The final heat of the FIA GT1 World Championship took place at the challenging circuit of San Luis in Argentina during the first weekend of December. Unlike his previous two weekends, Nico Verdonck did not score any points, but did help the Bartels / Bertolini duo win the championship title.

Thanks to ALD Automotive, Nico Verdonck was asked by the Triple-H Maserati team to drive the last heat of the FIA GT1 World Championship in Argentina. This was the third time Nico raced for Vitaphone’s sister team, in Triple H Hegersport’s Maserati. He was accompanied by factory pilot Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Nico’s weekend began with an introduction to the track in San Luis. “It’s a beautiful track, really something for drivers who can make a difference. The fact that the walls are extremely close to the track makes it all the more challenging,” was Nico’s first reaction.

Things went wrong during the qualifying. Nico missed by a whisker, thus losing a good starting position. It comes as no great surprise that the home drivers with a lot of track knowledge were at the top. The verdict was P11 for Nico & Alessandro. Nonetheless, he did manage to leave some big names from the championship behind him.

Nico had a good start during the qualifying race. The MC12′s torque problems affected the team several times, but Nico held his own in front of the pack. Essentially, the competitors for the title of Bartels and Bertolini were kept behind them. A task in which Verdonck and Pier Guidi, eventually ending in 8th position, succeeded dashingly. Because of this achievement, the title was raked in early in the weekend, i.e. an ideal scenario.

Unfortunately, no end result was scored in Race 2! Alessandro Pier Guidi slid the Maserati against the wall halfway through the race at pit-entry. Nico saw a top 5 position, possibly even a podium stand position, slip through his fingers.

“A shame about Race 2, Alessandro tried to make the difference during pit-entry, but lost control, although I’m extremely satisfied that we were able to give the title to Andrea and Michael by keeping the competitors at bay! Alessandro and I did come with our own ambitions, which is why you want to score a decent result yourself. In spite of this, it was an amazing experience for which I want to thank Triple H & ALD Automotive for their trust,” says Nico with mixed feelings.

There were major celebrations in the Maserati camp. Meanwhile, Nico and his partners are working hard for the 2011 season.

Source : Nico Verdonck