As it gears up for its first full season of international sportscar racing, the awesome Maserati MC 12 has today wrapped up a week-long behind-closed-doors test at the Paul Ricard HTTT circuit in the South of France.

It is the first time the car has been seen on track during 2005. Last year the MC 12 made its competitive racing debut on home soil during September's Monza round of the FIA GT Championship, where both cars ran smoothly to finish on the lower steps of the podium.

This first racing appearance had followed an intensive track development programme that kicked off back in January at Fiorano. The car then went one better next time out, with driver's Mika Salo and Andrea Bertolini sweeping to maiden victory at Oschersleben, and in the process claiming Maserati's first international racing victory in nearly four decades. The MC 12's final outing of the year, and its first since winning full FIA approval, saw it comfortably claim victory in the closing round of the FIA series at Zuhai, in China.

This year, under the terms of the FIA GT Championship's regulations, the car will be campaigned by several private teams. Surprisingly as it is now the end of January, no teams have as yet been announced, although a German-based outfit headed by Michael Bartels and Uwe Altzen, the duo who successfully campaigned the Vitaphone Saleen S7-R in the series last year, are expected to be announced shortly. Meanwhile, Ferrari stalwarts JMB Racing are also in the frame, with detailed official announcements expected shortly.

This week Maserati Reparto Corse, the in-house racing arm entrusted with the car's preparation, headed to the high-tech 5.759km Paul Ricard HTTT test circuit in the South of France to undertake four days of intensive behind-closed-doors testing. For 2005 the MC 12 has been modified to comply with the new GT1 regulations, the most visible of which is the reprofiled nose, now shortened to comply with the new 4.990mm maximum car length now required. Graphically illustrating these changes was the sole test car in France, finished in Maserati's 2004 FIA GT series 'blue' livery, but now sporting a new, unpainted carbon-fibre nosecone.
 

Other major changes include a reduction of the overall aerodynamic surface area, the fitting of a new undertray between the wheels, the re-positioning of exhaust system with new exits, the use of new carbon brakes, a traction control system, and the removal of the minimum height clearance requirement.

Maserati released photographs from the test which detailed the new carbon-fibre brakes, which one top sportscar engineer described as "pretty serious brakes", before further  commenting "the photos display two labels on the brake calipers which are temperature sensitive and change colour according to which temperatures the calipers have heated up. Carbon composite brakes are notorious for the phenomenon of the 'cold braking', meaning if they are not in the optimum temperature range one has little or bad braking. It is quite a science trying to adjust the ventilation according to each track so the brakes work in the optimum desired range."

All driving duties in France were carried out by Andrea Bertolini, the project's official test driver, but very little detail was given away. On the opening day of the test he ran 65 laps, while the second day saw the Italian driver alternate brief sets of fast laps with some pit stops. These were reported, by Maserati Reparto Corse engineers, as being necessary for setting up the new car correctly. Around thirty laps were run in total.

Yesterday, 111 laps were completed during a full race simulation run, the team reportedly happy with the 'modified' car's race set-up. The whole test was conducted in private, with the MC 12 the only car present at the Paul Ricard track, amidst tight security.

It is believed that the teams selected to run the car this year were present, allowing their engineers and technicians to familiarise themselves with the car, ahead of an imminent official announcement. Looking just as potent as it did last year, the Maserati MC 12 will certainly be the car to have in this year's FIA GT series and will start the season as the clear favourite for the title.

by Edd Ellison