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The Vitaphone
Racing Team took its first FIA GT win in Magny-Cours last
year, which was also the first-ever Saleen victory in the
Championship. The year before, the driver of the nr 10 car
Thomas Biagi, was on the top of the podium. A fine run of
wins that team will be sure to wish to continue next
weekend.
"I am very
pleased to be back in the FIA GT Championship, with the
Vitaphone Racing Team and Maserati," Thomas Biagi
explaind."The whole team is very professional, everything is
extremely well done. And it is very special for me to be
racing a Maserati, as the company originated in my home
town, Bologna. I have now done twelve races in the FIA GT
Championship, with six wins, one second place and two
third-place finishes - nine podium finishes." With a 75%
podium rate, he is doing well
Thomas has both
good and bad memories of Magny-Cours. On the good side, he
won the FIA GT race there in 2003, his second-consecutive
win with BMS Scuderia Italia in the Ferrari 550 Maranello. A
win he dedicated to Marco Campos, the young Brazilian driver
killed in a crash at the circuit back in 1995, after
colliding with Thomas' car. "Ten years have passed, but that
moment will always be part of my career. It is still
something very strong in my heart, and Magny-Cours will
always give me very strong feelings. And I would like to
remember Marco next weekend."
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Monaco-based team JMB Racing, with its Maserati MC
12, ran strongly during the FIA GT race at Monza,
with Philipp Peter taking pole position and leading
for over half the race |
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The two Vitaphone
Racing Maserati MC 12 cars at Monza during the
opening round of the 2005 FIA GT
Championship |
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Meanwhile Monaco-based team JMB Racing, with its two
Maserati MC 12 cars, ran strongly in Monza, with Philipp
Peter taking pole position and leading for over half the
race.
However the cars eventually finished in fourth and fifth
places, the team thus just missing out on a first visit of
the year to the podium, which will now become the main aim
for Magny-Cours.
"On a personal
side, Monza was perfect," said Philipp Peter, who shares the
nr 16 car with Chris Buncombe and Roman Rusinov. "In
Magny-Cours, my team-mates should have more experience of
the car, and hopefully we can aim for a podium."
Karl Wendlinger,
who is sharing the nr 15 Maserati MC 12 with Andrea
Bertolini, commented: "We could not make the most of the
potential of our car due to a number of small problems. But
the race also proved that this season will not be a Maserati
whitewash, as many had predicted. This makes it very
exciting for the fans, but means a lot of hard work for us."
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