Having completed the first 100 races with victory for Jamie Davies and Thomas Biagi in the nr 2 Vitaphone Maserati MC 12, the second centenary will see the teams and drivers head south, to Italy and the circuit of Mugello.  The FIA GT Championship has only raced there once before, in 1997, when it was the scene of a very important win for the BMW Motorsport McLaren F1 GTR of Lehto and Soper, setting up the final battle for the inaugural title.   With a track which seems popular with all who know it, the beautiful and challenging circuit will host the seventh round of the 2006 FIA GT Championship, as well as the final races in this first season of the FIA GT3 European Championship, with everything still to play for.  Other events making up a packed weekend of on-track action include single-seater action from the Formula Palmer Audi, which was already at Dijon, and the Lloyds TSB Insurance British Formula Three International Series, which raced alongside the FIA GT at Spa-Francorchamps.  The Trofeo Audemars Piguet Maserati will hold its penultimate round of the 2006 season at Mugello.


Four rounds remain in the 2006 FIA GT Championship, and the battle still rages for the various Championship titles. The numerous Italian teams and drivers competing will be keen to put on their best performance on home soil.   Vitaphone Racing Team drivers Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini have a five-point lead over challenging Phoenix racers Andrea Piccini and Jean-Denis Deletraz, with Zakspeed racer Sascha Bert a further seven points behind.  Representing three different makes : Maserati, Aston Martin and Saleen respectively, this title battle is proof of the excellent balance between the different cars competing.  In GT2, this year has been all about the new Ferrari 430 GT2, which has won all six rounds to date. Italian team AF Corse, victorious in Dijon, also has a commanding lead in the classifications.  2003 Champion Matteo Bobbi and Brazilian driver Jaime Melo are leading their team-mates Mika Salo and Rui Aguas by five points, although all are being chased down by Scuderia Ecosse duo Kinch and Kirkaldy.
New for Mugello, the GT1 field should be joined by a third Maserati MC 12, entered by Italian team Playteam, to be driven by Giambattista Giannoccaro and Toni Vilander.