MASERATI IN THE NEWS
Maserati In The
2005 ALMS Championship
02/23/2005
Modena
Maserati
will take part in all race events of the 2005 ALMS Championship,
after finalizing discussions between the
IMSA and Maserati Corse.
After
48 years, Maserati is back with a factory racing car in North
America. This new Maserati team will start
once again in Sebring,
where in 1957, Juan Manuel Fangio and Jean Behra won the 12
Hours race in a 450S, the last victory in the USA with a factory
car.
A
NEW CHAPTER IN AMERICAN RACING HISTORY
Racing
has always played a fundamental role in Maserati's history.
And so much of Maserati’s illustrious racing history
took place in the USA. From winning the Indianapolis 500 back-to-back
to dominating
roadracing at some of the top events, motorsports in the
US has
had many chapters written by Maserati.
In
1939 and 1940, Wilbur Shaw drove a Maserati Tipo 8CTF to
two consecutive victories in the Indianapolis 500. Maserati
is
the first Italian car to have won “The World’s
Most Famous Race”. The Boyle Special Maserati now resides
in The Hall of Fame Museum at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In 1946,
Luigi Unser won his class in the Pike’s Peak
with a Tipo 8CTF. In 1957, in addition to victory in Sebring
by Fangio/Behra, Carrol Shelby won two races, in Palm Springs
with a 300S and in Riverside with a 450S.
In 1957 Juan Manuel Fangio won his second
Formula 1 World Championship at the wheel of a Maserati 250F,
after the first one in 1954.
At the beginning of the '60s, the Camoradi
and Cunningham private racing teams were successful with the
famous Birdcage
and drivers
like Lucky Casner, Masten Gregory, Stirling Moss, Dan
Gurney. Another driver, Walt Hansgen, won at Laguna Seca in 1960
with a Tipo 61, and the SCCA Championship in 1961.
MASERATI MC12 - A PROVEN RACE WINNER
Last year Maserati sealed its triumphant return to motor racing with
a fantastic one-two finish in Zhuhai, China, the last round
of the FIA GT Championship. The two MC12s - numbers 33 and
34 - fielded by the AF Corse team in the last four races of
the season, clocked up two wins (the first one in Oschersleben,
Germany), three seconds and one third between them, with Bertolini-Salo
(who won two of the races) and Herbert-De Simone in their cockpits.
Claudio
Berro, Director of Maserati Corse says: “Maserati Corse is pleased to have the opportunity
to display our car to audiences in North America. This is the
most important sales market for Maserati, so this development
is very important for our sales and marketing efforts as well".
Maserati will participate with one MC12 directly
managed by its Racing Department in compliance with the rules
of the IMSA. This has been
made possible thanks to the close co-operation of important partners,
including Pirelli and Team Risi, who will support Maserati logistically.
Factory
tester Andrea Bertolini will drive the car. Fabio Babini (Pirelli
tester) will join him only for
Sebring. The name of the
third driver will be announced shortly. 2004 was an outstanding
year for Maserati, celebrating its 90th anniversary, growing
worldwide, setting
new sales and production records, achieving
best quality and customer satisfaction, launching four superb
new products and returning to winning ways in international motorsport.
In spite of the significant growth, Maserati continues to be
one
of the world’s most exclusive marques combining unique
Italian design with luxury and a sporting spirit.
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