Griffin is very proud of being Irish, but that hasn’t stopped him from fully immersing himself in the land of pasta, tiny, strong, espresso coffees…and Ferraris.
The English-based driver, who will be sharing the cockpit of the No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia in the LMGTE Am category with South African Jack Gerber and Italian Marco Cioci, is a third of the way into a 17-week run of race weekends – all in an F458 built by Ferrari’s racing specialist, Michelotto Automobili.
As well as his participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Griffin (30) also races in the European Le Mans Series, the International GT Open and British GT championships. He has had three wins in the last month so is approaching the 24 Hours of Le Mans with confidence in his level of performance, but with a different approach to when he made his debut in the French classic 12 months ago.
“I definitely think I underestimated Le Mans last year,” says Matt. “People had obviously spoken to me about it but you don’t realise the magnitude of the event until you see it and it knocked me off balance a bit; the pressure got to me. Now, I feel 100 times better prepared for all that happens off track, and that translates into how you drive. I have a different mind-set this year and not only am I sure I’ll enjoy it more, but it will also help my performance.
“Le Mans is such a unique race and, until you’ve done it, you don’t really understand why. There’s pressure to succeed in every class including LMGTE Am. The difference perhaps is that, unlike the Pro category, we probably won’t run flat out on every single lap. It’s all about getting the gentlemen drivers through the hours he must complete and you don’t run at the ragged edge all the time. Your result depends on how your gentleman driver(s) performs.”
Most, but not all, of Matt’s racing is with AF Corse and he’s very happy within the team. “I’m having my most successful season to date, am racing the F458 Italia a lot and think that gives me the extra confidence to make critical, strategic decisions on track, such as knowing when to change tyres if conditions are changeable. You know how the car is going to behave and that can give you a huge advantage in terms of position. With Le Mans being twice the length of any other track we visit, that might just give you the edge you need to win!”
Fiona Miller
Photo: SPA FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT (SPA, BELGIUM), WEC 6 HOURS OF SPA FRANCORCHAMPS, RACE, SATURDAY 4TH MAY 2013. The No.61 AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia LMGTE Am of Jack Gerber, Matt Griffin and Marco Cioci.
