Francesco Ravasio and Diego Alessi will start from pole for the fifth time this season in the penultimate round of the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa. The race will take place this weekend at Nuerburgring. Ravasio/Alessi set a fastest time of 2'10"549, some seven tenths faster than the Swiss pairing of Notter/Cattori. Championship leader Alberto Cerrai is in third (2'11"495) after setting the best time in this morning’s free practice.



The Nuerburgring event is also an occasion to celebrate the success of the Vitaphone Racing Team in the Spa 24 Hour and at Oschersleben, in the FIA GT championship, on board the MC12. Michael Bartels and Fabio Babini appear in the Vitaphone and Toora VIP cars, respectively. Bartels is flanked by the model and television presenter Christina Surer. Alongside Babini is Sabine Schmitz, journalist and owner of an advanced driving school here at the Nuerburgring. Both have competition experience in other categories. In the Pirelli VIP car are Kati Droste and Mario Kossmehl, young stars of German motor-racing.


Babini (fourth, 2'11"656) edged out Bartels (fifth, 2'11"733).
Armando Roggero/Lorenzo Casé came in sixth, just ahead of the winner at Spa, Maurizio Fabris (2'11"820). The Italian who drives with an English licence set a lap time a few tenths faster than Gian Marino Zenere and Tetsuya Harada (2'12"027), in eighth.
Tenth on the grid will be Matthew Marsh (2'12"742). Marsh is sharing the drive with Chinese Tung-Ho Pin, Williams’ F.1 test driver who is making his debut on a GT car. For Marsh the race marks a return to the Trofeo Vodafone Maserati Europa following his first place at Silverstone in 2004.
The race will start tomorrow at 9.00 and will be the usual mini-endurance format and will be transmitted on Sportitalia at 15.30 on Tuesday 6 September.