Maserati MC12 GT1
The Maserati MC12 GT1 is a Gran Turismo racing car of the GT1 group based on the Maserati MC12 .
development
The development of the Maserati MC12 GT1 began after the takeover of Maserati by Ferrari . Ferrari commissioned Maserati to design a racing car that would be eligible to compete in the FIA GT championship . In contrast to most of the other racing cars in the FIA GT championship, which are usually further developments of road sports cars, the MC12 was specially designed for use in motorsport. The 50 built vehicles of the street version should only be used for homologation . Due to the fact that the street-legal Maserati MC12 was already a very radical concept, Maserati had more technical freedom than its competitors for its racing vehicle, originally called Maserati Corse Competizione . Andrea Bertolini , as chief test driver, carried out many test drives with the Maserati MC12 GT1 on the Pista di Fiorano . Some test drives were also completed by Michael Schumacher .
Racing history
FIA GT Championship
In 2004, Maserati completed three Maserati MC12s for the GT1 class of the FIA GT Championship. The factory-supported AF Corse team started two Maserati MC12s for the first time at the season race in Imola , but the vehicles were not eligible for points because the homologation was still pending. Nevertheless, the vehicles were able to achieve second and third place in their debut race. At the following race in Oschersleben , Andrea Bertolini and Mika Salo took their first victory in the Maserati MC12. The vehicle finally received its homologation before the last race of the season in Zhuhai . As the Maserati MC12 finished the race with a one-two result, AF Corse scored enough points to take seventh place in the team classification, even though only one race was included in the classification.
In the 2005 season, Maserati won the manufacturers' championship. Maserati scored almost twice as many points as Ferrari, the second-placed manufacturer, in its first full season in the FIA GT Championship. The teams Vitaphone Racing and JMB Racing competed in the championship in 2005 with a Maserati MC12. They finished the season in first and second place in the team standings, with Vitaphone winning by a clear margin. Before the last race in Bahrain , four Maserati drivers were still in a promising position for the drivers' championship title: Karl Wendlinger and Andrea Bertolini with 71 points and Timo Scheider and Michael Bartels with 70 points. Ferrari driver Gabriele Gardel was on par with the latter . In the decisive race he left both Maserati behind in his older Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello and crossed the finish line first. Gardel secured the championship with four points ahead of Scheider and Bartels.
In 2006 Vitaphone Racing was the only team to compete in the FIA GT Championship with a Maserati MC12. The team won the team championship early. Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini shared first place in the drivers' championship. Maserati only had to admit defeat to Aston Martin in the manufacturers' championship , although significantly more teams relied on a brand from Aston Martin.
Vitaphone Racing won the team championship again in 2007. Another Maserati team followed in second place with the Scuderia Playteam Sarafree . JMB Racing also brought two Maserati MC12s to the start, with these being driven by amateur racers who competed in the Citation Cup . JMB pilot Ben Aucott won this one. The manufacturers 'championship now went back to Maserati with a clear lead, while Playteam's Thomas Biagi won the drivers' championship. The colleagues from Vitaphone, Miguel Ramos and Christian Montanari shared sixth place, Playteams Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini were placed directly behind.
In 2008 Vitaphone Racing contested the FIA GT Championship with two Maserati MC12s for Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels as well as for Miguel Ramos and Alexandre Negrão . The season ended for Vitaphone with another victory in the team standings, while Bertolini and Bartels won the drivers' standings. During the run in Zolder , the team used a third vehicle called Team Vitasystem . Pedro Lamy and Matteo Bobbi scored one point. JMB Racing took part in the first five races of the season with a single Maserati MC12 for Ben Aucott, Peter Kutemann and Alain Ferté .
In the 2009 season, Vitaphone Racing won its fifth team title in a row with the Maserati MC12, while Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels won their third drivers' title. Miguel Ramos and Alexander Müller in the second Vitaphone-Maserati finished the season in eighth place. From the fourth race onwards, a third vehicle was also used under the name Vitaphone Racing Team DHL . Its drivers Matteo Bobbi and Alessandro Pier Guidi won the last race of the season in Zolder. Although only a single vehicle collected points for the Vitaphone Racing Team DHL, which also only contested part of the season, the team was able to achieve fourth place in the team classification.
Italian GT Championship
The Maserati MC12 also had great success in Italian motorsport. In the 2005 season, Maserati introduced two MC12s in the Italian GT Championship, which were used by the Scuderia Playteam and Racing Box . The teams finished first and third in the championship. The vehicles remained in the championship in 2006 when Scuderia Playteam was able to defend its title and Racing Box moved up to second place. Since 2007, vehicles of the GT1 group are no longer permitted in the Italian GT championship. Scuderia Playteam therefore switched to the FIA GT Championship.
Racing Box also took part twice in the non-championship 6-hour Vallelunga race. The team won this in 2005 with Michele Rugolo , Leonardo Maddelena and Davide Mastracci . In the following year the success could be repeated with Pedro Lamy, Marco Cioci and Piergiuseppe Perazzini .
Super GT
In 2006 the Goh team planned to use a Maserati MC12 in the Japanese Super GT series . However, the team had to give up when driver Jan Magnussen fell ill and returned to Denmark, and due to disappointing lap times on test drives in Suzuka . Although the Maserati MC12 was faster on the straights than its competitors with Super GT vehicles, it still lost over a second per lap due to poor aerodynamics .
American Le Mans Series
In 2004, the Maserati could not take part in racing series organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest , including the Le Mans 24-hour race , the Le Mans Endurance Series and the American Le Mans Series . This was due to the fact that the Maserati MC12 exceeded the maximum permitted length and width for vehicles in its class. When trying to adapt the vehicle to the regulations, the front was shortened by 200 millimeters, but the vehicle was 66 millimeters too wide. In 2005, the umbrella organization of the American Le Mans Series, the International Motor Sports Association , allowed the Maserati MC12 to participate. However, the vehicles were not eligible for points and they were given additional weights. Some American Le Mans Series teams initially protested against the Maserati MC12's participation, but ultimately the vehicle was allowed to race. However, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest stuck to their decision to exclude the vehicle from the Le Mans Endurance Series.
A single Maserati MC12 was used by Risi Competizione in the American Le Mans Series in 2005 under the name Maserati Corse . However, the team had little success and did not achieve a race victory. Risi Competizione finally had a low point at the end of the season in Laguna Seca when a competitor collided with the Maserati and forced a long pit stop. After the race resumed, the vehicle had traction problems due to cold tires. As a result, the Maserati hit a curb, which broke the radiator and Risi Competizione had to withdraw the vehicle from the race as a result.
In August 2007, Fredy Lienhard and Didier Theys announced that they would prepare a Maserati MC12, which was previously used in the FIA GT Championship, for racing in the American Le Mans Series. The vehicle used by Doran Racing made its debut at Road America , where it finished third in its class. The Maserati MC12 was also used on Road Atlanta at the Petit Le Mans , which the team was unable to finish due to an accident. Nevertheless, it was ranked second in its class. Before the race, Doran Racing was able to qualify his car on pole position in the GT1 class. The team used Michelin instead of the Pirelli tires that Risi Competizione's Maserati had been fitted with two years earlier. Doran Racing also used a wider but flatter rear wing than Risi Competizione and the FIA GT Championship teams. The International Motor Sports Association finally allowed Doran Racing to become the first Maserati team in the American Le Mans Series to achieve championship points. Doran Racing ended the season in second place in the team standings due to a lack of competition.
Web links
- Les châssis Maserati MC12 GT1 . In: Les dossiers endurance series. Endurance-series.com (French).