The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) today announced that it has
 invited Maserati to enter the MC12 in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) as a
 guest of the sanctioning body. The invitation to Maserati contains several
 limitations that Maserati has accepted and intends to compete immediately. This
 announcement clears the way for the MC12 race car to participate in the opening
 round of the American Le Mans Series at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on
 March 19, and each of the remaining ALMS races in 2005. The new Maserati MC12
 ALMS endeavor marks the first time in 48 years that Maserati has fielded a full
 factory race car in the United States. The last time a factory Maserati appeared on
 the grid at Sebring, Juan Manuel Fangio drove it to victory in 1957.
  
   The Maserati does not completely comply with the Automobile Club de l'Quest
 (ACO) requirements, and as such, has not yet been homologated for competition
 under ACO regulations," said IMSA Chief Operating Officer, Tim Mayer. "IMSA will
 bear the final responsibility to regulate the performance of the car in the interest
 of ALMS competition, such that the race car operates within the accepted
 performance envelope of cars within the GT1 category," added Mayer.

   The homologation process is the system by which a race car is derived from the 
 road car through technical specifications set by the ACO or the Federation
 Internationale De L'Automobile (FIA).
 

   Because the MC12 race car complies with the FIA's homologation but not with the ACO's homologation requirements, it will not be
 eligible for points in any of the American Le Mans Series championships, including the driver and team championships which run under the
 ACO regulations. The car will also not be eligible for any other races run under the ACO regulations.
 
   There is no question that this race car is the subject of much speculation," said ALMS President and CEO, Scott Atherton. "However, we
 have a very technically savvy audience and we expect that the inclusion of the Maserati in the full season of ALMS races will create great
 interest for our fans, both at the tracks and on television. We expect that our fans, competitors and event promoters will greatly benefit
 from the inclusion of this extremely exciting and competitive new ALMS race car entry.
 
   While the FIA homologation has not yet been finalized, IMSA has specified several requirements in addition to those currently
 envisioned by the FIA, including some changes to the bodywork. Because the FIA and the ACO regulations have become generally parallel
 in 2005, the race car complies with the ACO regulations in general terms with two specific exceptions. The car, as it will be permitted by
 IMSA, is 66 mm (2.598 inches) wider than the 2000mm (78.74 inches) permitted in the ACO regulations. The car was originally built to
 the 2004 FIA specification which included a 2100mm (82.68in) maximum width and Maserati has been forced to request a waiver for this
 requirement to run in 2005. The waiver process generally indicates that some performance penalty be applied to compensate for any
 performance gain.
 
   The Maserati MC12 road car is longer than the 5000mm (196.85in) permitted in the regulations. While Maserati has been able to
 shorten the race car to the required length, full ACO homologation would require Maserati to shorten the length proportionally from both
 the front and rear overhang, which for 2005, Maserati has not been able to accomplish. This is not a requirement for FIA competition.
 
   Both the ACO and the FIA have recently included regulations that provide for the control of performance of the cars in the GT1 category
 so that they fall within a specified performance envelope. IMSA has worked extensively with both organizations in order to develop a
 system of controls that will be applied to the MC12, a first for ALMS competition.
 
   We have only agreed to invite the MC12 to compete on the basis that Maserati has agreed to be subject to performance controls in the
 spirit of Article 19 of the ACO regulations," continued Mayer. "While this regulation does not specifically cover the situation of the
 American Le Mans Series, the concepts contained therein are applicable and have been agreed in principal by all of the manufacturers.
 IMSA has worked with the FIA which has previous experience with the MC12 and has volunteered to send representatives to inspect and
 monitor its testing. Additionally, IMSA has been working with the ACO and the FIA to develop tools to analyze the performance of all the
 cars in the GT1 category. We are confident that we can create an environment where the MC12 can compete on a fair and equitable basis
 with all of the other GT1 cars running in the ALMS," Mayer added.
 
   Maserati Corse is pleased to have the opportunity to display our car in front of audiences in North America. This is one of the most
 important sales markets for Maserati so this development is very important for our sales and marketing efforts as well," said Maserati
 Corse Director, Claudio Berro. "We greatly respect the compromise that has been reached to permit the running of our race car and look
 forward to competing on the merits of our product, our team and our drivers. Maserati intends to operate our car as a full factory effort,
 supported logistically by Risi Competizione, a Ferrari / Maserati dealer in the United States."
 
   Initially, one Maserati MC12 will compete in each event of the series. The driver lineup will be announced at a later date. A second race
 car is planned for the ALMS in 2005. A final timeline will be determined soon.
  
 Maserati Official Website
 Maserati Corse Official Website