The weekend at the refurbished Vallelunga circuit wrapped up a sparkling year for Maserati in the Sara Assicurazioni Italian GT championship. The Megadrive - Racing Box MC12 was one of the main players in the series. The car was driven by the reigning champions, Gabriele Matteuzzi and Piergiuseppe Perazzini. The pairing is one of the most exciting and best matched on the national stage.

The MC12 crew took first in race 2 at the opening weekend at Misano in May. The opening event on the calendar, at Imola, had been cancelled after the death of Pope John Paul II. Matteuzzi and Perazzini went on to collect four more wins during the season, at Vallelunga, Monza, Hungaroring and Mugello. Despite the aerodynamic modifications compromising the set up, the MC12 proved to be very quick. Surprisingly, it was even able to adapt to circuits that, on paper, should have created problems. One such circuit is Magione with its tight curves and high kerbs.

Demonstrating the robustness of the Trident car was the fact that Perazzini and Matteuzzi managed to line up for race 2, at Vallelunga in May, despite the fact that they had clashed heavily with Belicchi's Lister in the first race. The team repaired the vehicle overnight and the MC12 finished the race in third. Reliability was one of the strong points of the Maserati MC12, a car that never once retired with mechanical problems.

Ahead of the season, a few engine tests were conducted and some slight aerodynamic modifications made. The team then resolved some problems of excessive tyre wear that had emerged after the first few races, above all at Vallelunga. They worked on the set up and the calibration of the springs and suspension. The team collaborated with Pirelli, an outfit that, as the season progressed, provided tyres that matched more closely the characteristics of the car.

The drivers' ability did the rest. Though they are gentleman drivers, Matteuzzi and Perazzini were good enough to keep up with Malucelli and Ramos until the final round. The MC12's year in Italy was rewarded with a second, three third and three fourth places. A total of 181 points were amassed, the second highest score overall in the GT1 class.

The Maserati Light was the star in the Trofeo Nazionale CSAI GT3 class. The Trident vehicle dominated, often leaving the other cars to fight out the lower placings. In the opinion of the drivers, the 'small' Maserati is a fun and engaging drive for those competing in the Trofeo Vodafone Europa. Aerodynamic tweaks and changes to the set up were made to the 2005 version, these meant that the tyres performed better.

The battle for top spot among the Trident drivers was only decided at the last race. In the end it was Danilo Zampaloni and Andrea Palma to claim the spoils for one of the AF Corse cars fielded by Amato Ferrari. Palma had won the 2004 Trofeo Maserati Europa. The consistency of the winning crew proved crucial as they were victorious on only one occasion, in race 1 at Misano in the season's opening event. However, the pairing always finished on the podium with points being claimed with regularity, 203 in total. Zampaloni/Palma's win could also be due to the fact that they always raced together, an important factor when challenging for a title.

Behind the championship winners came the Portuguese driver, Rui Aguas, in the other AF Corse car (192 points). Andrea Ceccato drove a Megadrive Light equipped with a Sadev sequential gearbox to third place (159 points). The efforts of the runners-up were perhaps compromised by their frequent changes of partner. Aguas can take some consolation from having won the most races, seven in all. These were in race 2 at Misano with Luca Frigerio, race 1 at Monza alongside Alessandro Frigerio, races 1 and 2 in Hungary partnered by Gianluca De Lorenzi, race 1 at Mugello again with Alessandro Frigerio, and races 1 and 2 in the finals at Vallelunga with Luca Frigerio, a one-two that gave him third overall at the expense of Andrea Ceccato. Ceccato secured four wins during the season, scoring double victories at Vallelunga in May and at the Umbria autodrome.

Over the course of the season, Ceccato was partnered by Francesco La Mazza, Michele Rugolo (with whom he won at Vallelunga), Adriano Baso and Arturo Merzario. It was Merzario who teamed up with Ceccato to secure the two wins at Mugello. Unfortunately, a Merzario mistake in race 2 at Mugello cost the young Megadrive driver dear in points terms. He also missed out at Vallelunga.

Giudici/Romanini's only win came In race 2 at Monza on 12 June. The pairing did not see out the season. Giorgio Cipolli and Bruno Corradi, second the race 1 and third in race 2 at Misano, also retired before the end of the race programme. In 2006, the GT3 class in the Gran Turismo will have the opportunity to expand even more in terms of participants and in quality. The Maserati Light, on the back on this season's superb displays, will again start as favourite.