The 2007 season of the International FIA GT Championship was officially launched last Thursday at the Monza circuit in Italy where the racing cars and teams that will give battle during the ten events planned, in concurrence with the traditional two days of collective pre-seasonal tests, were presented. After the success it has achieved during the last two seasons, the Maserati MC12 will line up at the start as the car to be beaten. And this year the GT racer from Modena will be campaigned by three private teams: the Playteam Sara Free, the Vitaphone Racing Team and the JMB Racing Team.

After having taken part in the Tuscan leg of the 2006 FIA GT Championship and after having made its mark in the Italian GT Championship with Giambattista Giannoccaro and Toni Vilander, Scuderia Playteam Sara Free will now face the a new challenge with two MC12's which will be entrusted to the Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini, and Giambattista Giannoccaro and Alessandro Pier Guidi, the cars fitted with Pirelli tyres.

The Vitaphone Racing Team will also be back in the series, again with a brace of MC12s. They will be seeking to successfully defend the Drivers' and Teams' titles that they won last year. Michael Bartels and Thomas Biagi are currently the only drivers to have been confirmed by the team, which is expected to nominate another two pilots in the next few weeks.

After their 2005 experience with the MC12, the JMB Racing Team will returns to the FIA GT series with their two examples. The names of the drivers with which the Monegasque racing team will face the 2007 season are Peter Kutemann and Dirk Waaijenberg in one car, and Joe Macari and Ben Aucott in the second; these last two mentioned drivers will be participating to the inaugural Citation Cup.

The First Race (25/03/2007, Zhuhai International Circuit - Round 1 FIA GT 2007)
 
The Zuhai circuit is the first permanent circuit to have been completed in China. The 4,300-metre-long course complies with the international standards dictated by the FIA and is fitted with advanced service plants. It is a circuit that adapts perfectly to the characteristics of the MC12, as confirmed by the historical double won in 2004, by Bertolini/Salo and Herbert/De Simone, at the wheel of the vehicles lined up by AF Corse. However in 2005, the MC12's, relieved of a weight of 150 kg, concluded an extremely difficult race in third and fourth position respectively with Bartels/Scheider and Babini/Biagi. Thanks to these results, the Vitaphone Racing Team assured itself its first team title and Maserati won the FIA GT1 Constructors Cup.

Maserati MC12

The MC12 represents one of the most successful GT's of the last few years. By narrowing the field of analysis to an international level, since 2004 the MC12 has won 4 titles (1 Constructor's, 1 Pilots' and 2 Teams'), 10 victories, 21 podiums.
 

The MC12 has also scored two consecutive triumphs in the prestigious 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. During the winter months, Maserati Corse has continued its development work on the MC12 in order to adapt the vehicle to the new rules approved by FIA.

The teams

Playteam Sara Free: Playteam Sara Free has been the ultimate protagonist of the last two seasons of the GT championships in Italy, Spain and Europe. In the Italian GT Championship, the MC12, driven by Giannoccaro/Vilander, was awarded the pilots' title thanks to twelve successes and two second positions in the eight seasonal rounds. The team, which has hired the official Maserati test driver, Andrea Bertolini, for 2007, also uses Pirelli tyres and Shell lubricants.

Vitaphone Racing Team: After its debut in 2004 in the FIA GT Championship, in 2005 the German team won its first of two teams' titles thanks to the performance of the MC12's and thanks to perfect organisation in the pits. After two consecutive triumphs in the 24 Hours of Spa (2005 and 2006), the Vitaphone Racing Team's drivers, Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels, became the winners of the pilots' title in 2006. The team also contributed to Maserati's success in the GT1 Constructors Cup in 2005.

JMB Racing Team: The team from the Principality of Monaco has been taking part in the FIA GT since 1997. In 2005, when JMB Racing participated in the championship with the MC12's, the team registered their best record in terms of points gain, 114, which won them second place in the team classification. The team also contributed to Maserati's success in the GT1 Constructors Cup in 2005.

MC12 GT1 - Technical Details

Chassis: In carbon; Length: 4995 mm; Width: 2096 mm; Height: 1167 mm V Gauge; Front wheels: 12J/12.5J/13.J - 18"V Rear wheels: 13J/13.5J - 18"; Tyres: Pirelli Pzero; Front: 14" X 18" max; Rear: 14" X 18" max; Tank: Rubber; Capacity: 99 litres; Weight in movement: 1100 kg

Engine: Compression ratio: Not available; Suction: Limited, by cable, 12 throttles; Maximum power: Not available; Maximum torque: Not available; Injection: Marelli MR 5; Engine weight: 205 kg; Lubricants: Shell; Gearbox: Manual sequential 6 gears + reverse; Gearbox and differential weight: 70 kg; Differential: Self-blocking with clutches

Clutch: Type: Push - Carbon; Diameter: 140 mm (5,5 inch); Weight: 5 kg

Brakes: Type: Brembo callipers; Messier Bugatti carbon disks; Diameter: 380/330; Thickness: 28 mm; Brake callipers: Brembo with 6 pistons; Suspension: Triangular arms superimposed with spring; Steering box: Servo assisted