Maserati Triumphant in Rainy Bucharest with 1-2-3 Victory
Maiden victory for Scuderia Playteam Sarafree as MC12 proves unbeatable

More: Third Record-breaking Month | Maseratis 1-2-3 Victory | Opera Singer, Maseratisti

After Maserati and Vitaphone took a splendid victory in the Tourist Trophy race at Silverstone, in the UK, the FIA GT Championship moved on to Bucharest, the capital of Romania. This was the first visit of the series to the 1.9-mile street circuit, laid out around the Romanian parliament building.

The qualifying session on Saturday saw another first, when the Scuderia Playteam Sarafree team took their first pole in the FIA GT Championship. The Scuderia has previously raced the Maserati MC12 supercar in the Italian GT series, where they easily took the 2006 Teams and Drivers titles; Alessandro Pier Guidi and team owner Giambattista Giannoccaro claimed pole in Bucharest, ahead of the sister Maserati of Andrea Bertolini and Andrea Piccini. Making it a historic 1-2-3 for the MC12, Miguel Ramos and Christian Montanari took third for Vitaphone Racing; Thomas Biagi and Fabrizio Gollin, in the other Vitaphone car, were hampered by 40kg of ballast after its win at Silverstone and qualified a relatively lowly sixth.

Sunday saw rain falling throughout the two-hour race, and on the tricky street circuit with its unforgiving walls speed and precision would be key. Pier Guidi led away from the start, and stayed in front to the first round of pit-stops. Unfortunately Giannoccaro came off worst in an encounter with a GT2 car, and was forced to retire.

Bertolini and Piccini managed to avoid trouble and kept the MC12 away from the walls, taking the lead after an hour; at the final stop, they had enough in hand for Bertolini to be able to take over from Piccini without losing the lead. They were helped by the remarkable consistency and durability of their Pirelli tires – they were able to complete the race on one set of tires.

Ramos and Montanari took third, the first time this season that two Maseratis have been on the podium – testament to the fierce competition in the FIA GT Championship. Despite the extra weight, Biagi and Gollin were also able to master the difficult conditions and take sixth in the GT1 class – a result which consolidates Vitaphone Racing’s lead at the top of the Teams’ table. With three MC12s taking points, Maserati also moved into the lead of the Manufacturers’ Cup.

The two JMB Racing Maseratis again took second and third in the Citation Cup, the category for gentleman drivers. Aucott and Macari are second in the competition, with Kutemann and Waaijenberg third.

For the FIA GT Championship moves from the confines of the Bucharest street circuit to the flat-out blasts of Monza in Italy, the self-proclaimed ‘Cathedral of Speed’. All three teams – Scuderia Playteam Sarafree, Vitaphone Racing and JMB Racing – will be eager to do well on what is a ‘home’ circuit for the Italian masterpiece, the Maserati MC12.