Maserati will start the American Le Mans Series Grand Prix of Sonoma today - the fifth round of the series - at the Infineon Raceway from fourth place on the GT1 grid. Andrea Bertolini qualified the No. 35 Maserati MC12 in one minute 29.781 seconds on the 2.53-mile road course, encountering traffic on both his fast laps. The Corvette C6-R of Ron Fellow claimed GT1 pole position, while overall pole was claimed by the No. 20 Dyson Racing Lola in the hands of Andy Wallace.

"We had a good improvement in the balance of the car for qualifying, but it was quite difficult. I had a lot of traffic in the two fastest laps, but in any case, it's only two- or three-tenths [of a second difference], not one second," Bertolini said. "We'll continue to work on the development of the car. Special thanks to Pirelli for their support – they have a new compound for this race – and the progress with the IMSA rules is good."

FACTORY CORVETTES LEAD OUT THE GT1 CLASS

Ron Fellows and Johnny O'Connell in the No. 3 Corvette Racing C6-R started their push for a fifth straight ALMS class victory at the Infineon Raceway with their second pole position of the season. Fellows posted a fastest lap of 1:28.528, which was good enough to beat the No. 4 sister Corvette of Oliver Gavin and Olivier Beretta by 0.079 seconds.

"Two of those wins (previously at Infineon) were pit strategy," Fellows said. "The guys made great calls to get us in front. I didn't know we had such a streak going on. We're only as good as our last race where we finished second and I got into the tires." Fellows has moved back into a tie with Beretta in the ALMS' career lead for poles with 15. It also marked Fellows' first pole at Infineon since 2002, and only his second at the track.

In each of Saturday's two practice sessions, the No. 3 car was second in class to the No. 4 entry. "We were sandbagging all through practice," Fellows said as laughter erupted in the room. "It was nice to get (the pole) here because I love coming to this track. It's a track that for awhile I didn't think I did a good job at. As competitive as the Corvette Racing camp is, we try very hard."

FABRIZIO DE SIMONE ENJOYING HIS FIRST VISIT TO SONOMA

Meanwhile Maserati Reparto Corse's driver Fabrizio de Simone, is enjoying his first visit to Sonoma, both on- and off-track. He is fascinated by the wine industry and plans to attend a sommelier school during the off-season. "I'm really happy to be here in one of the world's best spots for wineries, in Sonoma and Napa Valley," De Simone commented.
 

"Infineon Raceway is very nice to drive, very technical, and all the area is fantastic. I would like to stay here someday and go around to find some good wine-tasting. I'll plan that maybe in the future."

PIRELLI WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE AS VERY HIGH TRACK TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TODAY

Pirelli technicians are ready for a hot track this afternoon. The weather forecast indicates an air temperature of 95 F, which means the track temperature will be about 116 F. But Peter Tyson, Pirelli Tyre North America's vice-president of marketing and motorsports, said the company will still be able to maximize results because of the smooth Infineon track surface.

"The temperature is expected to be quite hot, but this is counter-balanced by the fact that the track is quite smooth, so we expect to use our softer compounds," he said. "Testing on Friday was very positive and we made a check on Saturday for compound longevity, so we are not expecting any problems."

MASERATI - DEBUT YEAR IN THE ALMS SERIES

Maserati competes with an MC12 in compliance with the rules of IMSA and matches FIA GT1 specifications. The team will not score points for the ALMS championship. The drivers are Italians Andrea Bertolini, Ferrari-Maserati official test driver, and Fabrizio de Simone.

The participation of Maserati in the ALMS has been made possible thanks to the fundamental co-operation of important partners, including Pirelli and team Risi Competizione, that support Maserati logistically. The MC12 is using Pirelli Racing P Zero tyres, developed in 2004 and currently used on an exclusive basis in the FIA GT Championship. The successful cooperation between Maserati and Pirelli continues in the American Le Mans Series.

ALMS GT1 Qualifying Result, Sonoma: 1st GT1 (8th overall) Ron Fellows, Canada; Johnny O`Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6-R (GT1), 1:28.528, 102.88; 2nd GT1 (9th overall) Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Oliver Gavin, England; Corvette C6-R (GT1), 1:28.607, 102.79; 3rd GT1 (11th overall) Terry Borcheller, Gainesville, GA; Johnny Mowlem, England; Saleen S7R (GT1), 1:28.854, 102.51; 4th GT1 (12th overall) Andrea Bertolini, Italy; Fabrizio de Simone, Italy; Maserati MC12 (GT1), 1:29.781, 101.45; 5th GT1 (13th overall) Alex Figge, Hollywood, CA; Ryan Dalziel, Scotland; Corvette C5-R (GT1), 1:30.591, 100.54; 6th GT1 (14th overall) Michele Rugulo, Italy; Tom Weickardt, Whitefish Bay, WI; Dodge Viper (GT1), 1:31.994, 99.01.