Vitaphone Racing
Encyclopedia
Vitaphone Racing is a German
racing team who participate in the FIA GT Championship
. The team is actually Bartels Motor & Sport GmbH but runs under the title of their primary sponsor, Vitaphone GmbH. In 2011 Vitaphone Racing was renamed Vita4One. They have successfully raced the Maserati MC12
GT1 since 2005, becoming one of the most successful GT teams in the series with five FIA GT1 Teams' Championship and four FIA GT1 Drivers' Championship. The team consists of 32 people and is led by Rafael Calafell. Their chief drivers are Michael Bartels
and Andrea Bertolini
.
The Vitaphone Racing team has enjoyed success in the FIA GT, GT1 class championship. In 2004
they initially campaigned a Saleen S7
-R, coming in fourth in the teams championship. Although racing under their own entrant name, the car was in actuality run by Konrad Motorsport
.
In 2005
they switched to the Maserati MC12
and won the FIA GT teams championship ahead of JMB Racing
(also racing a Maserati MC12) allowing Maserati
to win the FIA GT Manufacturers Title. In 2006 Vitaphone Racing again won the FIA GT Teams Title, and their drivers Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels tied each other for the Drivers' Title.
In 2007, they once again won both the Driver and Teams Championships, this time with Thomas Biagi
the sole Drivers Champion, because the regular co-driver that year, Michael Bartels, missed races at Silverstone and Bucharest, with Mika Salo
and Fabrizio Gollin taking his place at each of those rounds respectively. Also, Bartels did not receive the points for finishing 6th at Zhuhai, as he did not complete the required 35 minutes of time in the car.
2008 would be another successful year for the team, with Bartels and Bertolini repeating their success of 2006, and also winning the Spa 24 Hours
alongside fellow Vitaphone drivers Miguel Ramos
and Alexandre Negrão. Vitaphone also claimed the Teams' Championship for the fourth consecutive year.
They also entered an Aston Martin DBR9
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in 2008
, as the Maserati MC12 was not eligible as a GT1 car under ACO
's technical regulations.
In 2009 they won their fifth consecutive Teams' Championship, with Bartels and Bertolini being Drivers' Champions for the third time.
They have continued their GT programme in 2010, entering two updated Maserati MC12 to contest the new FIA GT1 World Championship
. They became the inaugural GT1 World Champions at the 2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round
winning both Drivers and Teams Championships with Bartels and Bertolini taking the Drivers Championship.
For the 2011 season, Vitaphone withdrew from the GT1 World Championship and will compete in the new Blancpain Endurance Series
with 2 Ferrari 458, one of which will be driven by team owner Michael Bartels
and Andrea Bertolini
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
racing team who participate in the FIA GT Championship
FIA GT Championship
The FIA GT Championship was a sports car racing series organized by the Stéphane Ratel Organisation at the behest of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The championship was mostly concentrated in Europe, but throughout the years has visited other continents including Asia and South...
. The team is actually Bartels Motor & Sport GmbH but runs under the title of their primary sponsor, Vitaphone GmbH. In 2011 Vitaphone Racing was renamed Vita4One. They have successfully raced the Maserati MC12
Maserati MC12
The Maserati MC12 is a two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced...
GT1 since 2005, becoming one of the most successful GT teams in the series with five FIA GT1 Teams' Championship and four FIA GT1 Drivers' Championship. The team consists of 32 people and is led by Rafael Calafell. Their chief drivers are Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels is a professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who failed to qualify for 4 Formula One races with Lotus.-Career:...
and Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini is an Italian race car driver currently driving for Swiss Team in the Superstars Series. He is the official test driver of the Maserati factory....
.
Racing History
2004 FIA GT Championship season
The 2004 FIA GT Championship season was the 8th season of the FIA GT Championship. It was a series contested by Grand Touring style cars broken into two classes based on power and manufacturer involvement, called GT and N-GT...
they initially campaigned a Saleen S7
Saleen S7
The Saleen S7 is a limited-production, hand-built, high-performance American supercar developed jointly by Steve Saleen for the initial concept and direction, Hidden Creek Industries for resources and initial funding, Phil Frank for the body and interior CAD design and development, and Ray Mallock...
-R, coming in fourth in the teams championship. Although racing under their own entrant name, the car was in actuality run by Konrad Motorsport
Konrad Motorsport
Konrad Motorsport is an auto racing team initially from Austria but now residing in Germany. Founded by Austrian racer Franz Konrad in 1989, the team has mostly run Porsches, although they have also run Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Saleens over their existence.-History:Initially competing in the...
.
In 2005
2005 FIA GT Championship season
The 2005 FIA GT Championship season was the 9th season of FIA GT Championship motor racing. It featured a series of races for GT1 Grand Touring and GT2 Series Grand Touring cars, the former more powerful and highly developed and the latter remaining closer to the production models on which they...
they switched to the Maserati MC12
Maserati MC12
The Maserati MC12 is a two-seater sports car produced by Italian car maker Maserati to allow a racing variant to compete in the FIA GT Championship. The car entered production in 2004 with 30 cars produced...
and won the FIA GT teams championship ahead of JMB Racing
JMB Racing
JMB Racing is a racing team from Monaco that competes in sports car racing. It was founded in Nice, France, in 1995 as JB Racing by Jean-Michel Bouresche and Jean-Pierre Jabouille. It was renamed JMB in 2000 after Jabouille left the partnership...
(also racing a Maserati MC12) allowing Maserati
Maserati
Maserati is an Italian luxury car manufacturer established on December 1, 1914, in Bologna. The company's headquarters is now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. It has been owned by the Italian car giant Fiat S.p.A. since 1993...
to win the FIA GT Manufacturers Title. In 2006 Vitaphone Racing again won the FIA GT Teams Title, and their drivers Andrea Bertolini and Michael Bartels tied each other for the Drivers' Title.
In 2007, they once again won both the Driver and Teams Championships, this time with Thomas Biagi
Thomas Biagi
Thomas Biagi is a professional racecar driver from Italy. Biagi was born in Bologna, in 7 May 1976.Biagi started his career in single seaters, driving in Formula Alfa Boxer and Italian Formula Three Championship, where he was 5th best in 1995, with two wins. From there, he moved up to the FIA...
the sole Drivers Champion, because the regular co-driver that year, Michael Bartels, missed races at Silverstone and Bucharest, with Mika Salo
Mika Salo
Mika Juhani Salo is a Finnish racing driver. He competed in Formula One between and . His best ranking was 10th in the world championship in 1999. He also won the GT2 class in the 2008 and 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans....
and Fabrizio Gollin taking his place at each of those rounds respectively. Also, Bartels did not receive the points for finishing 6th at Zhuhai, as he did not complete the required 35 minutes of time in the car.
2008 would be another successful year for the team, with Bartels and Bertolini repeating their success of 2006, and also winning the Spa 24 Hours
Spa 24 Hours
The Total 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event held annually in Belgium at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the race was run under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club Belgium...
alongside fellow Vitaphone drivers Miguel Ramos
Miguel Ramos
Miguel Pedro Caetano Ramos is a Portuguese racing driver. He currently races for Vitaphone Racing, driving a Maserati MC12 in the FIA GT1 World Championship.-Early career:...
and Alexandre Negrão. Vitaphone also claimed the Teams' Championship for the fourth consecutive year.
They also entered an Aston Martin DBR9
Aston Martin DBR9
The Aston Martin DBR9 is a racing car built by Aston Martin Racing, debuting in 2005. The name DBR9 is derived from the original 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning DBR1 car, named for then-owner David Brown, which not only won the 24 Hour race in 1959 but also the World Sportscar title.-Development:Based...
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in 2008
2008 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 76th Grand Prix of Endurance, taking place on 14–15 June 2008 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest . The test day was on June 1. The race was attended by 258,000 spectators...
, as the Maserati MC12 was not eligible as a GT1 car under ACO
Automobile Club de l'Ouest
The Automobile Club de l'Ouest , sometimes abbreviated to ACO, is the largest automotive group in France. It was founded in 1906 by car building and racing enthusiasts, and is most famous for being the organising entity behind the annual Le Mans 24 Hours race...
's technical regulations.
In 2009 they won their fifth consecutive Teams' Championship, with Bartels and Bertolini being Drivers' Champions for the third time.
They have continued their GT programme in 2010, entering two updated Maserati MC12 to contest the new FIA GT1 World Championship
FIA GT1 World Championship
The FIA GT1 World Championship is a world championship sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and regulated by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It features multiple grand tourer race cars based on production road cars and conforming with the GT1 regulations competing in...
. They became the inaugural GT1 World Champions at the 2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round
2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round
The 2010 FIA GT1 San Luis round was an auto racing event held at the Potrero de los Funes, San Luis, Argentina on 3–5 December 2010, and served as the tenth and final round of the 2010 FIA GT1 World Championship season. The event shared the weekend with the TC 2000...
winning both Drivers and Teams Championships with Bartels and Bertolini taking the Drivers Championship.
For the 2011 season, Vitaphone withdrew from the GT1 World Championship and will compete in the new Blancpain Endurance Series
Blancpain Endurance Series
The Blancpain Endurance Series is a sports car racing series developed by the SRO Group and the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium with approval from the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile...
with 2 Ferrari 458, one of which will be driven by team owner Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels
Michael Bartels is a professional racing driver. He is a multiple FIA GT champion and former Grand Prix driver who failed to qualify for 4 Formula One races with Lotus.-Career:...
and Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini
Andrea Bertolini is an Italian race car driver currently driving for Swiss Team in the Superstars Series. He is the official test driver of the Maserati factory....
.