Car N. 1 - Bartels/Bertolini (Vitaphone Racing Team) - pos. 1°
Car N. 2 - Ramos/Müller (Vitaphone Racing Team) - - pos. 3°

Weather: cloudy (24°), dry (31°)
Circuit length: 2.702 Km

Adria (I), 16 May 2009 - The Vitaphone Racing Maserati MC12, driven by Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, was first to the chequered flag to gain victory in the second round of the FIA GT championship, at the night race held in Adria. A fine third place for the second Maserati driven by Alex Mueller and Miguel Ramos, rounded off a fine day for Maserati in Italy.

With the pole-winning Saleen relegated to the back of the grid for a technical infringement, the two Maseratis filled the front row for the start; so the predicted race duel with the round one winning Wendlinger/Sharp Saleen never materialised.

The two Maseratis held the first two places and by lap 31, the #2 Maserati of Ramos and Müller were only a second behind their Vitaphone Racing team mates. On lap 34, the #2 Maserati came into the pits for fuel, tyres and a change of driver, with Ramos taking over. This dropped the #2 car back to fourth. Whilst still in the lead the #1 Maserati came into the pits on lap 43, with Bertolini handing over to Bartels.

Lap 45 saw the #2 Maserati in the lead followed by the #1 car with Hezeman in the #4 Corvette in hot pursuit. By lap 55 Bartels was right behing Ramos in a fight for the lead with the Corvette only 2.5 seconds behind them. On the same lap the #2 Maserati came in for a drive-through penalty, awarded for starting the race on the wrong tyres. This pushed the #2 car back into third place some 30 seconds behind the second placed Corvette.

On lap 63, the #2 Maserati came into the pits with Müller taking over and rejoining the race back in fifth position. By lap 68, Müller had moved the #2 car up into fourth place.

On lap 73 Bartels in the leading #1 Maserati hands over to Bertolini who rejoined the race in second place. On lap 78 Guillaume Moreau in the leading Corvette pits while in the lead, handing the lead to the #1 Maserati, followed by the #4 Corvette and #2 Maserati.

For the final twenty laps or so positions remained much the same, with the #1 Maserati of Bertolini and Bartels finishing 10.1 seconds ahead of the Corvette driven by Kumpen and Hezemans, with the Maserati of Ramos and Müller a further 10.3 seconds behind in third. A very satisfactory result for Maserati and the Vitaphone Racing Team after a disappointing result in the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone in round one.

Andrea Bertolini: "We worked intensely all weekend and we faced the race aggressively, attacking at once. I am very happy with this outcome because it is the MC12's last victory in Italy. It is a success that lenghtens the championship, which still remains quite difficult and whose final result is still uncertain".

Thanks to this win, the current FIA GT1 champions also regain the leadership in the drivers' championship.

The next stage of the FIA GT championship will be held in Oschersleben (GER) on 21 June.

RACE RESULTS:

1) Bartels/Bertolini (Maserati MC12)
2) Kumpen/Hezemans (Corvette Z06)
3) Ramos/Mueller (Maserati MC12)

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP:

1) Bartels/Bertolini - 18 points
2) Kumpen/Hezemans - 13 points
3) Maassen/Moreau - 11 points

Photos and some text courtesy of Maserati.