The second test session for aspiring House of the Trident single-make drivers was held yesterday at Fiorano. The first took place on 24 January.

Six prospective Italian drivers completed more than one hundred kilometres around the Fiorano circuit at the wheel of the Trofeo GranSport, the new model that will be employed in the 2005 season.

The day’s programme saw long stints on the track alternated with pit stops. During the stops, the drivers were able to talk to the engineers and discover more about the car. The precision of the front end when cornering, its stability in fast “esses”, the efficient braking and the power of the 425bhp engine were much commented upon.

Andrea Bertolini, the Ferrari Maserati Group test driver, chatted to the drivers. He gathered their impressions and suggested to them techniques that would help them make the most of the Trofeo GranSport. Bertolini himself contributed to the development of the car and its roadgoing version. The next group test session for drivers wanting to compete in the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa will be held on 11 February, on the same circuit.

The new Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa season, the third, will begin on 10 April at Monza, the same weekend as an FIA GT event at the Lombardy track. There will be two meetings the following month, with the first on 7 May at Barcelona. The Catalan capital will also be hosting a Formula 1 that weekend. The third race will be at Imola on 29 May and is timed to coincide with the FIA GT race. After a June break, the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa will move on to England where on 10 July, at Silverstone, the drivers will take to the track alternating with Formula 1 single-seaters.
 

It is then on to Belgium on 30 July, preceding the FIA GT cars, which will that weekend be competing in the historic Spa 24 Hour. Germany will host the penultimate round of the championship on 4 September when the GranSport-derived vehicles will line up at Nürburgring.

The season’s final race will be held at Valencia on 2 October. Cars in the newly formed World Touring Car Championship will also be racing that weekend.

The new Gransport version of the Maserati Trofeo will star in the House of the Trident single-make series this year. The racecar is the fruit of the experience gained in the first two seasons of the championship and is inspired by the roadgoing GranSport. The objective in developing the car was to reduce the weight and increase the already elevated levels of safety.

The overall aerodynamic efficiency of the car has been notably improved thanks to changes to the front (equipped with a splitter and two flick ups), the flat undertray (entirely redesigned) and the rear wing (a new profile and with a 40% increase in surface area). The braking unit has also been improved and the cooling channels re-routed.

The engine, an 8-cylinder 90° V-angle, now puts out 425 bhp at 7,200 rpm thanks to a new layout and a raising of the limiter to 8,000 rpm. The work of the engineers on the set up, modified the geometry and lowered the car’s centre of gravity. The Pirelli tyres also have a different dimension and mix.

The Trofeo Gransport is more than 25kg lighter with changes to the body and the interior. This results in significantly improved performance compared to the current Trofeo, as seen in the recent development tests.