Date: 26 July 2007

Maserati competitive after the first free practice sessions at Spa

The FIA GT championship is about to enter its most important weekend of the season: the Spa 24 Hour. The classic Belgian endurance race will be especially competitive this year given the high level of the crews that have entered.

The Maserati MC12s have been in good form on the past two occasions the race has been run. They claimed a great one-two in 2005 (first place for Bartels/Scheider/Van de Poele, second for Bertolini/Wendlinger/Peter). 2006 was another fantastic year with Bartels/Bertolini/Van de Poele's success at the end of a thrilling tussle with the Aston Martin fielded by Phoenix Racing.

The Team, winners in both 2005 and 2006, will have Bartels/Biagi/Van De Poele/Lamy in the number 1 MC12. Taking care of the drive in the number 2 car will be the Ramos/Montanari/Bobbi/Lémeret crew. The driver from Belgium will once more be flanked by , who he topped the podium with in the last two races. will be climbing into the MC12 again after his victory in the in 2006 when in Racing Box colours. , the 2003 FIA GT champion alongside , will be making his debut in the Modenese GT. Another driver making his first appearance in the MC12 is Stéphane Lémeret, the Belgian who took second in the last 24 Hours.

The Scuderia Playteam Sarafree will be appearing for the first time at Spa in the FIA GT. In the number 11 for the outfit will be Bertolini/Piccini/Pier Guidi/De Simone while Giannoccaro/Busnelli/Mueller are the drivers confirmed to share the drive in the number 12 car. The Milan based team still has to name its fourth driver. Fabrizio De Simone will be making a return to the GT1 class after competing in the MC12 in the 2004 FIA GT and in the 2005 ALMS championship. Massimiliano Busnelli, currently taking part in the International GT Open, will make his FIA GT debut. Alex Mueller, on the other hand, has some endurance racing experience having already raced in the 24 Hours of Spa in 2004. Belgian driver Yves Lambert will be competing in his sixth Spa classic.

JMB Racing will go into the race with only one MC12, driven by Macari/Aucott/Peter/Franchitti. This means that Philippe Peter will be back driving a Maserati after his stint in 2005 when he also turned out for JMB Racing. Marino Franchitti, who can now be caught competing in the ALMS series, has never before driven the MC12 but has, in the past, done well in endurance races like the 1000km of Nurburgring. Joe Macari and Ben Aucott currently head the Citation Cup, partly thanks to their win at Oschersleben.

In the first free practice session, the Playteam Sarafree MC12 driven by Bertolini/Piccini/De Simone/Pier Guidi (2'15"838) edged out the MC12 fielded by the Vitaphone Racing Team with Lemeret/Ramos/Montanari/Bobbi behind the wheel (2:16.858). Fifth fastest were Van De Poele/Bartels/Biagi/Lamy (2'17"428), seventh Giannoccaro/Busnelli/Müller/Lambert (2'17"644) and eleventh Macari/Aucott/Peter/Franchitti (2'18"739).

Topping the timesheet in the second free session was Deletraz/Hezemans/Gollin/Fässler's Corvette C6R (2'17"259). The Maseratis filled positions three to six with Van De Poele/Bartels/Biagi/Lamy (2'18"061), Macari/Aucott/Peter/Franchitti (2'18"111), Bertolini/Piccini/De Simone/Pier Guidi (2'18"990), and Lemeret/Ramos/Montanari/Bobbi (2'19"919). Giannoccaro/Busnelli/Müller/Lambert's MC12 came in twenty-first after running off the track.

Qualifying will take place today and tomorrow. The first session will last 60' and will get underway at 20.30. This will be followed by a 90' session that starts at 22.00 and tomorrow's 45' stint that will begin at 10.45. Drivers will line up for the 24 Hour at 16 on Saturday. The event will be shown, in Italy, on Sky Sport 2.