Precious one-two with special dedication for Maserati at Misano
Maserati achieves two second places overall and one pole, two wins in the Am Cup and a place of honor in the Pro Am Cup on its home track, the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, in the fourth round of the season of the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli. Signing the one-two was the number 1 Maserati GT2 of the LP Racing team with Philippe Prette who also achieved a second place and overall pole position in Race 1. The No. 7 Maserati GT2 of Dinamic Motorsport with Mauro Calamia and Roberto Pampanini takes a second place overall in a comeback, which is also worth the second position in the Pro Am Cup, in Sunday’s race.
In Race 1, held on Saturday, Prette, who started from pole position managed to defend and maintain the lead until the mandatory pit stop. Upon his return to the track, the Italian-licensed Frenchman resisted the attacks of his rivals, surrendering only with five minutes to go, leaving the lead to a Pro driver. Prette still crossed the finish line in second place overall with the Am Cup class win. The other Maserati GT2, number 7 saw Pampanini busy in the first stint, able to climb back up to third after starting from seventh place. Before returning to the pits Pampanini, in an attempt to defend himself, lost grip and went off the track. On re-entry he found himself in 10th position. Mauro Calamia, at the wheel, tried to recover and managed to cross the finish line in seventh place overall.
The second round on the Romagna track held Sunday morning saw the two Maserati GT2s start from fifth and sixth positions, with the number 7 and number 1, respectively, with the latter in pole among the Am. With Calamia at the wheel, the Dinamic Motorsport car first managed to move up to fourth place, responding punctually to the attacks of the number 115. After 15 minutes from the start, Calamia took virtual third place. At the end of the driver change procedure, Pampanini found himself second, taking advantage of a problem in the rivals’ pits, holding the position until the checkered flag to celebrate with a podium finish on his home track. In the Am Cup, Prette took his second victory on the Misano circuit, following Saturday’s success, starting from pole and remaining in command for the entire sixty minutes of the race, moving up to fourth place overall, thus consolidating his leadership in the category standings.
The Am Cup was a great success.
During Thursday’s tests, Niccolò Pirri, the son of Luca who in 2024 had brought the car to its debut, with a podium finish, on the Paul Ricard track, marking the return of the Modenese company to covered-wheel racing after years of absence, also became familiar with the Maserati GT2. Niccolò, at 16, is the youngest driver to have ever tested a Maserati car on the track.
The House of the Trident’s focus on young people is increasingly marked, thanks in part to its adherence to the new SRO GT Academy project, announced last June at Spa-Francorchamps, which provides the best-placed under-30 driver at the end of the 2026 season (at the wheel of a Maserati or another brand) with the opportunity to race in 2027 – with no budget required – in the GT World Challenge Europe in a team that will be created specifically.
At Misano, in the GT2 European Series and GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races, the Leading Car was an MCXtrema with a special livery made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Maserati MC12’s first victory at the 24 Hours of Spa. The special configuration had already been seen at the test in Belgium.
The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, after the summer break, returns Sept. 19-21 for the penultimate round scheduled in Valencia, Spain.
“Winning this weekend in Misano is even more important for us. A pride that we want to dedicate to Claudio Bortoletto, a fundamental presence of our team and a historical figure in Italian motorsport, who recently passed away. To him the dedication of a weekend of strong emotions and extraordinary spoils with Philippe Prette’s double victory in Am Class both in Race 1, after starting from pole, and in Race 2 and the second place of the Calamia-Pampanini couple in Pro Am Class on Sunday. “In Misano, our ‘home race,’ we added another chapter to the glorious history of the Trident in motorsport, a history made of extraordinary cars, but above all of valuable people, and we look forward to celebrating more victories ahead of next year’s important anniversary: a century of Maserati in racing,” said Maria Conti, Head of Maserati Corse.
