Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC - Mugello (I) - Race 1-2

Zumerle and Sicart: Winners of the Two Trofeo Maserati 2010 Titles

Pietro Zumerle and Jonathan Sicart are the 2010 Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC winners under the Trofeo and GT4 categories, respectively. This weekend the Mugello circuit was the scene of the conclusion of a hard-fought, riveting championship that was only resolved in the last race of this last round of a season that began in Monza and continued in the prestigious circuits of Zolder, Brands Hatch, Brno, Oscherlseben and Valencia.

Under the Trofeo category, Zumerle fought against the Goldstein/Sundberg pair for the entire championship until the very last minutes. In race two, in fact, Zumerle had to recover the two points lost after this morning’s race, in which Andrea Bertolini reached the finish line first, followed by Sundberg and by the Veronese driver himself. Not counted for classification purposes, Andrea Bertolini gave the victory and points earned to Swedish driver Sundberg.

The situation repeated itself in race 2, in which Bertolini was first in front of Luigi Moccia – paired up withAutosprint editor Alberto Sabbatini and not counted in the classification – and Pietro Zumerle. As neither driver counted in the classification, Zumerle became the winner of the category. Despite being the driver with the best performance of the season, Zumerle’s rival, Panamanian driver Steven Goldstein ended the race in sixth place (third in the Trofeo category), earning 8 points which proved insufficient to defend his first place.

For his part, Jonathan Sicart won the GT4 title with two fourth places in the category. The victories in both races were Gabriele Gardel’s, the 2005 FIA GT champion, who always preceded Cédric Sbirrazzuoli. The morning race’s podium was filled with Coldani/Gallina and the afternoon’s race by Ronnie Kessel.

Pietro Zumerle: “I’m overjoyed. In Monza, during the first round, I felt the thrill of racing against very professional drivers. In Zolder, the championship’s second round, I thought I had made the wrong decision. I returned to Brno with a wholly different strategy, deciding to face the remaining rounds on my own and the double win I managed boosted my confidence. In the Oschersleben, Germany, round, I was probably afraid of winning and I lost precious points, later recovered in Valencia, where after two tough races I began to feel I had a chance at winning the title. I clinched it here at Mugello. It’s been a hard, difficult weekend not only physically, but also psychologically despite my experience in rallies. Sundberg and Goldstein are two fair sportsmen and they were worthy adversaries; I enjoyed pitting myself against them. I am grateful to those who supported me in this adventure, to Maserati for the impeccable organization and to Amato Ferrari”.

Jonathan Sicart: “I ended the season in Mugello taking home the GT4 title. I began my weekend with the Sunday races, since I was forced to skip the Friday and Saturday sessions. This had a negative effect on me as I was unable to find the right feeling with the car on this racetrack and so I was not able to perform at my usual level. I’d like to thank my family, particularly my wife, to whom I dedicate this cup. It’s been an incredible championship, for which I’d like to thank Maserati, whose organization was top-notch, and to all the people who designed the car. I am certain that the development work underway will make the car even better and it will be an honor for me to drive it next season”.

At the end of the event, the championship prizes were awarded, which included recognition to Tiziano Frazza (Trofeo over 50), Steven Goldstein (Trofeo under 30), Peter Sundberg (best poleman and driver with the greatest number of wins), in addition to the aforementioned Jonathan Sicart (who won an endurance kit for his car) and Pietro Zumerle, who got the Alfa Romeo MiTo for Maserati that was up for grabs.

27 teams participated in Mugello’s last race. There were 21 GranTurismo MC Trofeos (handled by Maserati Corse) and six GranTurismo MC GT4s from private teams. Nine countries were represented.

Tonight, Sunday 10 October at 6:45 pm GMT, Eurosport broadcast highlights of the Maserati championship within the Motorsports Weekend show, while an in-depth summary of the two races will be aired on Thursday, 14 October on Eurosport 2 from 5.00 pm to 5.30 pm GMT.

Trofeo driver interviews are available in the Maserati Corse website (www.maseraticorse.com).

Race 1 - Trofeo                                Race 1 – GT4 
1. Andrea Bertolini 41:50.752            1. Gabriele Gardel 42:27.711 
2. Peter Sundberg 41:52.008             2. Cédric Sbirrazuoli 43:07.483 
3. Pietro Zumerle 41:52.307              3. Dario Bertanza 43:35.520

Race 2 - Trofeo                                Race 2 – GT4 
1. Andrea Bertolini 42:02.712            1. Gabriele Gardel 42:13.712
2. Luigi Moccia 42:06.742                  2. Cédric Sbirrazuoli 42:27.848 
3. Pietro Zumerle 42:11.584               3. Ronnie Kessel 43:00.476

Trofeo Maserati GranTurismo MC standings   Maserati GranTurismo MC GT4 standings                     

1. Pietro Zumerle – 115 p.                                           1. Jonathan Sicart – 79 p. 
2. Goldstein/Sundberg – 110 p.                                    2. Stefano Gai – 64 p. 
3. Sergio Rota – 72 p.                                                  3. Peter Kutemann – 32 p.