The Italian pairing of Fabio Babini and Thomas Biagi will start on the second row at the season's third FIA GT race. Only the two Aston Martins are ahead of the crew. The Astons will be making their debut on what is their home circuit but will not earn any championship points. The Emilian duo have worked on finding the right set up since Friday.Fabio Babini was the driver who posted the time that was good enough for the second row. Thomas Biagi was quickest overall in the second session when the two drivers tried different Pirelli tyres and ran with more fuel on board. Both men have raced at Silverstone before. Babini won the FIA GT in 2002 while Biagi has competed in F.3000. Coming off the back of two third place finishes, the pairing occupy third spot in the general classification.

Behind the number 10 Vitaphone Racing Team MC12 is the Corvette and the two 550 Maranellos. Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider in the other Vitaphone car will start from seventh. The German duo had some problems with the set up owing to the ballast on board. Sixty kilos have been assigned owing to the two second place finishes earned. In addition there is the 10kg imposed by the FIA at the start of the season.

Behind them on the grid will be the two JMB Racing cars. Andrea Bertolini and Karl Wendlinger ran into traffic when they went out to set their fast lap. In qualifying Philippe Peter/Chris Buncombe and Roman Rusinov worked to fix the right set up to suit each driver's style. They lead the first of the two 575 Maranellos on the starting grid.

The Vitaphone Racing Team announced at Silverstone the crews that will dispute the Spa 24 Hour on 30 July. Eric van de Poele will flank Michael Bartels and Timo Scheider in the number 9 car. The Belgian driver has raced in F1 and has vast experience in GT and Turismo. He also knows his home circuit very well.

The Englishman Jamie Davies will share the drive in the number 10 MC12 with Thomas Biagi. Thirty one year old Davies has appeared in F3 and F3000 and was the English GTO champion in 2002. A year later he raced in the Le Mans 24 Hour, winning the GTS class, and the 1000 km of Le Mans. Last year he claimed the LMES title in the LM P1 class. He also came second in the 24 Hour having started in pole and setting the fastest lap. Davies also finished third at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Jamie Davies: "I am very happy to race in Belgium with the Vitaphone Racing Team MC12. Spa is a circuit I know extremely well as I won the LMES title here with Johnny Herbert in 2004. The package offered by Maserati, Pirelli and Vitaphone Racing Team provides a great stimulus. I can't wait to try out the car".

The MC12s that compete in the FIA GT are equipped exclusively with Racing P Zero tyres as they are in the ALMS series in North America. This collaboration is further proof of the successful track partnership between Maserati and Pirelli.

RACE

FIA GT - Silverstone, 15 May 2005

Third place for Fabio Babini and Thomas Biagi

No. 10 F. Babini/T. Biagi (Vitaphone Racing Team - chassis n. 07/15443)
3rd + 11.078

No. 15 A. Bertolini/K. Wendlinger (JMB Racing - chassis n. 08/15444)
4th + 1 lap

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

No. 16 P. Peter/C. Buncombe/R. Rusinov (JMB Racing - chassis n. 04/15441)
8th + 2 laps

Weather: clear; dry track

Circuit length: 3.624 km

Fabio Babini and Thomas Biagi, in the Vitaphone Racing Team MC12, finished third in the third FIA GT race held at Silverstone. They now move into first spot in the drivers' championship alongside Andrea Bertolini and Karl Wendlinger (JMB Racing), fourth in England, and Michael Bartels/Timo Scheider (Vitaphone), who came home fifth.

The Vitaphone Racing Team stilll holds top spot in the team championship while Maserati has consolidated its place in the Constructors' Cup. The fourth MC12 in the race ended in eighth with Philippe Peter/Chris Buncombe and Roman Rusinov (JMB Racing), after Buncombe was hit with a pit lane drive through penalty.

The top two positions went to the Aston Martins with Lamy/Kox and Brabham/Turner on board. The Astons do not compete in the championship and so will not earn any points.

Babini/Biagi drove excellently and attacked throughout. Their form ensured a healthy distance was maintained between them and their rivals. Unfortunately, the Maseratis spent ten seconds more refuelling owing to the position of the English car's fuel tank.

Babini got off to a good start and overtook Lamy's Aston. He moved into second behind Turner, a position from where he tried to get past the leader.

The race order changed when the pit stops began on lap 45. Four cars (the two Astons, Babini/Biagi's MC12 and the Corvette) were jostling for the top positions. Bertolini/Wendlinger's MC12 delayed making a pit stop and so rose up the order from their starting position of eighth.

The JMB Racing couple fought out a long duel with Bartels/Scheider in the other Vitaphone MC12. In the latter half of the race, when the second fuel stops were made, Thomas Biagi was in the lead for a few laps. It was Lamy, however, who took the chequered flag. Turner came in next, followed by Babini, Wendlinger and Scheider.

It ought to be remembered that the number 10 and 15 MC12s had 40kg of ballast on board in additon to the 10kg assigned at the start of the season. The number 9 Trident GT had 70kg of added weight (60+10). Unlike its competitors, all the MC12s have a compromised aerodynamic set up. The Federation ruled out the use of a front splitter and the car has a smaller rear wing. Without adequate downforce it was difficult to win at Silverstone, an intermediate circuit.

Fabio Babini: "The car was perfect: I had the chance to really push and put pressure on the Astons. I managed to get close but coming out of the curves they had the edge in acceleration. In any case, it was a positive weekend for is. We won a virtual first place which repays Maserati, team Vitaphone and Pirelli for their hard work that has put us at the head of the championship".

Babini was voted best driver by journalists at Magny Cours.

Thomas Biagi: "I am pleased with the thirteenth pole in fourteen FIA GT races. Fabio and I did well and even held the lead for a while. We couldn't go any quicker because we didn't have the downforce."

The MC12s that compete in the FIA GT are equipped exclusively with Racing P Zero tyres as they are in the ALMS series in North America. This collaboration is further proof of the successful track partnership between Maserati and Pirelli. This has been demonstrated in the fine results obtained in the Italian GT series.

Text courtesy of Maserati Press Center