Maserati congratulates Marco Bortolami and Gloucester Rugby

Maserati GB congratulates Captain Marco Bortolami (who also skippers Italy’s National Rugby Team) and Gloucester Rugby on finishing 1st in the Guinness Premiership.

Gloucester secured a home Premiership play-off semi-final against Saracens after brushing aside Bristol at Ashton Gate on Saturday: the match finished 35 to 13 for Gloucester.

We catch up with Marco as he climbs out of a brand new Maserati Quattroporte Automatic, at Hartpury training ground.

MASERATI – First of all congratulations on winning your last match of the regular season. How’s your first season in the UK been, and what’s next?

M.BORTOLAMI – “It’s been such an amazing first season in the UK for me: I bonded with my team mates from day one, also thanks to our Head Coach Dean Ryan, who has been able to create a really friendly and at the same time professional atmosphere. After just over a month here, I was made captain: it made me really proud and it felt like I had been playing here for ages! I am now going to give my all in the play-offs: we are very close to the title, but we have the toughest matches ahead of us. Then I will be off to Italy to train for the Rugby World Cup: our first match will be on September 8th, against New Zealand’s All Blacks. It could not have been a tougher start, but of course we’ll fight until the end!”

MASERATI – Let’s talk about cars: a passion that drives you or just something you drive?

M.BORTOLAMI – “Definitely a passion: I study mechanical engineering at the University of Padua, in Italy, and one of my dreams – totally unconnected to the rugby world – is to work for a Formula 1 Team: Ferrari, of course, would be my first choice, being Italian!

“With the Maserati Quattroporte Automatic, I felt totally at ease and I love the understated elegance of its Pininfarina design. I also find it amazing how it shrinks around you, despite its dimensions. The driving position was perfect even for me (I’m 6ft 6” tall)! It also made all my team-mates very jealous, in the nicest possible way…”