FERRARI RETURN TO BRITISH GT WITH AF CORSE, CAMERON, GRIFFIN

Will Cameron and Griffin sport the same green paintscheme that's treated them well in Blancpain? – Photo: Jakob Ebrey

Duncan Cameron and Matt Griffin will return to the British GT Championship in 2017 aboard a AF Corse-run Ferrari 488 GT3.

Both drivers are no strangers to the series or Ferrari machinery after competing together between 2009 and 2013, first with MTECH’s 430 Scuderia and 458 and then the factory-backed AF Corse squad with whom they’ll reunite next term.

The pair’s new-generation 488 GT3, which they campaigned together in this year's Blancpain GT Series (pictured), will be the first to race in British GT full-time after FF Corse made a one-off appearance with the same model at Silverstone last season.

34-year-old Ferrari factory ace Griffin’s enviable GT racing CV includes Blancpain GT Series and ELMS titles, as well as victories in prestigious standalone endurance events. Six of his 14 British GT wins have come in the GT3 ranks, all of which were alongside Cameron, but neither driver has ever finished higher than third in the final standings, a feat they achieved together in 2010.

And that’s a statistic Griffin, a veteran of 97 British GT starts since his 2003 debut, is eager to address in 2017.

“Duncan was keen on a return to British GT next year; we both have unfinished business and are targeting the title together,” said the Irishman, whose last domestic appearance came at Brands Hatch in 2014. “British GT is where my sportscar career began. I’ve raced all over the world since then but it’s something I’m really excited about returning to.

“It’s still one of the world’s most competitive GT championships and we’re not taking it lightly. Fortunately teams don’t come much better than AF Corse, who also know the car inside out. The 488 has a lot more potential than the 458. It’s a ground-up racing car that has greater downforce, which will be a big plus around the UK circuits. Duncan and I know them well from our previous days in British GT but we’re planning to do a lot of pre-season testing because the car has had so little mileage in Britain since it was launched last year.”

AF Corse has enjoyed great success around the world as one of Ferrari’s official factory teams, but it will need to improve its British GT record if Cameron and Griffin are to mount a serious title challenge next season. The Italian outfit’s two previous campaigns in 2013 and ‘14 netted a best race result of second, while Pasin Lathouras finished seventh in the 2014 drivers’ standings.

The 25th British GT Championship season gets underway at Oulton Park on April 15 & 17.

Tom Hornsby