gaijin
07-07-2005, 11:11 AM
MASERATI JUST MISSES PODIUM AT NEW ENGLAND GRAND PRIX
Lakeville, Conn. - The No. 35 Maserati Corse MC12 finished fourth in class and sixth overall in the New England Grand Prix, Round 4 of the American Le Mans Series, on Monday at Lime Rock Park. A large crowd attended the race on a hot and sunny Independence Day. The car ran as high as second and looked to favorable results, but midway through the race encountered a technical issue, losing coolant on lap 87. The team was quickly able to diagnose the issue and find a solution. On lap 115 a full-course yellow emerged and the MC12 pitted and had pressurized coolant shot into the cooling system while also getting fuel and tires. The team strategy was successful in enabling the car to finish the race, competing for a podium position, but this took an extra fifteen seconds in the pit.
The car came out running fourth on the same lap as the ACEMCO Saleen and made the charge to regain a top position. The safety car re-emerged and stayed out until near the end of the race. Fabio Babini was able to catch the Saleen, but did not have the time to set up a pass, as the race ended.
Maserati competes with an MC12 in compliance with the rules of IMSA and matches FIA GT1 specifications. The team will not score points for the ALMS Championship. The drivers are Italians Andrea Bertolini - Ferrari-Maserati official tester and Fabio Babini.
Giorgio Ascanelli- Technical Director, Maserati Corse: "The team fought hard through the weekend to find the best set up for the car. We felt very good coming into today and thought we would have a place on the podium. If not for the coolant issue, we are confident that is where we would have finished. We regret the length of the yellow at the end, which did not enable us enough time to catch the Saleen. We would like to thank the Corvette team for allowing us through, however, in that final section. They are very good sportsmen."
Andrea Bertolini: "The car ran very well, the Pirelli tires were exceptional all day, but the result was not what we wanted. The MC 12 continues to get more competitive, and we are able to quickly find our speed at all of the new courses we compete at. We feel confident that we will soon find success. I would like to commend both the Maserati and Risi team for the exceptional work keeping us in the race despite the coolant issue."
Fabio Babini: "The car really felt great and showed how strong it could be. The brakes and the tires just felt fantastic all day. I nearly had the Saleen at the end, but just did not have enough time to set them up correctly for a pass. They are very strong competitors and should be commended."
The participation of Maserati in the ALMS has been made possible thanks to the fundamental co-operation of important partners, including Pirelli and team Risi Competizione, that support Maserati logistically.
The MC12 is using Pirelli Racing P Zero tires, developed in 2004 and currently used on an exclusive basis in the FIA GT Championship. The successful cooperation between Maserati and Pirelli continues in the American Le Mans Series.
The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Infineon Technologies Grand Prix of Sonoma presented by Ravenswood Winery, set for 11 a.m. PDT on July 17 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. CBS Sports will have televised coverage from 3 to 5 p.m., and live coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at www.americanlemans.com.
Lakeville, Conn. - The No. 35 Maserati Corse MC12 finished fourth in class and sixth overall in the New England Grand Prix, Round 4 of the American Le Mans Series, on Monday at Lime Rock Park. A large crowd attended the race on a hot and sunny Independence Day. The car ran as high as second and looked to favorable results, but midway through the race encountered a technical issue, losing coolant on lap 87. The team was quickly able to diagnose the issue and find a solution. On lap 115 a full-course yellow emerged and the MC12 pitted and had pressurized coolant shot into the cooling system while also getting fuel and tires. The team strategy was successful in enabling the car to finish the race, competing for a podium position, but this took an extra fifteen seconds in the pit.
The car came out running fourth on the same lap as the ACEMCO Saleen and made the charge to regain a top position. The safety car re-emerged and stayed out until near the end of the race. Fabio Babini was able to catch the Saleen, but did not have the time to set up a pass, as the race ended.
Maserati competes with an MC12 in compliance with the rules of IMSA and matches FIA GT1 specifications. The team will not score points for the ALMS Championship. The drivers are Italians Andrea Bertolini - Ferrari-Maserati official tester and Fabio Babini.
Giorgio Ascanelli- Technical Director, Maserati Corse: "The team fought hard through the weekend to find the best set up for the car. We felt very good coming into today and thought we would have a place on the podium. If not for the coolant issue, we are confident that is where we would have finished. We regret the length of the yellow at the end, which did not enable us enough time to catch the Saleen. We would like to thank the Corvette team for allowing us through, however, in that final section. They are very good sportsmen."
Andrea Bertolini: "The car ran very well, the Pirelli tires were exceptional all day, but the result was not what we wanted. The MC 12 continues to get more competitive, and we are able to quickly find our speed at all of the new courses we compete at. We feel confident that we will soon find success. I would like to commend both the Maserati and Risi team for the exceptional work keeping us in the race despite the coolant issue."
Fabio Babini: "The car really felt great and showed how strong it could be. The brakes and the tires just felt fantastic all day. I nearly had the Saleen at the end, but just did not have enough time to set them up correctly for a pass. They are very strong competitors and should be commended."
The participation of Maserati in the ALMS has been made possible thanks to the fundamental co-operation of important partners, including Pirelli and team Risi Competizione, that support Maserati logistically.
The MC12 is using Pirelli Racing P Zero tires, developed in 2004 and currently used on an exclusive basis in the FIA GT Championship. The successful cooperation between Maserati and Pirelli continues in the American Le Mans Series.
The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Infineon Technologies Grand Prix of Sonoma presented by Ravenswood Winery, set for 11 a.m. PDT on July 17 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. CBS Sports will have televised coverage from 3 to 5 p.m., and live coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at www.americanlemans.com.