The Maserati MC12 fielded by Megadrive Racing Box, is in with a great chance of winning the Italian GT Championship title after a strong weekend in Hungary. Piergiuseppe Perazzini and Gabriele Matteuzzi secured a first and a fourth spot in races made very difficult by the rain.

Rounding out an excellent weekend for the Trident marque in Hungary was a double GT3 victory for the very much class-dominant Maserati Light GT. Gianluca De Lorenzi and Rui Aguas beat off the stern challenge from their AF Corse team mates, Danilo Zampaloni and Andrea Palma, to claim the wins in both races.

THE HUNGARORING

The Hungaroring, close to Budapest, is a circuit that has hosted Formula 1 World Championship races for a number of years. It is a track that the drivers and teams have never really been too enthusiastic about given the lack of overtaking spots. Aside from the two straights, the circuit is an almost continuous succession of curves. Last year, the main straight was modified to render overtaking easier.

For the public, on the other hand, this circuit is a spectacular one as the cars can be viewed extremely well. The stands allow a panorama of the entire circuit. The uneven and slippery asphalt means more wear on the tyres. The circuit also provokes severe understeer that can easily take its toll, particularly the front left tyre. One of the critical sections on the circuit is the first curve situated at the end of the main straight. It is a 180° in descent that forces the driver to take extra care in holding an unusual racing line. Straying from this trajectory would mean debris getting onto the tyres, substantially reducing grip.

As overtaking is practically impossible, unless one car is decidedly more powerful than another, the teams and drivers have to ensure that they qualify in as high a position as possible. Grid positions very often determine who finishes in the points and who emerges victorious. Lap times in Hungary are high as the curves are taken quickly. A lot of attention has to be paid in finding a balanced set up, achieving good traction, fitting sharp brakes and having a well calibrated differential.

QUALIFYING

The Megadrive-Racing Box Maserati MC12 took pole position for the fourth round of the Italian Gran Turismo Championship. Piergiuseppe Perazzini set the best time in the second official session, one that decided the starting grid for race 2. Perazzini seemed most at home on the Hungarian circuit and was spot on with the timing of his tyre change. He was clocked at 1:51.011. The session began in the rain and was a particularly difficult one. The surface dried out towards the end and Perazzini sported slicks when making his way back onto the track eight minutes from the end. In the session to decide the race one order, Gabriele Matteuzzi performed well to take fourth - 1:46.633 - just 0.643 down on the man in pole, Angelo Lancelotti.
 

In GT3 class the Maserati Light proved that it was the car to beat. Andrea Palma (AF Corse) was quickest in a time of 1:54.550. Immediately behind him came Andrea Ceccato (Megadrive, 1:54.639). Third place went to the other AF Corse driver, Rui Aguas (1:54.870). Gianluca De Lorenzi, making his GT3 debut, secured pole in race 2. He would be sharing the drive with Aguas. De Lorenzi's lap time was 1:55.182. Zampaloni (AF Corse, 1:57.728) was second with third going to La Mazza (Megadrive, 2:08.018).

RACE 1

All the drivers put on slicks for race 1 despite the fact that the track was still wet in some areas. The lack of grip rendered the first few laps tricky as Matteuzzi found out when he went into a spin. However, the track surface gradually dried out as the race went on. When the driver changes were made, Perazzini climbed from the back of the pack into seventh place. The safety car was called out eight minutes from the end and the group bunched up once more. Perazzini crossed the finish line in third but was hit with a 1.5 second penalty at the end for overtaking when the yellow flag was being flown. This saw him relegated to fourth spot. The race was won by Casè and Zani in a Ferrari 575 GTC. In GT3 De Lorenzi and Aguas (Maserati Light-AF Corse) edged out their team mates and championship leaders Zampolini and Palma by 11 seconds.

RACE 2

The start of the second race was delayed because of the heavy rain. In the opening stages Perazzini, the pole sitter, slipped into second place, but then took back the lead. The race was enlivened by a number of spectacular duels but again the safety car interrupted proceedings as debris was cleared from the track. Once the race had restarted, Malucelli's Ferrari grabbed the lead from Perazzini. The driver changes - which saw Matteuzzi take over in the MC12 from Perazzini - did not bring about a different race order. At the end of lap 21, Ramos, Malucelli's partner, spun at the last curve. This opened the way for Matteuzzi to move into top spot. The order remained the same until the chequered flag with Matteuzzi claiming a crucial win. De Lorenzi and Aguas made it two wins out of two in GT3, again beating off the challenge of their team mates Zampaloni and Palma.

Matteuzzi and Perazzini are now on 115 points in the Italian GT Championship overall classification, now only three down from the leaders. In the GT3 class, Zampolini and Palma hold the lead, with 125 points, followed by Ceccato (104) and Aguas (90). The next rounds of the Italian GT will be on 24 July at the Autodrome of Umbria in Magione.