Maserati’s GT2 Beat the GT3 Cars on Its U.S. Racing Debut — Twice

Maserati's GT2 race car entered its first U.S. race weekend against a field of GT3 machinery and left with both wins. Peter Dempsey took the Risi Competizione-run No. 100 to overall victory in each of the two 40-minute GT America powered by AWS races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on October 10 and 11, the series' season finale.

The results arrive three weeks after Philippe Prette locked up a third straight GT2 European Series title in the same MC20-based car. In Europe the GT2 races against other GT2 cars. At Indianapolis it ran in the SRO3 class, which is populated mostly by GT3 cars, thanks to a new GT2+ kit developed with SRO Motorsports Group.

From the back of the grid

Saturday's race looked unpromising on paper. Dempsey's best lap from Friday qualifying was disallowed — Maserati hasn't said why — so the Irish driver started last. He picked his way through the field and, with under three minutes left, passed Memo Gidley, who had already clinched the 2026 SRO3 championship in his SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. The margin at the flag was 0.307 seconds, and Dempsey's fastest lap put him on pole for Sunday.

Race 2 was simpler: Dempsey led from the start, set the fastest lap again, and finished 2.702 seconds ahead of Gidley.

That it happened at all is notable. According to Sportscar365, Houston-based Risi only received the car on September 29, and Dempsey had never driven a GT2 before the week of the race. Risi last ran a Maserati in 2006, when it campaigned an MC12 in the American Le Mans Series GT1 class.

What the GT2+ kit does

The standard GT2 pairs the MC20's carbon-fiber tub with a roughly 621-hp (463-kW) version of the Nettuno twin-turbo V6. The GT2+ package adds downforce through new aerodynamic parts, raises output with a revised engine calibration, and revises the dampers and brakes. Maserati says the kit can be ordered with a new car or fitted to an existing GT2. It hasn't published a price or power figure for the kit; SRO founder Stephane Ratel told Sportscar365 the Maserati was allowed an unrestricted 700 hp plus extra aero at Indianapolis to balance it against the GT3 cars.

Indianapolis was effectively a trial. SRO America has confirmed it will admit GT2+ cars into the SRO3 class from 2027, a move Ratel framed as a way to grow a grid that has hovered around 11 or 12 cars. GT2 cars are cheaper to buy and run than current GT3 machinery, and a separate GT2 class in GT America "never captured interest," he said. The Ginetta G56 GT2, which ran three events this season, and the Ligier JS2 RS are the other cars heading the same way.

Maserati, for its part, says it's negotiating with promoters in the U.S. and Europe to get the GT2+ kit accepted in more championships, with trackside technical support and an on-site parts service to follow. Maserati Corse's Claudio Berro told Sportscar365 that Risi is "one partner" and that other teams have asked about buying cars.

Back at the Brickyard

The weekend also carried some history. Wilbur Shaw won the Indianapolis 500 in a Maserati 8CTF in 1939 and 1940, and Maserati remains the only Italian brand to have won the race. The GT2 appeared at this same event a year ago, but only as a static display. The No. 100 number was chosen for the centenary of the Trident logo and of Maserati's first race, both of which the company is marking this year.

"We want to give our customers more opportunities to race with Maserati, and this weekend is a critical step in that direction," said Vincent Biard, head of Maserati Corse.

The open questions are commercial: how much the GT2+ kit costs, how many U.S. customers sign up for 2027, and how SRO's balance of performance treats the car once it's a full-time entrant rather than a one-weekend guest. Maserati says it will decide on further team agreements after reviewing the Indianapolis results.