The Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4 made an impressive competitive debut last July in round seven of the GT4 European Cup at Spa-Francorchamps. Piloted by Lorenzo Casè and Cédric Sbirrazzuoli, it obtained a convincing second place. The drivers described the latest Trident racer as: "competitive, well balanced, easy to drive and extremely fast in the curves."

Phoenix Corse, a new race team from Tenerife, has announced that they will participate in the GT4 European Cup this year with two Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4s and will also run one of the new Modenese machines in the 24 Hours of Spa.

“Our objective is clear," says the team, "To promote the Canary Islands throughout Europe by winning the driver's title and the team's title, but also by winning our category in the 24 Hours of Spa. To reach these goals, we will be running nearly 20 test days at the different tracks where the series will be going in 2010. We will also be running a simulation of the 24-hour race at the Algarve circuit in Portugal so as to be fully prepared for the Total 24 Hours of Spa.

"We have decided to choose to race in the Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4 because this car is the one who will allow us to reach these goals. We are a team who is passionate about perfection, competitive cars, experience and knowledge which will let us win. These are Phoenix Corse's expectations for 2010."

"Our team was born from the desires of a group of people active in the world of motorsport, guided by the same passions: a passion for technique, passion for competition, passion for cars and especially passion for perfection," says Phoenix Corse Team Manager Cédric Laurent. "United by the same desire for victory, we come from different horizons such as: single-seaters, endurance racing, prototypes and touring cars. Concerning our name, some will think that the name phoenix signifies the end, whereas for us it signifies that the new season, just like the phoenix reborn from the ashes, beginning from the remains and all the things learnt from the previous season. At the heart of the team, which is made up of a total of 21 people, are three teams: there is the principal team, the racing team with the team manager, the two chief mechanics and the six mechanics; the hospitality team with a hospitality manager, three hostesses, a public relation person, a porter and two cooks; finally, the media crew with one press relation person, two cameramen and a photographer.”

"2010 will be our first season but every member of the team has had many years of experience whether it has been in Formula 1, FIA GT or at the 24hrs of Le Mans, Spa or the Nürburgring, working in many high standard teams," continues Laurent. "GT4 is for us the entry point into the world of GT racing. We plan on racing here for a few years before climbing up into the higher categories. Thanks to its regulations to limit the costs over the season but also thanks to the balance of performance, GT4 allows us to have close, well fought out races. To be able to race at international meetings is an added attraction for our team, in order to promote the Canary Islands."

Laurent believes that the GranTurismo MC GT4 is the logical choice for the team's inaugural year in the GT4 European Cup: "To be victorious in GT4, we were looking for a car and a make that had the following criteria: speed, aggressiveness, prestige and power. The new Maserati GranTurismo GT4 has all of these qualities. It is the result of a long period of development at Maserati Corse. This allows us to be confident for the next two seasons. This confidence allows us even to enter a car into the 24 Hours of Spa, aiming to be victorious in our category."

"Coming from the Canary Islands, our base will be situated next year in the Technopole of the Ales circuit in the south of France, being the most central and the most suited to travelling across Europe," he explains. "The dates and places do not pose any problem, not even that the series starts in May. On the contrary, this allows us to prepare for the season by having at least two test days on each circuit. It is also very good for the team and for the drivers to find themselves at prestigious circuits and getting pleasure out of driving the Maserati cars there."