italiaspeed.com

It may sound like a cliché, but Maserati’s latest racing car, the GranTurismo MC, has started literally rolling down the production line alongside the road going versions of Maserati’s luxury performance coupe.

The Maserati GranTurismo MC racing cars are being produced for a single make championship for Maserati owners, reviving the concept that ran during the last decade firstly with the Coupé and then the GranSport, and, such is the new racer's similarity to the road-going GranTurismo S with its 4.7-litre engine, it is able to share the same production line at Modena demonstrating the clear performance capabilities of the Maserati super coupe.

The 2010 Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC will consist of seven meetings to be held at legendary European race tracks, in conjunction with the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) and the Italian GT Championship. The debut of the series is scheduled for 23 May at Monza in Italy, before moving to Belgium’s Zolder track on 20 June. The series than crosses the English channel to Brands Hatch on 18 July, followed by Brno in the Czech Republic on 1 August. Germany hosts the next round at Oschersleben on 5 September, with the Spanish race taking place at Valencia on 19 September. The grand finale is back in Italy at Mugello, slated for 10 October.

The formula consists of two free practices on Fridays lasting 40 minutes each, two qualifying practices on Saturdays which are 20 minutes apiece and two races, both of 38 minutes plus 1 lap, held on the Sunday. The participation fee for the Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC is 162,000 euros plus VAT for the entire season (or 168,000 euros plus VAT if the driving team consists of two drivers who will be alternating at the wheel, while the owners of GranTurismo GT4s will also be able to participate in the series at a cost of 45,000 plus VAT.