02.02.2004 SCUDERIA FERRARI OF WASHINGTON DELIGHTED BY THE NEW MASERATI GT LIGHT AT A TOUGH DAYTONA

The new SFoW Maserati Trofeo Light GT began its racing career at the prestigious and difficult Rolex 24 at Daytona, and immediately demonstrated its potential by taking the GT class lead in the first hour. The new racer, sponsored by Maserati of Washington, was consistently among the top three GT cars for the first six hours of the 24 hours race. A small suspension bolt broke at about the seventh hour, and the time lost in the pits dropped the Maserati from a competitive finish, but the team was satisfied with the initial outing. 

"We deliberately selected the Maserati to defend our Rolex Series championships, and I think we're going to be very competitive this season," explained Team Manager Glenn Marquis. "It's a shame that later in the race the Maserati suffered damage from an off-course excursion in the rain, and that damage was unrepairable so we withdrew the car. Still, this was the first time a Maserati Trofeo Light has raced anywhere in the world, and for our car to lead the class, even if for only a few laps, shows its potential. 

SFoW Maserati drivers Emil Assentato, Fabrizio de Simone, Steve Earle, and Nick Longhi were uniform in their praise for the car in its first race.  Earle went further: "The Maserati was great for a new racer, and the crew really did a fabulous job. These guys are great, I'm certain this team's going to be a winner, and soon."

Earle went further: "The Maserati was great for a new racer, but this was my first time racing for SFoW, and I was really blown away by the crew. These guys are great, I watched them laying on their backs in the rain to get the car going again. I'm certain this team's going to be a winner, and soon."

SFoW, the Scuderia Ferrari of Washington, was the Rolex Sports Car Series GT Team Champion in both 2002 and 2003, and SFoW drivers won the Drivers Championship both years. The team switched to the new Maserati Trofeo Light, with sponsorship from Maserati of Washington, the authorized dealer in the D.C. area, for the 2004 season.