2013 European Le Mans Series LMGTE Champion Matt Griffin will be competing this weekend in the first 4 Hours of Imola for six years. The Irish driver has fond memories of the Italian circuit winning the first of his three victories with Johnny Mowlem on their way to the 2013 title with RAM Racing.
Also, as a long-standing Ferrari driver, racing the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488 GTE EVO, Matt Griffin is looking forward to returning to the spiritual home of the Prancing Horse that bears the name of the great Enzo Ferrari and his son Dino. We caught up with Matt as he prepares for Round 2 of the European Le Mans Series, the 4 Hours of Imola, on Sunday.
Q: Looking back to the first ELMS event at Imola in 2013, which you won with Johnny Mowlem, what are your memories of that race?
Matt Griffin: “So, the format was a bit different back then it was two drivers, and they were three-hour races. But I would always, with RAM Racing, start the race and do the first two hours, so a double stint. The other memory is I had a titanic battle with Pat Long for more or less the whole stint."
“I was leading and halfway round on the last lap of my stint, the car started to run out of fuel. So, we just made it back to the pits. Then Johnny got in and we managed to hold on for the win, which was awesome. But that was also that weekend was my first pole position in the ELMS as well. So overall, there are some brilliant memories from the 2013 race at Imola.”
Q: Of course, that was a 3-hour race and the ELMS switched to 4 Hour races the following year.How much difference does that extra hour make to the race strategy and to you as a driver?
MG: “So, for me as a driver, the four-hour events actually makes the race physically much easier, because instead of having two drivers, you have three. But in terms of strategy, it completely changes it."
“A three-hour race is very easy to run, one driver does two hours and the other driver would have done one hour. But once you have four-hour races and three hours driving, and then you factor in the mandated time for the bronze driver. As a gold driver I have no minimum time, but I have a maximum of an hour and fifteen minutes. Dave Perel, my teammate, as a silver driver, he has a minimum of 45 minutes but no maximum."
“So, strategy wise, you add an extra hour to the race, but the whole complexity of the race is completely turned on its head; I liked it because it makes it really interesting.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the circuit at Imola and what is your favourite corner?
MG: “Imola is fantastic, you couldn't have two different circuits at the start of the season. You have Paul Ricard, which is massively open, huge run offs, you can make mistakes and there are big problems with track limits everywhere, because the drivers are obviously trying to push that envelope as far as they can go."
“Now we go to Imola, it’s old school. It’s narrow, it’s amazing and you can't make a mistake. If you do, you're not really so much worried about the track limits, you're worried about destroying the car. And I think for a driver like myself, that's a benefit because it's where we can really shine."
“In terms of the best corners at Imola? It's definitely going to be the Piratella and Acque Minerali section, these are two areas where you're absolutely on the limit. It’s really, really difficult, really easy to make a mistake. You know if you go off Acque Minerali you know, at best, you're going to go in the gravel.So it really keeps you on your toes and you have to be absolutely alert the whole time.”
Q: The ELMS will welcome fans back this weekend and you are driving a Ferrari in Italy. Have you always found a warm welcome by the Tifosi as a driver with a long association with the Prancing Horse?
MG: “I think I've kind of almost been adopted by the Italians. At AF Corse they don't call me Matt anymore, they call me Matteo and they have done for years. There’s a standing joke that the Irish flag is the same as the Italian, but it's just been left out in the sun a bit too long."
“I think this is this is my 16th year racing for Ferrari, and this is going to be my 11th in the European Le Mans Series, all with a Ferrari.I'm in love with the brand, I'm in love with Ferrari, you know, it's important to me to race for Ferrari, I have no interest in racing for any other any other brand. I want to stay with Ferrari, I want to finish my career with Ferrari."
“Then when you get the opportunity to raise a Ferrari in Italy, it is really special.On top of that, I don't just race any Ferrari, I race for AF Corse/ Spirit of Race which is the best and the most successful Ferrari GT team of all time. So, when you put it all together, I do feel very lucky.”
Q: After Le Castellet is there going to be any changes to the approach to this weekend in Italy?
MG: “I think from our side that one of the biggest changes this year was the change in the qualifying. So up to now, every year I've done the ELMS it's been the gold driver, or the top fastest driver who qualifies the console. I've always qualified the car from our team. This year, it's the bronze driver who has to qualify, which I think is brilliant, because then it puts the focus more on the bronze driver for the entire weekend."
“From our side, I don't think we managed the Free Practice particularly well in Le Castellet, in terms of putting Duncan (Cameron) in the best position for qualifying. So, we're going to make some changes to how we manage particularly the free practice and particularly the practice two session."
“Then on top of that, you know, I think this race is going to be very, very different to Le Castellet. I am anticipating more difficulty with traffic, I think the LMP3 and GT traffic from both sides is going to be a bit more difficult. A bit more interesting but I think it's going to have a large outcome on the race.”
The 4 Hours of Imola will take place on Sunday 15 May, with Free Practice and Qualifying on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 May.
