The penultimate round of the 2005 FIA GT Championship will take place in Dubai tomorrow. The race is being run on a Friday - rather than the customary Sunday - as it is a Muslim country.

Unfortunately, three of the Maserati MC12s will have the same ballast on board as they did in China, and which compromised their performance. The two teams that field the Trident GT racers received the news from the FIA's Technical Bureau on Monday morning that cars no 9, 10 and 15 will have forty kilos of ballast. Car no 16, meanwhile, will have an extra twenty kilos to carry. It was a very debatable decision and one that could influence the outcome of the season as the Drivers' title is still up for grabs. It was a decision taken despite the performances and lap times recorded at Zhuhai that demonstrated that the MC12 was losing two seconds per lap compared to its rivals.

In total, Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider's no 9 Maserati MC12 will have 140kg, Fabio Babini and Thomas Biagi will carry 120kg, and Andrea Bertolini and Karl Wendlinger 110kg. Phillipp Peter's no 16 will have 30kg of ballast as it was absent in China. In this context, it is clear that fast times could not be expected in yesterday's free practice. The drivers concentrated instead on tested the different tyres and getting the set up right. As it was last year, the Dubai circuit proved to be very slippery. This was due to the sand blown onto the track. Many cars featured new engines as they prepared for free practice as the fuel used at Zhuhai caused some problems here. Included among these were cars 9 and 15.
 

The Trident company has already made mathematically certain of the Constructors' Cup. It has also virtually won the team title as only the two Maserati outfits are in with a chance of victory. The Vitaphone Racing Team head the standings and require just five more points to win the championship with a race to spare. During the afternoon's free practice, the best time set by an MC12 was clocked by Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider. They headed the JMB Racing car with Philippe Peter, Peter Kutemann and Dirk Waaijenberg behind the wheel. Waaijenberg is the owner of the car and has tested twice over the course of the year. He has, in the past, competed in other categories. "Owning an MC12 was one of my dreams", revealed the Dutchman. "I tracked the car's development in the papers right from the beginning. Then, together with JMB Racing, I realised my aim of racing what I believe to be the best racing car in existence. Naturally, I still have a lot to learn but my feeling with the MC12 grows lap after lap".

For Philippe Peter the race marks an important return after missing out in China. The Austro-Swiss driver will be at the wheel of the MC12 in Bahrain and will be doing his all to help Bertolini and Wendlinger. Peter Kutemann will also be making a comeback in the MC12 after having raced at Spa in the no 16.