Maserati has revealed its new GT2 racer at the Spa 24 Hours, a car said to be ‘an exceptional synthesis between Maserati’s past, present and future’. It will be seen at a few of the remaining events in this year’s Fanatec GT European Series, competing against cars like the Audi R8 LMS GT2 and AMG GT2, before an all-out assault on the 2024 campaign.
‘A masterpiece of performance that combines history, innovation and sporting attitude’, the GT2 is Maserati’s first sportscar racer since the iconic MC12, a car that enjoyed considerable success back in the glory days of GT1 competition. The GT2 will aim to replicate that with a version of the MC20’s Nettuno turbo V6, and the same carbon tub. Its maker says the aluminium front and rear subframe has been 'optimised' for track work, and the fully-adjustable chassis gets its own bespoke geometry. Naturally you get a super-aggressive aero pack - although it’s nice to see that Maserati has retained the butterfly doors.
Elsewhere you'll get up to 621hp from the V6, depending on Balance of Performance, mated to a sequential six-speed racing transmission. Otherwise, don't expect the GT2 to deviate too far from the template laid out by similar cars: it’s a proper slicks-and-wings monster, sure, though likely less intense than a GT3-spec car. These will be raced in GT2 by private teams and gentleman drivers, rather than seasoned pros, and need a more accessible edge to reflect that.
Davide Grasso, Maserati CEO, said: “Our DNA and our spirit have always lain in racing. Our story began and developed from the track to the road. The decision to return to track racing forms part of a thorough strategic framework, inaugurated this year with the debut in Formula E, to which we have now added our return to the world of GT competitions. Now more than ever we want to rekindle and nourish that competitive passion that has always characterised and motivated us to achieve major milestones”. Which sounds like a long-winded way of saying Maserati is excited to be racing something cool again. Imagine if it really could win as much as the MC12 did. They’d have to make some kind of MC20 Gransport then, right?
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