AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
BRUCE HUBBARD
BRUCE HUBBARD JR
BRADLEY HUBBARD
The new Maserati
Trofeo MC World Series is ready to go. Now in its third year, Maserati's
single-make series has made a number of big changes for 2012, the biggest of
which have been to the race calendar. Now, the European boundaries have been
broken with events programmed for the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California,
and the F1 circuit in Shanghai, China. The championship can now be called truly
'global'.
Maserati will take
care of running the series. The all-inclusive format suits gentleman drivers
and those who want to race high-performance cars from a marque that has long
been associated with motor racing.
The 2012 season
officially gets underway with this weekend's tests at Vallelunga to kick off a
series won by David Baldi last year. The two test days will see around forty
drivers from twelve countries trying out the new car. There will be drivers
from Italy, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, England, Germany,
Monaco, San Marino, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates taking part.
As things stand,
there are 20 crews enrolled, including three teams, AF Corse, Swiss Team and
Konvex Racing, which battled it out for the title last year. There are also
lots of drivers who have stayed loyal to the Maserati series, like Cedric
Sbirrazzuoli, who last year scooped the Team title along with Alessandro
Chionna, and Renaud Kuppens (who has competed in the FIA GT). Among the
newcomers are Giorgio Sernagiotto/Giuseppe Fascicolo (ex-Ferrari Challenge),
Riccardo Ragazzi/Alan Simoni (ex-Italian GT), Andrea Dromedari/Max Pigoli
(ex-Superstars International), Tiziano Cappelletti (Italian GT4 champion).
The first round in
the series is scheduled for 20 May at Jarama, Spain. It is then on to Portimao,
Portugal, on 3 June, Imola (Italy) on 24 June, and Paul Ricard (France) on 22
July. Then come the two events that wrap up the season: in North America, on 23
September, and Asia on 4 November.
The GranTurismo
MC's new set up, featuring an aerodynamic bodykit and reduced weight, will make
it more competitive. During test sessions held during the winter break, the car
showed that its performance was much better as it lapped at an average of 2.5 seconds
quicker than the 2011 version. The 2012 races are also new, with two formats to
be run: the standard 40 minute event will be run for three rounds with the
other three rounds made up of endurance races of two 30 minute and one 50
minute event. The 50 minute races will feature a compulsory pit stop and driver
change for cars crewed by two drivers.
The regulations
have also been tweaked: as well as the usual division between Trofeo and Team
standings, this year will see the introduction of an Absolute classification.
All the drivers can compete for a place in these new standings with the winning
team or driver being crowned the 2012 Maserati Trofeo MC World Series champion.
All the cars that
appear in the Trofeo are made track-ready by a dedicated team of technicians to
ensure that the drivers race on a level playing field. Private teams can take
part with cars set up in line with 2010, 2011 or 2012 spec. However, private
cars have to meet homologation criteria and Maserati's technical requirements.
The data analysis session with Maserati engineers has also been confirmed.
The cost of
competing in the Trofeo series is €110.000, plus the race entry and test fees.
€70.000 (excluding fees) ensures participation in the four European stages. For
private teams fielding their own cars, the cost is €35.000 (excluding fees) for
the entire championship and €25.000 (excluding fees) for the European legs
only.
Maserati's track
programme will also see an indirect competition with a Maserati GranTurismo MC
Trofeo GT3 from Swiss Team. The Swiss squad's GT3 will make its first track
outing at Jarama in the Spanish GT and will then go on to appear in the GT
Open. Incidentally, Swiss Team contributed to developing the Trofeo 2012's kit.
Winter saw the
first ever Maserati Trofeo JBF RAK. The Maserati single-make series was held
exclusively in the Middle East over six gripping rounds. Races took place on
the F1 tracks in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain with Lebanese driver Joe
Ghanem eventually coming out on top.
The list of
partners and official suppliers to the 2012 Maserati Trofeo MC World Series
includes the confirmation of Pirelli and Sparco and the entry of new companies
like Bower & Wilkins, Maserati Time, Kuehne + Nagel, Audes, Performance 1
and Bontour.
This year should be
amazing for Maserati!
Auto Advisor Group
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