Maserati win again at Spa!
1-2 finish the reward for utter domination of toughest raceDomination – there is no other word to describe the performance of Maserati in the 24 Hours of Spa, the longest and most difficult race in the FIA GT Championship. The two Maserati MC12 supercars campaigned by Vitaphone Racing finished in first and second positions – and the car in third was a full seven laps down. The team saw off everything that their rivals, and the notoriously fickle Ardennes weather, could throw at them.
The two Maseratis hit the front just before the race reached the six-hour mark – and from there to the finish, some 442 laps later, no other car but a Maserati led a single lap. Vitaphone Racing and its drivers picked up a maximum points haul – and, since double points were on offer at Spa, the result was a dramatic increase in the lead enjoyed by Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini in the Drivers’ Championship, while Vitaphone moved even further ahead in the chase for the Teams’ title.
Further proof – as if it were needed - of the pace and reliability of the Maserati MC12 came in the form of the fourth place finish achieved by the JMB Racing entry, being campaigned by ‘gentleman drivers’ rather than seasoned professionals.
The 24 Hours of Spa has long been a happy hunting ground for Maserati; given the magnitude of the beating taken by their rivals, perhaps some of them may opt to stay at home next season. In four years the MC12 has won this punishing race three times – including two 1-2 finishes – and took second place last season, when Vitaphone were on course for yet another win when a minor driver error with an hour to go dropped them back one place.
This overwhelming success on the track, in the toughest test of the season, is a mutual reflection of success in the marketplace, where Maserati is enjoying unique double-digit growth while its rivals suffer falling sales. It’s not hard to see why, given the style, performance, quality and exclusivity that come as standard with every car which proudly bears the Trident logo. Visit your local authorized Maserati dealer; they may not be able to make you a race winner, but they will be more than happy to show you what makes Maserati – on track and on the road – the clear winner.
Click here to read more about Maserati’s victory at Spa.
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