British marque Ginetta will return to the Australian GT Championship grid at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne later this month.
Experienced racer Mark Griffith is set to pilot a Ginetta G55 GT4 as he rejoins the marque with whom he won the 2013 and 2014 Australia GT Sports class titles.
It sees Griffith step out of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 he has piloted in the Australian GT Championship for the last two seasons, and is the precursor to a larger involvement within the GT4 class later in the year.
The opening round of the 2018 CAMS Australian GT Championship marks the first time GT4 machinery has had its own dedicated class in the top tier of Australian GT competition.
“We said a while ago that we’d go GT4 racing because it’s a class designed for gentleman drivers,” said Griffith.
“GT4 cars are cheaper than GT3, and that makes it much easier to go racing.
“I think GT4 is going to be a great thing, and we’re doing everything we can to help get cars on the grid.”
Griffith is one of the most experienced racers in Australian GT history, with a total of 71 starts across all competitions.
Alongside his a two GT Sports class wins, Griffith last year claimed the Challenge Modern class title in the CAMS Australian GT Trophy Series.
Similarly, Ginetta has a proud history in Australian GT competition, with Griffith having claimed both his GT Sports class title with the marque.
Last year, Ginetta was represented in the CAMS Australian GT Trophy Series presented by Pirelli at Queensland Raceway and Wakefield Park with a Ginetta G50 GT4 at each event.
The Ginetta G55 GT4 is the world’s most successful GT4 car, but has never competed in the Australian GT Championship.
Weighing less than 1100kg, it is powered by a 3.7-litre V6 engine producing 380bhp, a combination which has seen it claim British GT4 title on seven occasions.
Griffith’s announcement follows confirmation earlier this week that Jeremy Gray would campaign an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 in 2018.
Further announcements will be made over coming days as preparations continue ahead of the opening round of the 2018 Australian GT Championship, in support of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, on March 22-25.
