“We're very satisfied with the result because we didn't expect to end up on the podium so as it was the first time we were racing with this car,” said Team Manager, Amato Ferrari. “The GranTurismo MC has proven its excellent potential, and I think we'll have fun in the next races.”

After difficult qualifying practices due to problems with matching the tyres to the notoriously changeable weather around Spa, the AF Corse Maserati GranTurismo GT4 started out from thirteenth place with Cedric Sbirrazzuoli at the wheel. Lap after lap, he increased the rhythm and gained positions up to sixth place. At the twelfth lap, the young Monte Carlo driver came into the pits to switch drivers, giving up the wheel to Lorenzo Casè. The experienced Italian driver then executed a sequence of fast laps that enabled him to quickly close the gap from contenders in front of him and overtake a few of them to reach the fourth position.

In an intense finale, Casè managed to narrow the gap to less than two seconds behind Michael Mallock’s Aston Martin GT4 who, thanks also to the fact that the two leaders of the race prematurely ended their events, was the first one to go under the checkered flag, just in front of the Italian driver.

“I inherited the car when it was in a good position after Cédric had climbed up several places with respect to our starting position,” said Lorenzo Casè. “I was able to take advantage of my experience during the qualifying practices in which, in my case, I was able to drive with slicks, so I immediately got a better feel of the car. I pushed it hard and the car allowed me to go at a good fast and constant pace that soon took me closer to my adversaries. When I reached the leading group, the two BMWs who were leading at the time collided, vacating two positions. Perhaps we could have won with the rhythm we were able to set toward the end if we had still had one or two laps to go. We are nevertheless very satisfied considering our starting position added to the fact that we were debuting.”

Maserati and AF Corse will run the Maserati GranTurismo GT4 car in the remaining rounds of the 2009 European GT4 Cup as prelude to a full assault on the series in 2010, along with the Maserati GranTurismo GT4 appearing in other series around the world.