Queenslander Mark Griffith is one of the most visible and versatile drivers in Australian GT. The former rally star is a two-time champion in the GT Sports category he dominated between 2013-2014, before stepping up into a 2011-spec Audi last year to battle for Trophy class honours, claiming two round wins and second outright in the championship, but for a man with a strong competitive streak, that wasn’t enough..
Clearly frustrated to have not had quite enough ‘grunt’ (to coin an analogy from Griffith’s long-time supporter Hog’s Breath Café) to take the fight to the outright cars, the Griffith Corporation team wanted to mix it with the front of the pack in Australian GT in 2016, but to do that he needed the right machine!
A big fan of the Mercedes product – and the owner of multiple vehicles from the Daimler brand through Griffith Corporation’s transport operation – Griffith decided that the new AMG GT3 would be the perfect platform to launch his assault on the Australian GT Gold Cup.
Griffith will contest every round of the Australian GT ‘sprint’ series, and also plans to compete in the Australian Endurance Championship with New Zealander Daniel Gaunt a likely candidate to fill the co-driver’s seat.
Griffith comes into the 2016 season with a fresh livery for the Mercedes AMG GT3, a livery that relies on some serious punch from the stunning carbon-fibre bodywork, with the design largely untainted with the exception of the now iconic ‘big pig’ – the growling Hog’s Breath mascot – whilst the car will also sport support from Daimler Trucks Newcastle, Vawdrey Trailers and Griffith Corporation.
The opening round of the championship on the streets of Adelaide will see teams battle across three 40-minute races, with every session broadcast live in Australia on Fox Sports 5 (Channel 506).
