19.12.2003 MASERATI TROFEO LIGHT HAS FINAL SHAKEDOWN AT FIORANO BEFORE HEADING TO DAYTONA

Yesterday at Fiorano, the Maserati Trofeo Light had its final shakedown in Europe, prior to making its competition debut in the Daytona 24 Hours on 31st January, the opening round of the American GrandAm championship. This new racing car from the Trident marque will compete in all rounds of the series in the GT class, wearing the colours of Scuderia Maserati of Washington.

The car will be shipped to the United States tomorrow and today it was driven by Matteo Malucelli, who completed ten laps. Along with five other drivers, Malucelli had already taken part in testing last week at Issoire in France, where the car completed a total of 4200 trouble-free kilometres.

The Maserati Trofeo Light has been produced by the racing department at Modena, in collaboration with Italtecnica and is a development of the car used in the one-make series, which in turn is derived from the road-going Coupe Cambiocorsa.

This version is considerably lighter with a dry weight of 1150 kg, thanks in part to the use of composite materials for the bodywork, and features substantial aerodynamic modifications. It has a front splitter and adjustable rear wing, while the wheel arches have been widened. The suspension has been completely revised with a new structure and tubular steel arms. The performance of the 4244cc 90 degree V8 engine has been increased and it now puts out 430bhp at 7000 rpm.

The next test for the car, which is also homologated for use in the CSAI Trofeo Nazionale of the Italian GT championship, will take place in the first few days of January at the Daytona circuit.