For the first time this year three Maserati MC12s occupied the top three places on the starting grid in Brno, for the fifth race of the FIA GT Championship. Pole position went to Philippe Peter at the wheel of the number 16 JMB Racing MC12. It was the second pole of the season for the driver from Vienna after that claimed at Monza. Peter will team up with Chris Buncombe and Roman Rusinov, who is younger and less experienced but improving race by race.

Sharing the front row will be the other JMB Racing car driven by Andrea Bertolini and Karl Wendlinger. The Italian-Austrian pairing did well after Friday and Saturday’s unfortunate incidents. Friday afternoon the car was badly damaged after Wendlinger left the track and on Saturday morning a clash with a slower driver hindered Bertolini’s chances of grabbing pole. Starting from the front row was great for Peter, Wendlinger, Rusinov and their Red Bull sponsor. Vienna is only 170km from the circuit in the Czech Republic. Last year Wendlinger gained second place here at Brno while Peter and Babini, crossed the line in fourth.

The third best time was set by the Vitaphone Racing Team’s MC12 with Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider on board. Bartels, the driver responsible for the fast lap, won at Brno last year and hopes to double up. Bartels and Scheider were the fastest in the afternoon session.

The Italian crew of Fabio Babini and Thomas Biagi lined up on row three with the fifth best time. The current championship leaders had 100kg of ballast to contend with but still managed to contain the gap between themselves and the other Maseratis. They worked well in balancing the car ahead of the race. Biagi triumphed here in 2003 with 100kg of extra weight and was keen to do so again. Just ahead of them, in fourth, was the Corvette from team GLPK Racing.

RACE

No 15 - A. Bertolini/K. Wendlinger (JMB Racing - chassis n. 08/15444)
2nd Place - 58.036 down

No 9 M. Bartels/T. Scheider (Vitaphone Racing Team - chassis n. 02/15439)
5th Place - 1 lap down

No 16 P. Peter/C. Buncombe/R. Rusinov (JMB Racing - chassis n. 04/15441)
8th Place - 1 lap down

No 10 Babini/T. Biagi (Vitaphone Racing Team - chassis n. 007/15443)
retired

Weather: cloudy, rain; wet track

Circuit length: 5.403 km

The fifth FIA GT championship race saw Maserati consolidate its lead in the Constructors' Cup and the team championship. Vitaphone Racing Team and JMB Racing are respectively first and second. The race was an eventful and demanding one owing to the rain that began to fall forty five minutes after the start until to the last part of the race.

The two Maserati teams were not particularly lucky during the weekend. Two unplanned stops cost the number 9 and 16 MC12 the chance of making the podium. The number 10 MC12 was clipped by another car and forced to retire. A few curves after the start, Kumpen's Corvette mounted the kerb and went into a spin. Babini, fourth at that stage, was run into by Kox's Lamborghini and then Piccini's 575 in trying to avoid him. Babini managed to make it back to the pits and the team attempted to patch up the car but their efforts were in vain.

Right from the start it was pole man Philippe Peter to hold the lead. In second was Timo Scheider in the first of the Vitaphone Racing Team cars. The other MC12, with Andrea Bertolini and Karl Wendlinger on board, was forced to mount a comeback as it started from the back of the grid. This was a consequence of the engine being substituted on Saturday night.

On lap 19 Peter went off the track but he managed to maintain control. His excursion was caused by surface debris. It started to rain on lap 26 as the drivers began to make their pit stops. The two JMB Racing cars had mounted intermediate Pirelli tyres while Bartels opted for wet weather tyres. Bertolini had raced brilliantly and was now among the leading drivers.

Peter was forced to make a second out stop after experiencing some problems refuelling and then a third stop for the driver change. Roman Rusinov had climbed to fourth before giving way to Chris Buncombe at the fourth and final stop. The middle phase of the race saw a duel for the top three places between the numbers 9 and 15 MC12s and the team Larbre 550.

Bartels and Wendlinger went head to head on lap 56. Bartels, who in the meanwhile had mounted slicks, had the edge. The race for the finish line seemed to be between these three crews but, unfortunately, during the last driver change Bartels/Scheider could not complete their pit stop. The number 9 car was forced to stop for the fourth time and lost for the chance of a podium finish.

In the end it was Lamy/Gardel's 550 that took the win form Bertolini/Wendlinger's MC12 and Melo/Belloc in the 575. Fourth came the Corvette with Kumpen/Longin/Hezemans in the driving seat. Next home were the two MC12s crewed by Bartels/Scheider and Peter/Buncombe/Rusinov.

Maserati now have 106 Constructors' Cup points to Ferrari's 59. In the team championship, Vitaphone are now on 54 points and JMB Racing 52. Gardel heads the drivers' championship by two points from Bertolini and Wendlinger on 35.

Andrea Bertolini: "Considering that we started from that back of the grid we have to be satisfied. When it began to rain I tried to delay making the pit stop and took a few risks running slicks in the wet. I wanted to take the time to make the right tyre choice when the weather had stabilised. Karl used intermediates for the middle part of the race and then I mounted slicks at the end. I would like to thank Pirelli and the team for adopting a perfect strategy and all the mechanics for the work done on Friday (repairing the car) and Saturday night (changing the engine)."

Karl Wendlinger: "This result is excellent in terms of the championship. We settled on a good strategy for the pit stops and switched tyres at the right time. It would have been better starting on the front row so that we could have gone for the win but the season is a long one and we can be pleased with today".

The next ALMS series race will be at Lime Rock on Monday 4 July. Fabio Babini will team up with Andrea Bertolini, taking the place of Fabrizio De Simone who has a damaged foot.

Text courtesy of Maserati Press Center