Box Autos

The Paul Ricard circuit at Le Castellet, in the South of France, will stage the opening round of the 2013 Maserati Trofeo MC World Series. This first round will signal the start of an ever-more global championship, with races to be held in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East.

At least 24 Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeos will be on the grid, with many names from last year opting to sign up for another season. Among them, is the reigning champion: Renaud Kuppens; Konvex Motorsport’s Belgian driver will be out to defend the crown he won in 2012. Hoping to stop him will be the Alan Simoni-Riccardo Ragazzi pairing (who finished second last year) and Giuseppe Fascicolo, third in 2012, who will have a new partner in Andrea Ceccherello this time round. Making a return to Maserati’s single-make series is Frenchman Jonathan Sicart, winner of the GT4 title in the 2010 edition of the Maserati Trofeo; teaming up with him will be Ange Barde, a driver who took part in a few of last season’s races.

A new race format awaits the entrants, one that will raise the standards and make each round even more exciting than before. For the 2013 season, there will be two 30-minute events and one lasting 50 minutes (with a compulsory pit stop for all cars and driver change for crewed ones). However, the real change will be the introduction of added time for the quickest drivers: the top five drivers in the weekend’s first two races (determined by totalling their times) will have to pit from 5 to 20 seconds longer, on top of their compulsory 45 seconds, during the endurance race.

The winner (or winners) of the Championship crown will be awarded an exclusive, numbered and name-plated ‘Maserati 8CTF single speed’ bicycle. The bike derives from the Maserati 8CTF Limited Edition and has been produced by Montante Cicli in a limited run of 200, celebrating Wilbur Shaw’s 1939 and 1940 wins in the Indianapolis 500 at the wheel of the Maserati 8CTF.

Maserati’s media partner, MotorsTv, will cover the Trofeo Maserati events but for Italy an agreement has also been reached with Sportitalia. This weekend, races 1 and 3 will be beamed live from France and Radio Monte Carlo will be broadcasting live from Paul Ricard and will follow the whole season.

Round 1 Programme

Friday 26 April
Free practice 1: 12.25 – 13.10
Free practice 2: 16.55 – 17.40

Saturday 27 April
Qualifying 1: 10:30-10:50
Qualifying 2: 13:00-13:20
Race 1: 17:35- 18:05

Sunday 28 April
Race 2: 9:55-10:25
Race 3: 14:35-15:25

MASERATI TROFEO MC WORLD SERIES – PRICES

The Maserati Trofeo MC World Series is open to all gentlemen drivers around the world, in possession of an International C race licence.

RACE PROGRAMMES

OFFICIAL TEST (Apr 13) + ROUND 1 (Paul Ricard – FRA):                30,000.00€ + tax
OFFICIAL TEST (Apr 13)+ EUROPEAN SERIES (3 events):                70,000.00€ + tax
WORLD SERIES (Official Test Apr 13 + 6 events):                            120,000.00€ + tax

THE MASERATI GRANTURISMO MC RACE CAR

The Maserati Granturismo MC keeps the same specifications of the successful car used in 2012. All cars competing in the Trofeo MC are prepared by a dedicated group of technicians to guarantee the same performance level.

Private teams can also enter the Trofeo MC with their own Maserati GranTurismo MC.

The car’s specification must comply with the technical homologation released by Maserati (Model year 2010, 2011 or 2012).

All cars, including the private Team’s cars, must adopt the same set up applied by the Technical Director, over the weekend.

CHASSIS AND BODYWORK

Bodywork
Carbon fibre.

Windows
Windscreen, rear and side windows in Lexan.

Chassis
Steel with welded integral rollcage structure, FIA approved.

Interior
Backward-set driving position, with racing seat, dashboard and console in carbon fibre throughout.
6-points seat-belt compatible with HANS protection system.

Electrical system
Specific, with data acquisition system integrated in the dashboard.

Fuel tank
110 l with a carbon safety frame homologated by the FIA.

Brakes
Racing system without ABS, with steel discs.
Front disc: 380 mm, rear disc: 326 mm.
Front callipers: 6 pistons. Rear callipers: 4 pistons.

Wheels
Front: 11”x18”. Rear: 13”x18”.

Tyres
Front: 305/660/18, Rear: 325/705/18.

Shock absorbers
Racing type, fixed setting with preload adjustment.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Width
1914 mm

Length
4935 mm

Height
1300 mm

Front overhang
930 mm

Rear overhang
1064 mm

Wheelbase
2940 mm

Front track
1618 mm

Rear Track
1580 mm

Weight
< 1400 Kg

Weight distribution
51.3% front / 48.7% rear

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

Engine
V8

Displacement
4,691 cc

Power
488 CV

Ignition
Bosch – digital system

Air intake
Double cone racing type filter

Exhaust system
Racing type with removable catalysers

Lubrication
Wet sump

Gearbox
Rear, longitudinal gearbox, with transaxle scheme
6 gears + reverse, syncromesh
Electrohydraulic activation, with F1-type controls