Maserati Finishes Fourth in the American Le Mans Series Race at Infineon Raceway

Maserati – Infineon Raceway 

ALMS race – 17 July 2005

Car :                             Maserati MC12, n. 35, chassis n. 03/15440 

Drivers:                         Andrea Bertolini, Modena, Italy; Fabrizio
de Simone, Rome, Italy

Position:                       fourth, GT1

Weather:                       88 F, clear, sunny

Circuit length:                2.53 miles

 

Maserati finished fourth in the American Le Mans Series race at Infineon
Raceway on Sunday, as the team continued development of the new Maserati
MC12 race car. The Italian manufacturer is competing in North America for
the first time in 35 years, so each race is an opportunity to acquire
valuable setup information.

 

Maserati factory driver Andrea Bertolini started the No. 35 Maserati MC12
fourth on the GT1 grid and held the position through his 58-minute stint.
Fabrizio de Simone drove the next 61 minutes, also maintaining fourth place,
and Bertolini returned for the final stint of the two-hour 45-minute race.
The pair finished fourth in GT1, 11th overall.

 

Giorgio Ascanelli, technical director, Maserati Corse:  "Apart from a small
vibration problem about two-thirds of the way [through the race], the car
ran reliably and the team operation was very good. I don't think we got the
best out of the car, but from what we had here, I'm happy."

 

Andrea Bertolini:  "It was a very hard weekend for us, but it was good
because we learned a lot about this track for next year and we worked with
the tires a lot. This week, the gap between the other cars and us is too
much. It was much better the last two races, so we must go to work again.
With the support of Pirelli and Giuseppe Risi, we'll continue the
development of the car."

 

Fabrizio de Simone:  "The car was reliable. We had no problems with the car,
but we have to find our speed. I want to thank all the team – Maserati,
Pirelli and Risi Competizione – for all the work that we are doing together.
I think this experience is a big one for us. All the experience we get for
the next races and for next year is so important. We'll continue to work to
get our results in the future."

 

 

Maserati competes with an MC12 in compliance with the rules of IMSA and
matches FIA GT1 specifications. The team will not score points for the ALMS
championship. The participation of Maserati in the ALMS has been made
possible thanks to the fundamental co-operation of important partners,
including Pirelli and team Risi Competizione, that support Maserati
logistically. The MC12 is using Pirelli Racing P Zero tires, developed in
2004 and currently used on an exclusive basis in the FIA GT Championship.
The successful cooperation between Maserati and Pirelli continues in the
American Le Mans Series.