03.05.2004  Rookie driver Andrea Palma came out victorious as this year's Trofeo Vodafone Maserati kicked off at Vallelunga yesterday

The “Maserati Day” meeting at the Vallelunga circuit ended yesterday with this season’s first races in the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati and the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge.

In the European one-make series featuring cars based on the Maserati Coupe Cambiocorsa, victory went to rookie driver Andrea Palma.

The man from Rome took the chequered flag ahead of the Swiss crew of Notter/Cattori and Marco Lambertini, another driver making his Trofeo Maserati debut, who staged a spectacular climb through the field from 12th on the grid.

Worth noting was a solid performance which resulted in eighth place for Giovanna Amati, who drove in Formula 1 in 1992, who was the guest driver for this race at the wheel of the VIP car, supported by sponsor Ermenegildo Zegna, in collaboration with the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

In the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge, the winners of the races on Saturday did it again yesterday in their second series of races.

In grid A, for historic single-seaters, Switzerland’s Peter Heuberger and his 1956 Maserati 250 F won both races from fellow countryman Urs Mueller in the Maserati 6CM and the Maserati A6GCM of Anglo-Argentinian Julia De Baldanza.

It was also a repeat of Saturday in grid B, for cars with drum brakes as Switzerland’s Lukas Huni and his 1955 Maserati A6GCS finished ahead of American Steve Dudley in a long wheelbase Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta and the Swiss Giancarlo Galeazzi in his Ferrari 500 TR.

Peter Hardman did the double in the two grid C races for disc brake cars, winning both races in his 1966 Ferrari 412 P. Behind the Englishman came Italy’s Massimo Sordi and his Ferrari 512 BB LM and France’s Francois Degand, both times in that order.

The next round of the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa and the Shell Ferrari Maserati Historic Challenge take place together again, this time on 29th and 30th May At Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.

SHELL FERRARI MASERATI HISTORIC CHALLENGE ROUND 1: VALLELUNGA