The Maserati MC12 fielded by Playteam Sara Free came away from the third round of the Italian GT Championship at Vallelunga last Sunday with maximum spoils. Giannoccaro and Vilander consolidated their lead in the series with a double victory. The Racing Box Maserati MC12 took second place with Cappellari and Perazzini, making his return. The car was eliminated from race 2 though after a clash with a back marker.

Race 1

Cappellari was careful not to be caught unawares by Giannoccaro at the rolling start. Giannoccaro, in turn, had to be wary of Lancieri’s Saleen. Cappellari tried to pull away from his pursuers and duly set the best lap time of 1’33”734, one that would not be topped during the race. The advantage held by the Racing Box Maserati grew progressively and three seconds separated the two MC12s by lap eight. The overtaking of the back markers began on that very lap but none of the leading trio overtook. The minutes ticked by and the situation was unaltered. Cappellari held a 4”5 second lead over Giannoccaro who, despite the attentions of Lancieri, did not commit any errors.

On lap 15, 24 minutes into the race, Giannoccaro came into the pits to be replaced by Tony Vilander; Cappellari was still in the driving seat and still hounded by Lancieri. The two came in together on lap 19; it was the race’s decisive moment. The pit stop allowed Montermini’s Saleen to overtake Perazzini (Cappellari’s replacement). An MC12 was still the lead car once the pit stops had been concluded. Vilander was the man up front though after a fine series of fast laps. Perazzini hassled Montermini in trying to claim back second spot, allowing Vilander to build a 10” gap. On lap 24, Perazzini attacked and overtook Montermini at Cimini. Thus, two Maseratis filled the top places. The closing stages did not hold any further surprises and Vilander and Perazzini paraded across the finish line in first and second, respectively.

Gianbattista Giannoccaro: "The team’s strategy was to stick to Cappellari wait for events to unfold if I could not get off to a better start than he did. This is exactly what I did and I then tried to conserve the car in what was a long and hot race."

Toni Vilander: "We worked a lot on race tactics during free practice. Coming onto the track, I tried to push as hard as I could to gain time over the front two who had yet to make their stops."

Luca Cappellari: "We still have to work out why, after the pit stop, we slipped from first to third. We will analyse the stopwatch. Overall, I am pleased. The car coped well with the demands of the track."

Piergiuseppe Perazzini: "Second place on my return is a positive result. I was a little rusty today. After the pit stop, I had to contend with Montermini who did everything to defend his second spot. I managed to get past him but by then the gap to Vilander was impossible to bridge."
 

Race 2

Vilander and Perazzini both started brightly from the front row but, after just a few bends, Vilander had already established a lead. Perazzini was overhauled by Montermini in the Saleen, who then set off after the leader. The two up front were lapping at 1’33”3-1’33”4. Vilander, though, edged away from Montermini who himself had to look over his shoulder at Perazzini. The rhythm was kept high and the times were lower than those of race 1. On lap eight, Montermini developed a problem and the Racing Box Maserati MC12 inherited second spot, 5 seconds off Vilander. The two MC12s enjoyed a healthy lead over the pack with the driver in third some thirty seconds down and the gap growing ever larger. With the headlights on, Vilander began to reel in the back markers as he sought to complete his stint by attempting to hand over to his partner the biggest lead possible. His top time of 1’33”159 was not bettered on the day but Perazzini would not give in and resolutely hung on.

The Playteam Sara Free MC12 pulled in on lap 21 and Giannoccaro took over in the driving seat from Vilander. On the following lap, Cappellari replaced Perazzini but, just as he came out of the pit lane, he clipped Pasini’s Ferrari 430 GT2 at Curvone, spun and crashed into the left hand barriers. Retirement was inevitable. Giannoccaro now held a lead of over a minute from Chiesa’s Ferrari 575 GTC with a quarter of an hour to go. The MC12 driver’s only concern was to stay out of trouble. This he did and the Maserati sportscar crossed the line in triumph to cap a wonderful day for Playteam Sara Free. Giannoccaro and Vilander have strengthened their lead with four wins from six races, giving them a tally of 95 points.

Toni Vilander: "I had a tussle with Perazzini at the start. Maybe I pushed the tyres too hard over the first few laps and they heated up. Aside from some difficulty in overtaking, everything went well."

Gianbattista Giannoccaro: "The car was perfect. The last few laps were tiring as the sole of my foot was swollen and I had to brake with my heel. I was exhausted."

Luca Cappellari: "Coming out of the pits I was tracking the other MC12 when I heard a huge bang and I spun. I don’t think I was to blame for the clash with Pasini."

Piergiuseppe Perazzini: "It was a race in which the initial satisfaction was followed by worry for the incident involving Luca Cappellari. Luckily, he was unhurt. My stint was a good one as I managed to keep pace with Vilander. Early on the carbon brakes on our MC12 needed to be nursed as they need time to get up to temperature."