Maserati made its long awaited return to racing with an official car in the United States today, obtaining an excellent finishing position at the 53rd 12 Hours of Sebring.

For the record, the gruelling race was won overall by the Kristensen/Werner/Letho crew driving an Audi R8 prototype. The Maserati MC12 crewed by Andrea Bertolini, Fabrizio De Simone and Fabio Babini eventually finished in fifth place in the GT1 category and ninth overall.

It was a result that pleased the Maserati Corse technicians given that the car, was one swifty modified to adhere to FIA GT1 regulations, was making its competition debut. Only a month has passed since the first test session conducted at the Paul Ricard circuit in France with this revised version of the MC 12.

It was also the first time that the MC12 had entered a twelve hour event. The very fact of having finished the race at the first attempt is a positive factor and is a demonstration that the project is proceeding well. This was also just the MC12’s fifth race since its FIA GT Championship debut at Imola last year.

Unfortunately, an unscheduled stop to secure the two gear lever support brackets in place meant eighteen laps were lost. The repairs could not be carried out in the pit lane and the team had to take the car to the paddock area to fix the problem. Contact with another can, and problem with a clutch fluid connection during a pit stop, were additional hindrances.

Once back on the track, the MC12 kept up a consistent pace. A best time of 1.59.181 was set on lap 287. Of the thirty-eight crews that lined up at the start, only twenty crossed the finish line.

In line with IMSA rules, the car had 58kg of ballast on board, a factor that had an impact on its performance. In any case, a shrewd strategy, the crew’s fine driving and the Pirelli Racing P Zero tyres, resulted in the team scoring a great final position. Sebring sets the team up well for the rest of the ALMS season.
 

IMSA have ruled definitively against Aston Martin’s protest at the MC12’s inclusion in the championship. Andrea Bertolini and Fabrizio De Simone, both at Sebring for the first time, will also be at Road Atlanta for the next meeting. Fabio Babini, on the other hand, will be concentrating on the FIA GT international championship at the wheel of the Vitaphone Racing Team’s MC12.

Claudio Berro: “We are very pleased with the result obtained in such a tough race as the 12 Hours of Sebring in a car modified to meet FIA GT standards. The drivers raced impeccably and the team worked extremely well. A couple of technical problems meant that we lost some laps but the car proved its potential. I would like to pay particular thanks to our partners Pirelli and Risi Competizione who helped us a lot this weekend”.

Andrea Bertolini: “Finishing the race is extremely satisfying. The car was very reliable. We would have made the podium had it not been for a couple of technical problems. I would like to thank the team for their incredible work at Sebring”.

Fabrizio De Simone: “It was a great race on an unusual circuit. It is a shame that we were forced to stop in the paddock for such a long time. We have gained a lot of experience and gathered data that will be useful in preparing for the upcoming races. We proved we have the capacity and the professionalism to do well in future races”.

Fabio Babini: “This was my fourth time at Sebring and I am pleased because it was the fourth time I have finished. I have always had good memories of this circuit. We secured our first good result in the new GT1 class car. We have all worked hard and everything worked well, both the car and the tyres."