The 2011 Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC ended with victories for Alessandro Pier Guidi and Andrea Bertolini. The titles had already been assigned at Vallelunga, with David Baldi taking the Trofeo crown and AF Corse, courtesy of Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Alessandro Chionna, sealing the Team series. Mugello did have some say in the final standings as second spot went to Nicolò Piancastelli and third to Gaetano Ardagna. The two, along with Baldi, have enlivened the entire season and as well as filling the final podium spots of the season. The final order was Piancastelli, Ardagna, Baldi. In the end, the Tuscan was able to celebrate his title in front of his home fans despite a hitch in the morning race, when he had to retire with a tyre problem and, in Race 2, when he was hit with a drive through for not respecting the pit exit lane.
The points for the two Mugello races went to Ardagna and Piancastelli as Pier Guidi and Bertolini raced as guests. The two are appearing in this season’s Superstars championship in the Swiss Team Maserati Quattroporte Evo. In Race 2 Bertolini was testing solutions that will appear on the 2012 car and he finished third overall despite coming up against entrants from the Italian GT Cup. The result highlights how competitive the Modenese car is even when racing against cars from a different category. The Mugello race format mirrored the one used at Vallelunga, with the Maseratis sharing the track with GT Cup cars. The race time was extended (with more points on offer) and each driver had to make an obligatory 45 second pit stop.
Adrian Newey, Technical Director of Formula 1 Red Bull Racing, also took part in the final round of Maserati’s single-make series. He crossed the line seventh overall (fourth in the Trofeo) after going at it with Francesco La Mazza and other Italian GT cars. His team mate and friend, Joe Macari, who disputed Race 2, classified twelfth.
Saturday evening saw the awards ceremony take place with Mathijs Bakker (Trofeo over 50), David Baldi (driver with most Trofeo category wins: 6), Nicolò Piancastelli (Trofeo under 30 and driver with most Trofeo pole positions: 6), Cedric Sbirrazzuoli (most Team wins, 7, and most Team pole positions: 5) taking the honours. Of course, the champions David Baldi (Trofeo) and AF Corse with Cedric Sbirrazzuoli and Alessandrio Chionna (Team winners) also received their awards.
The 19-20 November test sessions were also announced. These will take place ahead of the Trofeo Maserati JBF RAK Middle East, a six-date series with races scheduled for Bahrain (3 December), Bahrain (7 January), Yas Marina (27 January), Losail Circuit (17 February), Dubai (3 March), Yas Marina (23 March).
David Baldi “Regardless of my winning the title, it was a superb championship. Maserati managed all these cars splendidly. My compliments go to the mechanics as none of us ever held back. I would like to thank Maserati for organising this single-make series, the only one that offers drivers a back-up car, and for giving me the chance to compete on some of the finest circuits in Europe. I am really proud to have taken part in this Trofeo and to have such magnificent people alongside me”.
(AF Corse): “Alessandro Chionna: “Everything turned out well during the season. Things were already looking up in March at the Imola tests. Cedric, my team mate, is a true professional and I knew I would learn a lot from him. The race programme and the circuits were excellent. We won the title with a race to spare”.
Cedric Sbirrazzuoli: “We got off on the right foot and the 2011 season went brilliantly. I managed to win seven out of eight races in the Team series and five overall. I really felt at home in the car and the Trofeo atmosphere is great too. I would like to thank AF Corse and Amato Ferrari, who pulled out all the stops from the beginning of the season to the very end”.
Driver interviews, photographs, videos and in-depth reports on Maserati’s single-make series can be found on the Maserati Corse website (www.maseraticorse.com).
Race 1 – Trofeo Race 1 – Team
1. Alessandro Pier Guidi 24 laps 50’47.143 * 1. Cedric Sbirrazzuoli (AF Corse) 24 laps 50’57.039
2. Andrea Bertolini 24 laps 50’56.671 * 2. Olivier Doeblin (Scuderia Jolly Club) 22 laps 50’55.745
3. Gaetano Ardagna 24 laps 51’02.349 3. Franco Gallina (Gallina Franco) 22 laps 50’59.089
4. Nicolò Piancastelli 24 laps 51’07.440
5. Manuel Villa 24 laps 51’35.353
Race 2 – Trofeo Race 2 – Team
1. Andrea Bertolini 26 laps 53’15.359 * 1. Olivier Doeblin (Scuderia Jolly Club) 25 laps 53’02.346
2. Nicolò Piancastelli 26 laps 53’15.589 2. Davide Durante (Swiss Team) 25 laps 53’04.219
3. Alessandro Pier Guidi 28 laps 53’20.814 * 3. Alessandro Chionna (AF Corse) 24 laps 53’13.071
4. Gaetano Ardagna 26 laps 53’20.890
5. David Baldi 26 laps 53’32.289
* guest drivers who do not pick up championship points
Trofeo Classification Team Classification
1. David Baldi –164.5 points 1. AF Corse (Sbirrazzuoli/Chionna) – 216.5 points
2. Nicolò Piancastelli – 153 points 2. Swiss Team (Grassi/Durante) – 129.5 points
3. Gaetano Ardagna – 145.5 points 3. Scuderia Jolly Club (Olivier Doeblin) – 95.5 points