Maserati cruised to the top of the FIA GT Constructors’ championship after a tough, gripping race with four cars finishing in the top five. Both teams – Vitaphone and JMB – saw their cars cross the finish line at the end of a race that saw them come close to victory. The promising start demonstrated the potential of the MC12 and the drivers. Philippe Peter’s MC12 led early on while the black and green Vitaphone Racing Team’s MC12s challenged for the win right until the last.

Owing to some unfortunate problems during the race they had to be content with second and third place. The race was won by the Ferrari 550 Maranello fielded by the Larbre team and driven by Lamy and Gardel.

Philippe Peter began in pole position and from there he commanded the opening stages of the race majestically. He drove two stints without changing the tyres. Behind him came the cars driven by Michael Bartels and Fabio Babini, who later moved up to second spot. Andrea Bertolini was harassing Lamy and Bouchut’s 550 Maranellos.

The positions remained unchanged until the second driver switch. In was in this period of the race that Bertolini/Wendlinger had a problem with the pneumatic system in the pit-lane, which prevented them from fighting for a podium placing. Following a clash with Melo, Bertolini later lost his left door and was hit with a pit-lane drive through. Replacing the door meant two more pit stops.

Meanwhile, Peter had conceded the lead to Chris Buncombe; himself substituted by the Russian Roman Rusinov for the final part of the race. Once the changes had been made, the number 16 MC12 slotted into fourth place.

Babini/Biagi’s chances of victory were dimmed after Thomas Biagi overshot his pit-lane area when making a stop. Even Babini’s magnificent comeback could not make up the twenty seconds lost. The Italian duo had to be happy with third place at the end but they did set the race’s quickest lap time.

Michael Bartels had replaced Timo Scheider in the driving seat and held the lead until a few laps from the end when Lamy overtook him. The car did not have the best set up after an early clash altered the steering’s geometry. This meant that the German could not offer up much resistance. In any case, the team did well. Both pairings made the podium and Vitaphone Racing Team is at the top of the team championship.

In the post race press conference, Bartels revealed how much the team had had to work to modify the car after the FIA had ruled that the length of the rear wing had to be reduced. In light of today’s result, and seeing how the now well established 550 performed and considering that last year’s Corvette C5 was able to contest the result, it is clear that the MC12 is not the fastest new car in absolute.

Claudio Berro: “We are satisfied with the results obtained by the teams and the drivers’ performances that have put us at the top of the Constructors’ championship. The MC12 proved it was reliable and that it has enormous potential. We have to take into account the weight penalty and the aerodynamic changes made. Had it not been for some youthful errors and a few inconveniences, we could have won. It is a long championship and everything is in place for us to do well. I would like to pay particular thanks to Pirelli as they allowed all four cars to be competitive”.

Text courtesy of Maserati Press Center