Maserati takes back-to back victories at Spa 24 Hours

The demanding Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours concluded on Sunday 30 July, at 16.00. After an entire day’s racing, the Maserati MC12 fielded by Vitaphone Racing Team and with Andrea Bertolini-Michael Bartels-Eric Van de Poele in the driving seat, claimed the win. The victory was obtained in the final 45 minutes of racing. This after 589 laps and a close battle with the Aston Martin DBR9 driven by Piccini-Deletraz-Lemeret-Fassler that finished just 1´41"452 behind. In third, and ten laps down, was the Corvette C6R with Longin-Kumpen-Hezemans-Mollekens on board.

Having started from third on the grid, the MC12 was always challenging for first in a duel that lasted the whole race. The decisive moment came two hours from the end when rain began to fall on almost the whole of the seven kilometre circuit. The strategy for the final two pit stops proved crucial as the Maserati managed to close the gap of around one minute to the Aston Martin before overtaking it in the last half hour to claim a second consecutive win in this famous race. Within one hour and forty five minutes of racing, the second Maserati, driven by Vosse-Davies-Biagi, was forced to retire when Thomas Biagi was in the lead. A water leak that led to liquid coming into contact with oil caused the car to catch fire when it came into the pits. The damage caused by the flames ruled the car out of the race. At the green light, the two Maserati MC12s maintained their positions with Jamie Davies in second and Andrea Bertolini in third. By the end of lap two, the Trident cars were in the lead after they had overtaken Lemeret-Deletraz-Piccini-Fassler's Aston Martin. After three hours of racing and many changes of position owing to the pit stops, a duel for first place began between the Maserati MC12, with Van de Poele-Bartels-Bertolini on board, and Lemeret-Deletraz-Piccini-Fassler's Aston Martin.

The fight became a battle between three cars when Longin-Kumpen-Hezemans-Mollekens' Corvette joined in. The positions did not change much during the night even if the pace was very high. Two incidents characterised the night session for the Maserati MC12. The first came on lap 171 when, as it made its way back to the track following a pit stop, the entry of the safety car slowed its comeback. The second, between the eleventh and twelfth hours, on lap 274, it suffered a puncture on the home straight. The car was forced to run an entire lap with a flat left rear tyre before coming into the pits. This incident had a big effect on the Maserati’s race. During the first daylight hours, the MC12 continued its comeback and gained further precious seconds. On lap 465, just before 11am, Lemeret-Deletraz-Piccini-Fassler's Aston Martin spun on a patch of oil. Van de Poele, at the wheel of the Maserati MC12, did not have any problems, and managed to reduce the gap to only 9 seconds. This reopened the race five hours from the finish. An hour later, on lap 490, Bertolini – who had replaced Van de Poele – retook the lead with an advantage of more than twenty seconds over the Aston Martin. The pit stop on lap 500, three and a half hours from the end, was decisive: the positions were swapped once more and the closing stages of the race proved to be thrilling.

The rain began to fall just over two hours from the end of the race and the change in the weather affected all the teams. Once more Maserati’s strategy won the day.

The MC12 made its stop on lap 550, one and a half hours from the end. When he came back onto the track, Van de Poele had only a 10 second lead over Piccini but, lap after lap, this was reduced. By lap 557, it was down to only a second. The final stop was the decisive one. Michael Bartels substituted an exhausted Van de Poele and drove onto the track with a decisive lead over the Aston Martin with Fassler at the wheel. In the final 45 minutes, Bartels maintained the lead that he held over his pursuers, one that at the chequered flag was timed at 1´41"452. In third was Longin-Kumpen-Hezemans-Mollekens’ Corvette C6R, ten laps down.

This second consecutive success at the Spa 24 Hours race confirms, once again, Maserati’s extraordinary performance in endurance races.

Race Comments

Andrea Bertolini: “Finishing a 24 Hour three laps from the end and with a ten second lead will, I think, remain in the history books,” stated Andrea Bertolini. “These types of races have developed into sprints where you are forced to attack from the off. When a driver can count on the organisation of a team like Vitaphone Racing and on a car like the Maserati MC12, nothing is impossible.”

Eric Van de Poele: “It was just incredible, we had to push very very hard to try to come back to the front, we had a puncture in the night and this is why we had to invent something from a strategical point of view, and Giorgio Ascanelli was fantastic in this. The car had absolutely no problems, the tyres were good as well so we can say that this result comes from a team effort.”

Thomas Biagi: “We don’t know the precise reason why it happened,” explained Biagi. “What I can say is that until that moment our MC12 was perfect. We had started the race well. Both my partner, Davies, and I felt at ease and we had the feeling that we could have taken the lead.”

Trofeo Audemars Piguet Maserati Europa 2006 – With a commanding performance at Spa, Cerrai beat off Moz Fabris and Bartocci to reopen the title race.

Clouds threatened rain as the cars rolled off the grid. Rota began badly as he clipped another competitor and slipped to last spot.

Fabris managed to hold first place despite being challenged by Italian F3 driver Giacomo Ricci. Cerrai began his attempt to latch onto the front two by overtaking both Andolfato and De Megni on lap one. Cerrai was fast but Belgian driver Goossens was even quicker as he swept past seven adversaries to climb to eighth. Goossens covered the 6,960 metre circuit at a leader's pace and, by lap four, was in fifth after edging past Galeazzi and Demegni.

There were many duels on the track. The eye catching battle was between rallying legend Andruet and De Martini. The Frenchman got the better of his opponent at the end of the Kemmel straight having prepared his attack coming out of the fast Eau Rouge.

However, it was up front that most of the action was taking place. All eyes were on Cerrai as he first overtook Ricci at the end of Kemmel, and then swept past Fabris at Pouhon. The Roman immediately upped the pace and put some distance between his car and that of the English driver.

Goossens, in the meantime, thanks to a series of clean and decisive overtaking moves, had moved into Ricci's slipstream in fourth. The front trio was bunched close together and it was at this instant that the Belgian launched his attack before trying the same move on Fabris.

An error by the championship leader made things easier for the Belgian. Goossens now had Cerrai in his sights as Fabris came back onto the track tucked in behind Ricci.

On lap eleven, Cerrai was leading from Goossens – 1"845 down. Next came Ricci, 3"731 off the pace, and Fabris, 11"992 off the leader. Bartocci, racing brilliantly, came next.

Goossens' incredible comeback was completed shortly before the pit stops when he made the most of a mistake by Cerrari to take the lead. Cerrai, Goossens, Fabris and Bartocci all pulled into the pits on lap 14. The penalties that some drivers had to overcome saw Cerrai take the lead. He was pursued by Boulat, Oddi, Fabris and Bartocci.

Neither Boulet nor Oddi were able to match the times set by their partners and, consequently, were overtaken by Fabris and Bartocci, respectively. Bartocci was driving well and lapping two seconds faster than the championship leader but, some tentative attempts aside, he did not really bother Fabris.

At this point of the race, the drivers were preparing for the final push to the chequered flag but, two minutes before the finish, Rota clipped Zenere on the straight used for Formula 1. The Isoclima car was sent into a somersault that forced that race director to reach for the red flag that marked the end of proceedings. The move, deemed unintentional by the officials, ruled Rota out of the final standings.

The race order at the lap twenty race saw Alberto Cerrai in first, followed by Moz Fabris (+ 17"764) and Giorgio Bartocci (+ 18"923).

Supermodel Jodie Kidd with her gentleman co-driver Jamie Constable, finished 15th. On Sunday, she received the “Claudio Buziol Award – for sporting behaviour”. The prize is awarded at each Trofeo event, and was set up by Mr Buziol’s family, Mr Andolfato and Maserati in memory of Claudio Buziol, founder of the Replay brand, a Trofeo driver and keen motorsport enthusiast who sadly passed away last year.