Griffin, racing with Johnny Mowlem in the no52 RAM Racing Ferrari F458 Italia, won the 3 Hours of Le Castellet, which was the season finale, to secure the LMGTE title in 2013. In 2014 Griffin took another victory in France, taking the win in the first 4 Hours of Le Castellet alongside Duncan Cameron and Michele Rugolo in the no55 AF Corse Ferrari F458.
Win number three came in 2017 with Griffin and Cameron being joined by Aaron Scott in the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari F488, the trio repeating their success in 2020.
Matt Griffin took his fifth win, Cameron notching up his fourth, at Le Castellet in 2024 in the LMGT3 class no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari 296 LMGT3 alongside South African David Perel, who joined the team in 2021. (PICTURED BELOW)
Matt Griffin is now preparing for his 15th ELMS race at Le Castellet, racing alongside his teammates Duncan Cameron and David Perel once again.
Q1: How did the opening race of the season in Barcelona go for you? What are the positives you are taking from that race going into this weekend?
“Overall, it was good. It was a tough race this year in the ELMS. I think the competition has definitely jumped up a notch. Then when you add into that, Barcelona is famous for tyre degradation, so I think we came out of a P6 potentially, if everything had went perfectly, I think maybe P3 or P4 was possible, but we were a little bit unlucky with safety cars. These things are swings and roundabouts in the ELMS. I think what I would say is, you know, we are satisfied with P6 but we need to try to be consistently in the top four.”
Q2: This is the 15th time the ELMS has raced at Le Castellet since 2013 and you’ve won five of those races in LMGTE / LMGT3, more wins than any other driver. You won four of those with Duncan, who has been your teammate for many years. Is there a race win at Le Castellet that stands out for you as a special memory?
“Paul Ricard for me is quite a special place, me and the track just click. I'm always quick here. The very first time I came here was when I did development for Ferrari on the 488 GT3 and we did days and days here. The circuit just clicks with me.
“In terms of the race wins we've had with Duncan here, I think 2017 when we won, it was a really critical race, because that season we had an engine failure in Monza. In the ELMS, as you know, if you lose a race, because the way the points are structured, it's very difficult to come back. So, to fight for the championship, we almost had to win every other race. We came here when it was the second to last round, and basically, we had to win. We qualified on pole and won the race. So, I think that when you do that, that's always quite special.
“When we won the 2013 ELMS race here was with RAM Racing. This wasn't with Duncan, but we also clinched a championship at that race as well, with Johnny the legend. That was probably the most boring race I've ever done, one of my best performances, probably of my racing career, because I started the race and in the first two hours, ended up lapping the GT field. But it's special, because we won the championship.
“I kind of love coming back here; I'm super relaxed here. I don't know what it is about this place. For me, it's always Paul Ricard.”
Q3: Do you have a favourite corner or sequence?
“I love Sector One, because, for me, it is maximum commitment. You've got two super-fast chicanes that you really have to commit on the entry. Then you have T6, which looks like a simple corner, but it's critically important, particularly when we don't do the chicane. Of this weekend, we're doing the chicane, but when you don't do the chicane, it's massively important, because if you're slow out of T6, you're slow for the next 30 seconds. So, I love the attacking nature of the first part of Sector One, and then the kind of restrained, I suppose, is what I'd call it, the restrained nature of Turn Six. So, you have to balance it.”
Q4: The LMGT3 class is super competitive this season. What would a good result for you and the team be on Sunday?
“I think we can win, but the problem is, I think there's 14 cars on the grid that can win. The ELMS is a championship that it's so competitive, you need to be consistent. You could probably finish in the top four in every race and go to the final round with a good chance of winning the championship, or at least in with a shout. But we want to spray champagne; I want to be on the podium. I think that last year we were incredibly unlucky not to win. We made a strategy misstep, and a safety car at the wrong moment hurt us, because Duncan had driven like a god, and he had a huge lead on the whole field. So, you know, we're going to try and win this race and it's realistic; we have a chance. But, like I said, 14 other people realistically also have a chance.”
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