If there was any doubt as to who dominates the international sportscar racing circuit, let those doubts be put to rest. After taking top honors in the now-defunct FIA GT Championship with little exception every year since 2005, Maserati has claimed overall victory in the inaugural FIA GT1 World Championship that has replaced it this year.
Driving duties were handled with mastery once again by Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini for the Vitaphone Racing Team behind the wheel of the Maserati MC12. The Trident duo took the checkered flag at four out of the ten rounds that comprised this year’s championship, more than any other team, claiming 138 points in the drivers’ standings to runner-up Thomas Mutsch with 119 in the Matech Ford GT, and 195 in the teams’ standings to the Hexis Aston Martin squad’s 177. Other contenders included GT1-spec racers based on the Nissan GT-R, Chevrolet Corvette and Lamborghini Murcielago LP670.
Hexis won the final round in San Luis, Argentina, by a considerable margin with their Aston Martin DBR9, but it wasn’t enough to steal the title from the Vitaphone Maserati team, crowning the MC12 as the undisputed king of the hill.
AB
