Extraordinary season for Maserati in Fanatec GT2 European Series by Pirelli, ending in Barcelona with the drivers’ and teams’ titles in the Am Class
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Maserati’s first full season in the 2024 Fanatec GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli ended today at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. For the House of the Trident, Philippe Prette took the drivers’ title in the Am class in the Maserati GT2 number 2, with LP Racing the champion team. Third place went to Alexandre Leroy in the Maserati GT2 number 24 and the TFT Racing team. In the Pro Am class, Leonardo Gorini and Carlo Tamburini were the runner-up drivers in the LP Racing Maserati GT2 number 1, and also took second place among the teams.
For Maserati, the season witnessed 16 pole positions (six in Pro Am and 10 in Am), 12 victories (five Pro Am, seven Am), seven second places (two Pro Am, five Am) and five thirds (five Am). The weekend in Spain brought two more victories for Maserati: the first in Race 1 thanks to Roberto Pampanini and Mauro Calamia in the Dinamic Motorsport team’s Maserati GT2 number 67, as well as the runner-up spot in Am for Leroy in TFT Racing’s car number 24. In Race 2, in the Am class Prette sealed his success (after an appeal was lodged by the LP Racing team), with Leroy taking another runner-up spot.
Race 1. In Saturday’s race, run in the rain, the first car to take the chequered flag was Calamia and Pampanini’s Maserati GT2 number 67. After a positive stint in the latter, Calamia – a former champion in the 2014 Trofeo Maserati – produced an impeccable race by taking the lead and extending it to 12 seconds, to celebrate his first victory in the championship. Fourth place for Tamburini & Gorini’s GT2, who managed to make their way up from their previous seventh position. In Am, runner-up spot for Alexandre Leroy, whereas Philippe Prette, after crossing the finish line in fourth place overall and first in the class, was relegated for an irregular pit stop, finishing fourth in his category.
Race 2. Sunday’s race, held on a dry track in the sun, saw Tamburini & Gorini finish fifth despite their pole position, held back by a double penalty (10 seconds for a contact at the start and 5 seconds for not respecting the track limits). After Saturday’s excellent race, Calamia & Pampanini started third on the grid but were unable to reproduce their victory and crossed the finish line in ninth place, two spots behind Philippe Prette, second in the Am class but reined in by a five-second penalty incurred during the pit stop for an irregular manoeuvre at the start. The verdict for the Am class came hours after the end of the race, after car number 90, first at the finish line, was disqualified for non-compliance with the regulations. Based on the Stewards’ decision, Prette won the race and the points he needed to overtake his rivals in the drivers’ and team standings in number 87 (who withdrew immediately after the start due to a contact) and become champion. Likewise, Leroy took one step up on the podium, after finishing in third. The Maserati GT2 driven by Calamia & Pampanini also moved up one place in the finishing order, ending up eighth.
Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse: “We triumphed in the final drivers’ and team standings in the Am class and came close to taking the title in the other two, leaving the championship wide open until the last round, proving how competitive the Maserati GT2 is. Our first full season in the Fanatec GT2 European Series by Pirelli ended packed with emotions. We knew we had developed an extremely high-performance car: the proof lay in the five victories in the Pro-Am Class and seven in the Am Class, as well as having taken more wins than any other manufacturer. We’re very proud to provide our teams and drivers with a car that can stand out for its cutting-edge technologies, significant performance and unique driving style. That has always been our goal in the world of racing: to revive Maserati’s passion and competitive DNA on the track.”
