Jeff Segal and Joao Barbosa guided the Maserati Trofeo Light to a superb fifth place in the GT class in the rain-soaked 6 Hours of Mt Tremblant, Canada. The Grand American Sportscar Series race was somewhat conditioned by the rain that fell for four of the six programmed hours. The Trofeo Light did not compete in the last meet at Laguna Seca in order to prepare well for this particular event. The Light began from ninth on the grid, a position earned during the qualifying sessions.

The weather was a major hindrance early on but Barbosa managed to climb quickly up the field. By the end of the first hour he was leading. The Portuguese driver was able to contain the chasing pack who, owing to the difficult conditions and minimal visibility, were having trouble keeping pace. The Maserati was one of the quickest cars on the track and was even lapping faster than some Daytona Prototype (DP) cars.

A number of drivers were caught up in racing incidents and collisions but, fortunately, the Light managed to steer clear of these. With two hours up, Jeff Segal took over from Barbosa while the green flag was flying.
 

The driver change, the time needed to get the wet weather tyres up to temperature and the fuel taken on board, were factors that contributed to the number 33 Maserati slipping to fifth. The rain continued to pour down and the visibility was still extremely limited, especially when one car drew into another’s slipstream. Nevertheless, Segal raced very well and had moved back up to third by the time the safety car had been called for and the group had been compacted once more. This stage of the race saw the sun re-emerge and the track surface quickly dry out. Segal opted to stay on grooved tyres but was soon forced back into the pits (during a racing phase) to change them. This pit stop saw the Light fall back to sixth place.

It was now Barbosa’s turn to get back behind the wheel with the slick tyres. He tried to mount a comeback but some sharp showers and the fact that the yellow flag was displayed more than once, prevented the Portuguese driver from bettering fifth spot. Nonetheless, it was a positive result. The Modena coupe proved to be very competitive.

Jeff Segal: "Today was a very difficult race for everyone, due mostly to the terrible weather. I'm very happy with our 5th place finish, and also encouraged by the progress that we have made with the car this weekend. Joao did an incredible job in the early part of the race getting up to 1st place, which was a great boost for the entire team. I feel as though we showed very well despite the tricky conditions. We knew that we just had to keep the car out of trouble once the wet weather came, and that is exactly what we did. Now I look forward to Watkins Glen, where I think we have a very good chance of once again improving our performance, and getting even closer to the front running Porsches and BMWs. Special thanks go to the team for preparing the car so well for this race."

The next round of the 2005 Grand American Sportscar Series is scheduled to be held at the famous Watkins Glen circuit, and the running of the traditional six hour race.