FIA GT Spa's 24

Date: 24 August 2008 FIA GT Spa’s 24 Hours Practices: Vitaphone Racing Maserati ready for the great challenge so as to carry on with the 24 Hours legend Spa Francorchamps, 7,004 m., sunny, 23°C Two days of practices to prepare for Spa Francorchamps’s 24 Hours has given great positions to three MC12s that will participate tomorrow in one of the most important races in the international car racing event calendar. After being protagonists of yesterday’s first two sessions run between dusk and night, with a solid third best timing, Maserati no. 1’s team, made up of Andrea Bertolini, Michael Bartels, Stephane Sarrazin and Eric van de Poele, used the third and definitive session of the day to carry out the car’s shakedown without attempting to get the best time and tomorrow the car will start from the seventh position at the starting line. Starting positions in distance races like the 24 Hours give a relative advantage, while the essential thing is to find the car’s balance. A team that proved to be fast and close-knit, made up of Miguel Ramos, Alexander Negraõ, Alessandro Pier Guidi and the Belgian Stephane Lemeret, manned car no. 2, which got fifth position. Position ten was clinched by Ben Aucott, Alain F erté and Stephane Daoudi, JMB’s team of gentlemen drivers, who were able to get in the point area here at Spa, after having won the prestigious 2007 Citation Cup. The race will begin tomorrow at 4 PM and will be broadcast live in Europe, while thousands of racing enthusiasts are already crowding the track borders of the legendary Ardennes circuit. The Vitaphone Racing team aims to add to its fantastic record of two victories and one second place in three races with Maserati MC12s. Andrea BERTOLINI (Vitaphone Racing- Maserati MC12 no. 1) “It is well known that the three practice sessions for the 24 Hours are useful not so much to get good placing at the starting line, but to search for the best performance compromise to make the tires work at their best and to take advantage of the vehicle’s devastating potential. This is why we feel satisfied at the conclusion of the three practice sessions because we did well during the day and at night as well. Last night we got the third best time, just a few thousandths from the pole position time, while today we used the third sessions for the car’s shakedown, without ever pushing the MC12 to get the pole position. The race seems quite open to me, with three teams that have a good chance at the final victory and we are unquestionably among these three teams.” Practices Results 24 Hours of Spa – 5° Round FIA GT Championship 1.Vosse/Franchi/Lamy/Zacchia (Saleen S7) pole position in 2’13”923; 2. Hezemans/Fassler/Deletraz/Gollin (Corvette Z06) 2’14”246; 3. Wendlinger/Sharp/Muller/Lichtner (Aston Martin DB9) 2’14”581; 4. Bouchut/Maassen/Soulet/Pillon (Corvette Z06) 2’14”755; 5. Ramos/Negrao/Pier Guidi/Lemeret (Vitaphone Racing Team- Maserati MC12) 2’14”133 ; 6. Margaritis/Menten/Schlussen (Corvette Z06) 2’15”148; 7. Bertolini/Bartels/Sarrazin/van de Poele (Vitaphone Racing Team -Maserati MC12) 2’15”209;…10. Aucott/Ferté/Daoudi (JMB Racing-Maserati MC12) 2’17”804 Tomorrow; 10.15-10.35 warm up; 14.30-15.15 pit walk and Drivers Presentation; 16.00 Start Maserati Corse Press Officer: Stefano Bergonzini GSM +39 335 351067 Photo: Maserati Corse/Studio Mazzi – photographer Mario Chiarappa Other Informations: www.media.maserati.com www.maseraticorse.com .

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