MASERATI TROFEO MC WORLD SERIES To Debut in USA at Sonoma with Driving Team of Greg Tracy and Patrick Dempsey

MASERATI TROFEO MC WORLD SERIES
To Debut in USA at Sonoma with Driving Team of Greg Tracy and Patrick Dempsey

Hills of Wine Country to be filled with the iconic Maserati exhaust note September 21-23 in support of first North American visit of the World Touring Car Championship

Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 11, 2012– Maserati North America is proud to announce that the Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo World Series will make its North American debut at Sonoma Raceway the weekend of September 21st with the World Touring Car Championship. Famed actor and accomplished race driver Patrick Dempsey and top stuntman, racer, and Hot Wheels X Games Double Loop Dare World Record holder, Greg Tracy will be competing in the GranTurismo MC Trofeo with series title sponsor Bowers & Wilkins livery.

Maserati will also use the weekend to celebrate the first deliveries of the new 2013 Maserati GranTurismo Sport and Sport Convertible. As in all Maseratis the revised 454 hp V8 engine is compact and placed behind the front axle in a front-mid engine arrangement. Unique to its segment this design feature comes directly from the racetrack and results in an extraordinarily balanced automobile which inspires confidence in its pilot and comfort for its passengers. Like the limited- edition GranTurimo MC on which the Trofeo car is based, the globally acclaimed design of the Sport has been accented with a reshaped fascia from the wind tunnel, which delivers better airflow for cooling and aerodynamics. New, contoured seats finished in sumptuous Italian leather are the defining feature of the GranTurismo Sport cabin in which four adults can enjoy everyday driving in the timeless elegance that defines the Maserati tradition.

About the Dempsey-Tracy Team:
Patrick Dempsey is an individual who needs no introduction to the racing fan. Accomplished as a driver and team owner, Dempsey has competed at many of the world’s great circuits demonstrating exceptional skill and sportsmanship. As many of the great drivers who have piloted a Maserati in anger, Dempsey is passionate about the sport, history and tradition of road racing. As such, it is a thrill for Maserati, and the many fans in attendance and around the world, to welcome him to the grid.

As a nod to yet another example of the wide ranging and extraordinary winning history of Maserati, it is a particular pleasure to welcome Greg Tracy as a six time winner of Pikes Peak in the Motorcycle category to the Maserati team. As is well known, Maserati is a back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1939 and 1940. Less well known is that a sister car to the 8CTF Boyle Special that won Indy also took back-to-back victories in another iconic American race, Pikes Peak. In 1946 and 1947 Louis Unser, founding member of the iconic racing family took top spot at Pikes Peak and is immortalized at the event, being buried at the foot of the mountain.

About the Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo and Series:
The all-inclusive format suits gentleman drivers and those who want to race high-performance cars from a marque that has long been associated with motor racing. The GranTurismo MC Trofeo has new set up for 2012, featuring an aerodynamic body-kit and reduced weight. All the cars that appear in the Trofeo series are strictly derived from production road Maserati’s and are made track-ready by a dedicated team of technicians to ensure that the drivers race on a level playing field. The grid is full with 24 cars and includes a significant number of US drivers is spearheaded by Dempsey and Tracy, along with competitors from over a dozen other countries, demonstrating the extraordinary growth of the Trident brand and its global presence. The final round will be at the F1 circuit in Shanghai, China, confirming the international nature of the series.

The list of partners and official suppliers to the 2012 Maserati Trofeo MC World Series includes the confirmation of Pirelli and Sparco and the entry of new companies like Shell, Bowers & Wilkins, Pirelli, Sparco, Maserati Time, Kuehne + Nagel, Audes, and Performance 1.
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About Patrick Dempsey: Although he is best known as one of today’s top television and film actors, Patrick Dempsey has also been a top-tier sports car racing driver and team owner for nearly a decade. Dempsey is a regular competitor in both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in a Mazda GT car and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and has raced in internationally recognized events such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Rolex 24 At Daytona. A lifelong auto enthusiast, Dempsey’s first experience behind the wheel of a race car was in a three-day Skip Barber Racing School course that was a gift from his wife and he has been ascending into the upper ranks of both North American and international sports car racing ever since. Highlights have included a pair of podium finishes in his debut season of ALMS Prototype 2 this year and a third-place GT class result in the 2011 Rolex 24. He also joined regular co-driver and motorsports business partner Joe Foster in anchoring a ninth-place GT2 class finish in their 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2009.

About Greg Tracy:
As one of the elite Team Hot Wheels drivers, Greg Tracy, captured a Guinness Book of World Record when he performed the Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare at the 2012 X Games. The iconic 7 story tall orange track allowed the kid in all of us to experience what 7G’s and a seven story loop would be like, real time in real life. Tracy is also one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood. Greg has been providing stunts for movies and commercials since 1991, with stunts in blockbuster movies such as: Act of Valor, The Avengers, GI Joe, Bourne Ultimatum, Wanted, Talladega Nights and The Fast and Furious. Greg Tracy, won the elite World Stunt Award for his work in The Bourne Ultimatum. Even as his stunt career was taking off, that wasn’t enough excitement. Greg decided that he needed to race in one of the most extreme racing events in the world – The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The course has 156 harrowing turns, over 4000 foot elevation change and drop-offs that fall up to six thousand feet down sheer rock cliffs. Pikes Peak is known for “no guardrails” and takes racers up one of the most difficult terrains to race 12.4 miles to the summit of one of the most dangerous race courses in the world. Greg Tracy has conquered Pikes Peak and is a 6 time Champion – having wins in the motorcycle division for both BMW and Ducati. Greg has also won the Baja 1000, raced Formula 2000, Indy Cars and has gone over 210 mph on a motorcycle at the Bonneville Salt Flats during several World Record Attempts. Greg Tracy’s exploits can be followed on My Life at Speed (http://www.mylifeatspeed.com/). My Life at Speed is about all things fast, interesting people, and whatever else someone out there will appreciate. It celebrates the lifestyle associated with going fast – one filled with high energy characters, risk takers, and lots of great stories.

About Maserati:
Maserati produces three lines of award winning sports-luxury cars; the four-door Quattroporte, the GranTurismo Coupe and the GranTurismo Convertible. In each Maserati four adults can travel in an abundance of space and handcrafted luxury, while a race-bred V8 engine and six-speed adaptive automatic transmission delivers thoroughbred performance and the unmistakable Maserati exhaust note. Maserati automobiles and merchandise can be found at retailers across North America. Information on Maserati can be found at www.maserati.us, 1-800-My-Maserati or for press information www.media.maserati.com.

For information contact: media@maseratiusa.com Jeffrey Ehoodin, Public Relations Manager: 201-816-2705. jehoodin@maseratiusa.com Maria Morgado, Public Relations Coordinator: 201-816-2735. mmorgado@maseratiusa.com

Maserati Corse Press Office, Filippo Ghialamberti, GSM +39 347 5339022, mediaracing@maserati.com. Photo: credits Maserati/Mario Chiarappa. www.media.maserati.com, www.maseraticorse.it