| 29.09.2002
Maserati official press release:
The Maserati Trofeo
unveiled at the Paris motor shows a first step towards an official return
to racing.
The Maserati Trofeo,
the model with which the Modena-based, Italian company will make its official
return to motor racing in 2003, makes its world debut at the Paris Motor
Show, today.
Next year, the Trofeo
will be the centrepiece of a single-brand championship of seven races,
run on the most prestigious circuits in Italy, Great Britain, Germany,
France and Spain. Two events, in Italy and Britain, will be held in conjunction
with the local Formula 1 Grand Prix, and four will be mini-endurance events,
combined with the FIA GT Championship. The last race will be held with
the traditional “Finali Ferrari” racing days.
There will be 26
cars on the starting grid, and it will be possible to enter two drivers
for mini-endurance events.The Trofeo race cars will all be prepared and
run directly by Maserati, to guarantee technical equality and similar performance.
Before being presented
in Paris, the car was put through an intense test programme, beginning
in June 2002. It made its debut at Fiorano with Luciano Burti, and the
tests continued in Imola with Luca Badoer and Fabrizio Giovanardi. Luca
Badoer took the wheel of the Trofeo again in Fiorano and Mugello, then
Fabio Babini tested the car at Vallelunga. Even Michael Schumacher had
a chance to try the car out on September 8 at the Nurburgring and he announced
that he was satisfied with the level of competitiveness achieved. |
