|
The Maserati
MC12s of Herbert/De Simone and Bertolini/Salo will start from the first and
second rows in tomorrow’s race. The event is programmed for 11.45 local time on
the Chinese circuit of Zhuhai and will mark the eleventh and last round of the
FIA GT championship.
At the end of today’s official qualifying session, the two Maseratis fielded by
the AF Corse team finished in second and third position.
The best times were recorded in the first of the morning sessions when Johnny
Herbert and Mika Salo managed to set a series of fast laps when the track was
largely free of traffic.
In the afternoon the temperature fell a little but it wasn’t possible to lower
the times owing to the number of cars on the circuit and the lack of grip
outside the racing line. So, neither Andrea Bertolini nor Fabrizio De Simone
could fully exploit the test sessions. Pole position went to Matteo Bobbi in the
Ferrari 550 Maranello from the Scuderia Italia.
Martin Leach, Maserati’s Chief Executive paid a visit to Zhuhai after stopping
by the Shanghai showroom. He will also be at the race tomorrow. A select group
of VIPs and Maserati clients have been invited to the watch the race. They will
also be able see and parade of Spyders and Coupés before the main event.
Claudio Berro: "We have an MC12 on the front row once again. This morning our
cars had a very good set up and this allowed us to get among the top places. In
the second session we tried to improve our performance but there was a lot of
traffic out there. We would really like to end the season with another victory.
It would be nice to give something back to our partners, among them Pirelli, for
their fantastic support. The weather could change and influence the outcome of
the race."
Andrea Bertolini: "We settled on a perfect set up. The race will be a long one
and it will be gripping and uncertain right until the end. The brakes will play
a major role. I hoped to complete my fastest lap in the afternoon but there was
too much traffic out there."
Mika Salo: "We were consistent and did not commit any errors. We exploited the
new Pirelli tyres well but were a little unfortunate in the second session.
However, our chances of victory are still good."
Johnny Herbert: "We worked well on getting the race set up right and now the car
handles very well. Off the racing line the track is very dirty and it was
difficult to do any better. Our aim is to be as competitive as we can tomorrow
and to win."
Fabrizio De Simone: "We are pleased because we will start from the front row and
we have a well-balanced car. We tried a different set up in the afternoon. The
race will be a hard-fought won and so varying the race strategy will be
fundamental."
|
|
