Maserati finished fourth in the GT1 class in the American Le Mans Series race at Infineon Raceway on Sunday, as the team continued development of the new Maserati MC12 race car. The Italian manufacturer is competing in North America for the first time in 35 years, so each race is an opportunity to acquire valuable setup information.

MASERATI - LEARNING CURVE

Maserati factory driver Andrea Bertolini started the No. 35 Maserati MC12 fourth on the GT1 grid and held the position through his 58-minute stint. Fabrizio de Simone drove the next 61 minutes, also maintaining fourth place, and Bertolini returned for the final stint of the two-hour 45-minute race. The pair finished fourth in GT1, 11th overall.

Giorgio Ascanelli, technical director, Maserati Corse: "Apart from a small vibration problem about two-thirds of the way [through the race], the car ran reliably and the team operation was very good. I don't think we got the best out of the car, but from what we had here, I'm happy."

Andrea Bertolini: "It was a very hard weekend for us, but it was good because we learned a lot about this track for next year and we worked with the tires a lot. This week, the gap between the other cars and us is too much. It was much better the last two races, so we must go to work again. With the support of Pirelli and Giuseppe Risi, we'll continue the development of the car."

Fabrizio de Simone: "The car was reliable. We had no problems with the car, but we have to find our speed. I want to thank all the team – Maserati, Pirelli and Risi Competizione – for all the work that we are doing together. I think this experience is a big one for us. All the experience we get for the next races and for next year is so important. We'll continue to work to get our results in the future."

CORVETTES WIN THE GT1 CLASS

O'Connell and Fellows drove their No. 3 Corvette Racing Corvette C6-R to a 0.455 second victory over their teammates Olivier Beretta and Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 Corvette C6-R. Not only was it the first time a driver pairing posted five straight victories at the same venue, Fellows and O'Connell also won their 24th career ALMS race.
 

They now lead that category all-time, moving one win ahead of Lehto. "The reason Ron and I have success is we are smart about racing," O'Connell said. "There are times you want to be close and sometimes you don't. You don't want to be really close to a guy going into Turn 1 because if something happens to him you are trapped. Each win is special. I can remember each one. I know the first one we had to push and push at the end because we were going to need a splash and go. This win is just as special as the others. They are all great."

The No. 4 Corvette likely would have ended the streak were it not for a couple of mid-race spins. Third was the No. 63 ACEMCO Motorsports Saleen S7R of Terry Borcheller and Johnny Mowlem. "The pace early was to go carefully," Fellows said. "We anticipated a greasy track and the track temp rises quickly, especially as we get around noon or 1 o'clock, so we started the tire pressures very low so we were sliding around. Traffic, like always, was an issue, you could drop two to three seconds a lap, but that's Infineon Raceway. We lost the lead to the No. 4 car in Turn 7, and that was because I was sleeping. It was interesting, but we got him back. It all worked out in the end because we had a set-up that got better as the track got slicker."

MASERATI - DEBUT YEAR IN ALMS

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 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 tires, 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.