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Irish sportscar ace Matt Griffin
has confirmed his 2008 plans which will see him contest his first International
race of the new season, the famous Toyo Tires Dubai 24Hours race next weekend.
The Cork-born racer, who last raced a 24 hours race at Silverstone in 2006
finishing third in class, makes his Dubai debut at the wheel of an RPM
Porsche 997 and heads to the event looking for a strong
finish.
“I love endurance racing and
although it’s my first time out there, the team has competed there before and
contested three 24 hour races in total, finishing all of them,” said Matt “That in itself is an achievement and I
intend to continue that trend and be up at the front when the event finishes
next Saturday.
“It’s not just a case of setting
fast laps it’s a whole different approach to racing over 24 hours. The break between stints in the car
means that it never feels the same when you get back into it, so it takes a lap
or so to get back into the rhythm and to acclimatise with how the car may then
handle. But that’s all part of the
challenge. Plus when you add to
that the number of cars on the track there’ll be around 90 cars out there and
the track is very fast, I can’t wait!
Matt has spent several months
under a strict fitness regime to ensure he is at peak fitness ready for the
race, which starts at 2pm next Friday. With the physical demands on the body
experienced by travelling at some 170mph for hours at a time, fitness is a
crucial factor. “I’ve always had a
good fitness programme, in sports car and endurance races in particular you need
to. Now though I’ve spent a while
working on specific areas with my fitness trainers to ensure I’m fit and
healthy, which includes ensuring I eat correctly not just on-event but now, in
the build-up to the race so that I’m ready for the
demands.”
With a campaign on the Avon Tyres
British GT Championship in a Ferrari 430 with Chad Racing already announced 2008
looks like being a busy time for the 2003 British GT Cup Champion as he prepares
to announce an additional programme in two weeks time.
“Next weekend kicks off my 2008
season and I couldn’t get more far removed from
Dubai than the opening round of the
British series at Oulton Park in April. It’s going to be a very busy year for
me; we have not just the British championship, but some other fairly major
events coming up, which I will be announcing after
Dubai.”
Matt will be joined in
Dubai by his regular co-driver Peter
Bamford, with whom he will contest the British series, together with Daniel
Welch and Jim Getty.
The event gets underway with
scrutineering on Thursday and Friday prior to free practice session on Thursday
at 11.45 and qualifying at 15.00.
Night practice at 18.00 On Thursday gives drivers the first chance to
experience the Dubai track in the dark before the race
starts at 14.00 on Friday afternoon.
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