Historic racers Todd Morici and Peter Giddings have been so dominant in the Shell Ferrari/Maserati Historic Challenge, over the years, that they were awarded the “Masters” designation in 2001. In May’s round at the 3.27-mile VIRginia International Raceway, they both demonstrated that they’ve lost none of their mastery.
Giddings took one approach. He qualified on pole for the Drum Brake Group in his ex-Stirling Moss Maserati 250F. Giddings then led every lap of the first race, which gave him pole for the second, where again he led every lap for a pair of overall (and class) wins.
Morici took a different approach, but had the same end result. He qualified on pole for the first Disc Brake race in his 512 BB/LM, but Chuck Wegner in the ex-NART Le Mans 512 BB/LM beat Morici to the first corner. However, Morici got by Wegner on the fourth lap, and held him off to take the win by less than one second. That win should have given Morici the pole for the second race, but a penalty for missing a mandatory drivers’ meeting dropped him to the last starting position. However, it took Morici only three laps to catch Wegner, who was leading the race. Wegner eventually missed a shift and Morici got by. This time Morici’s margin of victory over Wegner was over 13 seconds.
Morici and Giddings aren’t the only drivers in the series who continue to demonstrate their mastery. Peter LeSaffre and Tom Price have each won championships in both Drum and Disc groups; at VIR they traded class wins in the Disc Brake race. Price drove his 250 GTO to a win on Saturday over LeSaffre’s 275 GTB, and on Sunday the positions were reversed. Ned Spieker finished 3rd in a 250 SWB/Comp in both races.
Price, in his Maserati 200 SI, finished 2nd to Wegner’s identical car in both races (Wegner is another former Drum Group Champion), and LeSaffre’s Maserati 300S took a pair of 2nds behind Giddings.
