Master Maserati Driving Courses Celebrate their 20th Anniversary in Partnership with Scuderia de Adamich

Today sees the start of the new season of Master Maserati Driving Courses, with 11 events scheduled at the Varano de’ Melegari circuit, concluding on 7 November this year.

This year, the House of the Trident celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its Master Maserati Driving Courses in partnership with Scuderia de Adamich.

In the spring of 1999 the Master Maserati project was launched, with the first 2-day Master GT course, held at the “Autodromo Riccardo Paletti” at Varano de’ Melegari and attended by 12 customers. Under the supervision of Andrea de Adamich, a lifetime racing aficionado and former F1 driver, and his staff, participants took the wheel of powerful 3200 GT coupé cars for a series of activities combined with specific on-track exercises, with state-of-the-art data acquisition systems to analyse their performance on the circuit, provide invaluable feedback and correct driving errors. 

The first instructors also included former F1 driver Ivan Capelli, now President of ACI (Italian Automobile Club) Milan.

Since then, more than 500 Master Maserati Driving Courses have been held, with over 700 days on the circuit. Over 7,000customers and enthusiasts from more than 50 different countrieshave taken the wheel of the various Maserati models during the courses' twenty years in operation.

From 1999 to the present, almost 30 different Maserati models have been used for these courses. Participants have always had the opportunity to drive the Quattroporte flagship and, since 2014, the Ghibli sport sedan. The 3200 GT Coupé represented the Brand's sporting personality from 1998 until its replacement in 2008 by the new GranTurismo in its various trims. 

The cars featured in the Trofeo Maserati, the Coupé Cambiocorsa and subsequently the GranSport and GranSport MC, are also included in the fleet used for courses focused on perfecting on-circuit racing techniques. Today, the GranTurismo MC GT4 is the key model of the “Race” and “Championship” courses for customers and enthusiasts who love this type of sports car.

From 2016 Levante, the first SUV in Maserati's over a century of history, also took to the track with an innovative new format combining circuit driving sessions with off-road experiences. To accommodate these, a new 11 km off-road track was created near the circuit. Located within a nature reserve, it offers a variety of routes and some particularly demanding stretches, with a wealth of natural and custom-built obstacles, to teach participants the secrets of off-road driving on board the Levante SUV.

For 2019the Master Maserati Driving Courses offer no fewer than five different formats with different thrilling experiences at the wheel of Trident cars.

Four types of courses focus on circuit driving at the “Riccardo Paletti” track at Varano de’ Melegari, in the Maserati Quattroporte, Ghibli, GranTurismo, GranCabrio and Levante models.

One further course is specifically for businesses seeking to grow and consolidate team spirit, making full use of the enjoyment and ethos of the unique, tailor-made Master Maserati Driving Course. 

Master Maserati Driving Courses use the Modena firm's full range of cars, with the aim of constantly improving participants' driving skills and style thanks to constant coaching by professional drivers in the role of instructors.

Courses are open to all enthusiasts of the Maserati world - not just to those who already own a Maserati, but also to aspiring customers - and are held at the “Autodromo Riccardo Paletti” at Varano de’ Melegari, approximately 20 km from the city of Parma. The 2.3 km circuit features the famous “Ferro di Cavallo” (Horseshoe) bend, which tests drivers' skills to the full and combines outstanding technical characteristics with highly professional support facilities.

Scuderia de Adamich has been partner and coordinator of the Master Maserati Driving Courses since 1999. A bond that is stronger than ever today, and has allowed the courses' methods and various formats to be continually fine-tuned and improved ever since the earliest years.

In addition to the Master Maserati Driving Courses held at Varano de’ Melegari, other formats have been created over the years at different locations, such as the Master Maserati Ice & Snow at Cortina d’Ampezzo, St Moritz in Switzerland and Arjeplog in Sweden (only seventy or so kilometres from the Arctic Circle). These courses offer participants the chance to perfect their driving skills and appreciate Maserati cars' outstanding performances also in extreme environments with slippery road surfaces.