Michael Satterfield
There were two second places for the Swiss Team Maserati GranTurismo MC, which made its debut in the EuroSeries by Nova Race championship at the season’s third event, held at the Spielberg circuit in Austria. The two second places were achieved by Mauro Calamia, winner of the 2014 Maserati Trofeo World Series 2014, and Claudio Giudice, who took part in the second race of the Maserati single-marque championship season on the same track in May this year.
Swiss Team competed with a Maserati GranTurismo MC in GT4 configuration, with a specific set-up featuring a smaller rear wing and the use of an intake restrictor to bring its performance into line with that of its fellow competitors. Held for the first time this year, the EuroSeries by Nova Race championship consists of six races on European circuits, open to GT4-spec and similar cars of various types, with a permanent bureau tasked with setting the balance of performance to ensure that cars compete on the most equal footing possible. Each weekend involves two races of 50 minutes each, with a change of driver compulsory.
In race 1, the Italo-Swiss team gained second place behind the Ginetta G50 of Marko Helistekangas and Fredrik Blomstedt (who also starred in the season’s second round of the Maserati Trofeo World Series). In race 2, the Maserati GranTurismo MC came in second again, this time beaten by Olivier Freymuth in a Renault Megane Trophy. In both races, the Swiss Team car recorded the fastest lap (1:40.479 and 1:41.436, both with Calamia at the wheel), while in the second race Calamia and Giudice finished first in the ES class and also won the under 25 category.
Just as during the weekend of 28 June on the Road America circuit in the Pirelli World Challenge, in the EuroSeries by Nova Race event the Maserati GranTurismo MC again impressed for its competitiveness and fastest overall speed, opening out new prospects not just for 2015 but also for 2016. On the American track, the Vita4One team raced two Maserati cars in GTS configuration, with Nick Mancuso winning pole position and racing back up the field from twentieth position to finish sixth in race 1 and fifth in race 2 (results not valid for the championship table).
Claudio Giudice: “I had a fantastic time. I had an outstanding partner who knows the car really well and he helped me a great deal, as did the team; I didn’t know them but we got a really good feeling going. We all wanted to do well and we did it.”
Mauro Calamia: “It was a good test to give us an idea of how far we’ve got with development of the car, and we proved we have excellent potential. We are very happy to have made it onto the podium twice. Not at all bad for a debut outing. Congratulations to Claudio Giudice, too: he drove really well”.
Race 1 results
1 Marko Helistekangas/Fredrik Blomstedt (Ginetta G50) – 51:00.022
2 Claudio Giudice/Mauro Calamia (Maserati GranTurismo MC) – 51:07.999
3 Simeon Ivanov (Ginetta G50) – 51:10.370
Race 2 results
1 Olivier Freymuth (Renault Megane Trophy) – 50:57.838
2 Claudio Giudice/Mauro Calamia (Maserati GranTurismo MC) – 51:09.655
3 Simeon Ivanov (Ginetta G50) – 51:15.632
Maserati Corse Press Office, Filippo Ghialamberti, GSM +39 347 5339022, [email protected]
Photo: credits Visintin
