03.05.2004 THIS YEAR'S SHELL FERRARI MASERATI HISTORIC CHALLENGE GOT UNDERWAY AT VALLELUNGA OVER THE WEEKEND

Now in its eighth year, the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge officially opened at Vallelunga and the 2004 season got underway.

In a weekend of fair weather and with the track in perfect condition, the Maserati drivers battled harder than ever to edge out the Ferrari drivers.

It is true that there no longer exists a 'war' between the two marques as there did in the past, but Maserati drivers gain a certain satisfaction from beating the red rivals from Maranello.

In Saturday's first race in the 'A' category (reserved for single seaters) the podium was all Maserati. First place went to Peter Heuberger in the Maserati 250F, second to Urs Muller at the wheel of a Maserati 6CM and third to the Maserati A6GCM with Julia De Baldanza in the driving seat. The second race, held on Sunday morning, saw the same final order.

The 'B' category, for vehicles with drum brakes, also saw the same result in both races. Here Lukas Huni won the two races in the Maserati A6GCS. In the long-wheelbase Ferrari 250 GT came Steve Dudley in second with third going to the Ferrari 500TR of Giancarlo Galeazzi.

The cars from the 'A' and 'B' categories shared the track in both races. Though the overall classification was unaffected, the confrontations were all the more engaging. Spectators were lucky enough to witness two almighty struggles between Urs Muller's 1938 Maserati 6CM and the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT driven by Steve Dudley. Muller managed to overtake Dudley, who, in the final stages, reeled in his rival.

In Race 2, Muller swept past Dudley on the first lap and pulled away. Dudley was surprised at the performance of the Maserati 6CM and lost even more time as he was held up by some slower drivers.

When the American was finally in a position to set off in chase of Muller, the gap was too big to make up. The personal battle ended with a win apiece but there will surely be more to come from this pair as the season unfolds. As ever, the duelling on the track was conducted sportingly, behaviour befitting of the true 'Gentleman Driver'.

The 2004 Shell Ferrari-Maserati Historic Challenge saw the debut of a lady driver, Julia De Baldanza. On board a 1951 Maserati A6GCM, she drove well on the track and brought a welcome air of femininity to the race weekend.

De Baldanza has not been driving in historic races for very long but she has all the skills necessary to become a key player. Apart from the Maserati A6GCM, she also takes the wheel of a Bugatti 35B and an Alfa Romeo 1750 Gran Sport, a fine line up.

One of the drivers' favourite circuits, Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, will host the next stage of Challenge races at the end of May.