04-09-2011 - Valencia: Nicolò Piancastelli and David Baldi triumphed at the sixth round of the Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC. The action was held at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo circuit.

The results mean that the Trofeo standings are unchanged: David Baldi is still out in front on 124 points. Behind him, on 104, is Gaetano Ardagna with third-paced Nicolò Piancastelli (on 101) closing in after a win and a second spot.

The day kicked off with the Romagna driver collecting a win, his first overall victory and the third in his category. Behind him came Dutchman Mathjis Bakker and Venezuelan Gaetano Ardagna. Ardagna and Baldi (who came fourth in the Trofeo) had their scary moments when first one then the other was hit with a drive through for overtaking when the yellow flag was out.

In Race 2, David Baldi had no such problems and led from start to finish. He made the most of his pole position and also posted the fastest lap time. Second across the finish line was Nicolò Piancastelli with Gaetano Ardagna in third. Lebanese debutant Joseph Ghanem did really well, as did Cedric Sbirrazzuoli, who both started from the back after damaging a tyre in qualifying. It took only a few laps for the two drivers to move into fifth and sixth, respectively. For AF Corse’s driver from Monaco there was the added bonus of a Team win. Even if the title is not yet a mathematical certainty, AF Corse are within touching distance of it. Still in with a slight chance is Swiss Team who secured a win in Race 1 at Valencia courtesy of Matteo Grassi.

Spanish journalist Jaime Hernandez put in a solid drive to come home sixth and eighth even though, as a guest, he is not awarded any championship points.

David Baldi: “At Valencia I have picked up more points and this means that I am still first and have increased my lead. It is a shame about the mistake I made this morning when I overtook another driver with the yellow flag out. Race 2 went much better. I was up front by turn 1 and ended up winning; a driver can’t ask for more. It is a great confidence booster”.

Nicolò Piancastelli: “The second win slipped away but I can’t really moan after a win, a pole position and closing the gap on Ardagna. Maybe I messed up the start of Race 2 and lost a bit of ground. It is a pity as I was lapping at the same times as David Baldi. There are two events to go, Vallelunga and Mugello, where I will not start as favourite. Still, I will keep going for the title as long as it is mathematically possible”.

The next round in the Trofeo Maserati, the penultimate, is programmed for 18 September at Vallelunga.

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

1. Nicolò Piancastelli 41:02.970
2. Mathjis Bakker 41:10.150
3. Gaetano Ardagna 41:12.248

Race 1 - Team

1. Matteo Grassi (Swiss Team) 41:12.248
2. Alessandro Chionna (AF Corse) 42:19.226
3. Daniel Waszcinski (Konvex Racing Team) 41:41.766

Race 2 - Trofeo

1. David Baldi 41:05.070
2. Nicolò Piancastelli 41:10.259
3. Gaetano Ardagna 41:15.683

Race 2 - Team

1. Cedric Sbirrazzuoli (AF Corse) 41:36.732
2. Davide Durante (Swiss Team) 41:57.585
3. Daniel Waszczinski (Konvex Racing Team) 1 lap

Trofeo Classification

1. David Baldi - 124 points
2. Gaetano Ardagna - 104 points
3. Nicolò Piancastelli - 101 points

Team Classification

1. AF Corse (Sbirrazzuoli/Chionna) - 157 points
2. Swiss Team (Grassi/Durante) - 89 points
3. Konvex Racing Team (Wasczinski/Kuppens) 61p.

Text and photo courtesy of the Maserati Media Center.