After claiming back-to-back Australian GT, GT Sports championship trophies in 2014, popular Queensland competitor Mark Griffith pronounced himself ready to ‘step up’ to the more outright categories in 2015, with the revelation that he’d taken delivery of a former front-running GT3 Ferrari 430 in which to go after the Challenge class title this season, but a chance opportunity at the final round of the 2014 season in New Zealand, made a big impact on that decision..
“I drove the Ferrari a couple of times in local events up here in Queensland, and loved it,” Griffith admitted. “But it just didn’t have the extra kick I was looking for over the mighty Ginetta we’d taken two Australian titles with.
“Heading to Highlands for the final round of Australian GT last year, I got a call from Troy Russell at Melbourne Performance Centre [MPC] with an offer, and it was basically too good to refuse!”
Newly crowned Australian GT Trophy Class champion Rod Salmon had taken two Audi R8s to the new Zealand event, his Trophy Class R8 LMS with which he was chasing championship honours, and his recently rebuilt R8 LMS ultra with which he and co-driver Nathan Antunes were going to tackle the Highlands 101 endurance event the day after the final round of Australian GT.
Paired with AGT part-timer Dale Paterson, Griffith had very little opportunity to turn laps in the Audi, with Salmon focused on wrapping up the title in the car (which he did), before handing the keys across to his fellow title holder.
“I had a blast,” Griffith recalled. “It may have been a three-year old car, but it did most of what the current spec GT3 cars are doing, and it was just what I was looking for.
“At one stage I hussled the car from around 19th back into the top ten and was having a blast blowing by cars that were usually trying to take my doors off,” Griffith quipped.
“Look, I loved every bit of the Ginetta, especially monstering the big GT3 cars under brakes and through the tight stuff, but that Mustang V6 just didn’t have the poke to mix it in an outright capacity, but the Audi does a lot of what the Ginetta does, just faster, and that really appeals.”
Griffith has since agreed a deal to run the Ockert Fourie Audi R8 LMS GT3 for the whole 2015 season, the dual GT Sports champion entering the Trophy class (for 2010-2012-spec FIA GT3 cars) with the aim of taking out his third consecutive title.
“It’s going to be a big ask, because there’s some pretty serious competitors in Trophy this year, but I think MPC proved that the Audi was the pace setter last year, and with their support of our team this year, there’s no reason why we can’t be in the mix..!”
And in a coup for the category, Griffith has announced that Trophy class part-timer – and former V8 Supercar regular – Daniel Gaunt will join him for the two endurance races during the year; Phillip Island and Highlands.
Resplendent in the colours of Hog’s Breath Café and Griffith Corporation, the new Trophy class car looks a treat, and typically Griffith will be sure to entertain.
“It’s funny, I made the podium in New Zealand a few weeks back for the opening round of Aussie Racing Cars, and I was standing there alongside a guy in his mid 20s, another in his mid 30s, and here I am in my mid 50s, but I’m having a ball, and clearly still pretty competitive, so I’ll go out there and mix it with the other guys, and enjoy myself in the process, regardless what the results are..!”