In a race in which Diego Alessi dominated but could not claim any championship points, Maurizio Fabris moved to the top of the standings following Alberto Cerrai's retirement. The race, the fourth round of the Maserati Trofeo Europa, on the German circuit Oschersleben could have a significant bearing on the destination of the title. This is because the reigning champion did not score any points while Fabris collected 25 even though he came home third.

QUALIFYING

As usual, the Roman driver Alessi was quickest in the race against the clock. At the end of the fifty minute session to define the starting grid, Alessi, in 1'34"584, beat off the challenge of Alberto Cerrai who could not dip under 1'35". The championship leader had a quiet session and never really bothered Alessi. Behind the front two, Giacomo Ricci - paired with Nicolò Oddi - took the Trofeo GranSport sponsored by Guru to third. The driver who is part of Giancarlo Fisichella's scuderia, stopped the clock at 1'35"385.

Fourth came the crew formed by Albert Thurn und Taxis and Von Saurma, in the Toora VIP Car, after a lengthy battle with Ricci/Oddi for third. Alberto Vescovi, in fifth, also did well and was at home on the demanding German circuit. The Tuscan was 38 thousandths faster than Maurizio Fabris, challenging Cerrai for the overall lead. The Englishman's performance (1'37"296) could swing the balance of power towards Cerrai who has to work off eight seconds less during the pit stops (Cerrai has four and Fabris twelve).

Diego Alessi also has twelve extra seconds to spend in the pits. Given that his partner Francesco Ravasio is absent, he will not take any championship points. Burgan, on the other hand, will have a twelve second bonus. Coming back to the qualifying results, the rapper 'Smudo', leader of the Die Fantastichen Vier (the fantastic four), who head the German hip-hop charts took part. The guest driver set the seventh quickest time, 2"787 off pole.
 

Completing the top ten were Andrea Demegni, forced to drive the back up car after a clutch problem, Gianmarino Zenere - in the Isoclima VIP car - and Alberto Pizzicannella, in the Trofeo GranSport sponsored by Autosprint.

RACE

After an incident-free start, Von Saurma edged past Ricci only for the youngster to reclaim third and set off after the front two who had built an early lead. The pace of the driver in the Guru sponsored car and a series of rapid laps (1'35"112 being the fastest in the race) saw him quickly close in on the leaders. On lap six, Ricci completed his comeback with a superb overtaking move on Cerrai.

An exciting battle between Vescovi, Zenere and Smudo, in the Audemars Piguet VIP car, enlivened the race further down the field. On lap ten, Alessi enjoyed a 2"4 lead over Ricci, 7"4 over Cerrai, 17"9 over Fabris and 21"8 over Von Saurma. Two laps later came the shock when Cerrai's championship challenge was compromised as the Roman steered his Trofeo GranSport into the pits. This was not the only retirement during the race as Smudo also pulled off the track with a broken rear suspension, the result of a clash with Zenere. The thrills continued over the following laps when Pizzicannella and Vescovi clipped each other on the final curve. The episode saw Pizzicannella run off the track and sent Vescovi into a spin.

The race was largely event free until the 23rd lap when Diego Alessi lapped Andrea Demegni just before turn seven. Ricci could not get past but on the next lap the Guru driver pulled alongside the man from Veneto in an attempt to overtake. However, he was closed out when almost past, forced onto the grass and spun. Ricci came into the pit lane to be replaced by Nicolò Oddi; Alessi made his stop a lap later. When all the pit stops had been made, Diego Alessi led by 12"9 from Oddi, and had a 41"7 advantage over Thurn und Taxis and 44"4 over Fabris. These two drivers battled it out for third place but the Italian driver, who races with an English licence, lifted his foot off the accelerator as soon as Oddi was hit with a drive through for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. The penalty altered the classification and the race order was fixed until the chequered flag. Diego Alessi cruised to victory followed by Thurn und Taxis/Von Saurma in the Toora VIP car. Maurizio Fabris was third. Completing the top six were Oddi/Ricci, Burgan and Zenere.