It was only a few rounds ago and we were hailing the success of Vendavals Griffin Gardiner. He was Mr. consistent, sitting neatly in 6th championship position. Only a few short rounds later we find Griffin languishing down in 19th. We speak to Griffin to see what is going on and how the wheels have fallen off in the last couple of races. And more importantly, we find out if he can get back to where we all know he should be and is capable of.
Griffin, simply, what has happened? Where has your season come undone?
The last 2 rounds have definitely not gone to plan, but following an intense Eseries season, I just needed a break from the sim. I’ve also just finished building a new rig and that transition is taking a while.
We head into the endures and your co-driver Damon Woods is someone we don’t know a lot about, but how confident are you of returning to the top 10 at Sandown?
I am really confident heading into this Enduro Season. Damon is a really talented driver who I think has a big future ahead of him. He impressed in the Eseries Draft with limited seat time and I think we will be pushing the Top 5 at Sandown.
We know you and Jake Burton both drive for Vendaval Sim Racing in some capacity, do you guys work together or are you two singular teams operating independently?
When Jake joined Vendaval at the start of 2022, I quickly realised it was a golden opportunity to learn from and work with one of the quickest drivers in the country and since then, we have worked well together as a pairing.
What area do you think you need to improve on either with car or driver to return to your former solid and consistent performances?
I think I am still driving at a high enough level to get good results, its just a matter of time until I can get to grips with my new equipment, which Im hoping will lead to even better pace from myself.
Thanks for the insight but one last question, the top 20 get through to next season, you are currently 19th. Do you have any fear of dropping outside of that top 20?
Obviously its not a good feeling to be on the bubble, but I showed I have the speed in the first half of the season, so im confident Ill be able to get back up the championship standings and avoid the qualifying series.
