italiaspeed.com

Maserati has won the second round of the FIA GT Championship, the gruelling night race at the Italian Adria Raceway this weekend lifting the Maserati MC12 drivers' Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini in to the lead in the 2009 Drivers’ Championship title fight. Success for the Trident brand during the Veneto weekend was widely expected as the Maserati MC12 had occupied a leading spot from free practice on and had proved it was in great shape with a series of fast times.

In final qualifying after Wendlinger's Saleen had been relegated to the back of the grid for a technical irregularity, the two MC12s, driven by Bertolini/Bartels and Ramos/Müller took over the front row. During the official session the two Maseratis had performed superbly, partly due to an intelligent strategy aimed at pushing hard towards the end of qualifying when more rubber had been put down on the track and there was less traffic about.

The first of the Vitaphone Racing Team cars to go out was the No.2 with Müller in command. The German attacked from the off and despite his first lap including some on-the-edge handling, the lap time was not up with the leaders. It was only on his second lap that the newcomer to the championship-winning team clocked a provisional second with 1:12.088, even though a Corvette slowed him down in the final section. Andrea Bertolini came out from the pits with only seven minutes left in the session. He drove clinically and set his top time (1:12.086) on his second lap to beat Müller by two thousandths of a second.

Even though the Maseratis drove brilliantly in qualifying, their times were bettered by Karl Wendlinger and his Saleen that stopped the clock at 1:11.759. The surprise came when the race's technical commissioners decided that the K plus K Motorsport car had violated article 258.3.6.4 because the Saleen's aerodynamic elements had not been anchored properly into the car's bodywork.

The Maserati's impressive pace continued into race day yesterday. Helped along the way by an evenly matched field and on a circuit where traction is all-important, the Modenese GT cars managed to display all their potential. Bartels/Bertolini's perfect drive was rewarded with a deserved win as the cars raced into the darkness even if there wasn't the usual duel with Saleen rivals Wendlinger/Sharp to enjoy. Still, the victory was never in doubt although team mates Müller/Ramos did put up a fine challenge. Maserati almost had a 1-2 finish but the #2 car's crew lost second place after a drive-through penalty has enforced. Despite driving very hard after the penalty they could not make up the difference on the Hezemans-Kumpen Corvette, although they did make it onto the third step of the winner’s podium.

“We worked intensely all weekend and we faced the race aggressively, attacking from the start,” said Andrea Bertolini at the finish. “I am very happy with this outcome because, with the Maserati MC12 retiring at the end of the season, it is the MC12's last victory in Italy. We may now lead the championship, but it remains a difficult battle and the final result is still uncertain.” The next stage of the FIA GT championship will be held in Oschersleben (GER) on 21 June.