Since I make a living being a motoring journalist for a business newspaper, I think it’s safe to assume I’m part-frustrated racing driver, part-frustrated tycoon.

But like the best car writers, I’m also a dedicated freeloader, which is how I found myself at the Sepang International Circuit last week with my pick of Maseratis to drive.

Not just any Maseratis, either, but the monster ones: a Ghibli Trofeo and Levante Trofeo – a super sedan and lunatic Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) respectively, both of which share a snarling, 580 horsepower V8 heart – plus the MC20, Maserati’s impossibly pretty new sportscar.

This mean menagerie made it to Malaysia as part of “Master Maserati”, a sort of half-day Racing 101 for customers to get a feel for what the Italian brand’s powerful cars can do on the track, and to pick up a few pointers on how to handle them along the way.

Besides, hitting the circuit gives anyone the chance to find out if they really are one of Formula 1’s great lost talents. Just try to avoid hitting the walls while you’re at it.

Don’t own one of the brand’s boisterous, stylish machines yet? Master Maserati is your chance to audition them before you plonk your black Amex card down for one.

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A Maserati grand tourer (or gran turismo, if you want to add an Italian flourish) should be fast but unintimidating on the circuit, according to Takayuki Kimura, the managing director for the brand’s Asia-Pacific region. It was his idea to bring Master Maserati to Sepang, for the event’s first ever outing outside of Europe. “I’d like our customers to feel our unique balance of performance,” he told me.

At Sepang, the session was headed by an affable racing driver with the operatic name of Andreas Fausti. Before letting me and other baying journalists loose in the Maseratis, Fausti went through the basics of what it takes to be the next Max Verstappen: the importance of shifting the weight of the car around with acceleration and braking to maximise grip and traction, the fastest lines to take through corners, the Italian way to wear sunglasses (atop your head) and other vital things they don’t teach you in regular driving school.

Some of his advice bordered on the philosophical (think of the steering wheel and throttle as two completely connected systems), while some was so sensible that it beats me why most drivers haven’t internalised it (keep your eyes on where you want to go; you can look down at your feet if you’re ambling down the street, for example, but do it while sprinting and you’re headed for a faceplant).

With Fausti’s advice echoing inside my skull, I finally clambered aboard the Ghibli and then the Levante for my first taste of the Trofeo line of muscle Maseratis, not to mention a nice warm-up for the day.

Sepang’s lengthy straights have a way of making even fast cars feel slow, but there’s nothing like letting a hard-hitting V8 rumble its way to the redline over and over, even if it’s as muted as it is in the Maseratis.

For cars that take a little over four seconds to hit 100 km/h, the Ghibli and Levante are surprisingly plush, but confoundingly, the big SUV turned out to be the sportier of the pair. It felt sharper and bit the tarmac harder, plus it would trim its line nicely through a corner, responding to little movements on the accelerator, like some sportscars do.

I think I might have to hate the Levante Trofeo for forcing me to rethink my hatred of SUVs.

But let’s not kid ourselves here. The main draw at Master Maserati was always going to be the MC20, the low-slung, petite two-seater with a wicked twin-turbo V6 that kicks out 630 horsepower.

I should point out that the Master Maserati programme always puts an instructor in the car with you, not to spoil your fun, but so you can get more out of only a handful of laps. Just don’t imagine strapping your helmet on and having the track as your private playground.

Still, that would have been in heaven in the MC20. When the lightweight coupe’s turbos kick in the engine packs a serious wallop, and the V6 howls like angry metal come to life. Even better than the acceleration is the handling. Through Sepang’s broad, snaking course the MC20 felt perfectly balanced and playfully agile, and it sliced through every turn with a scalpel’s precision.

Needless to say, the experience left me wanting much more. That’s likely the entire point of Master Maserati: if you’ve agonised about whether to buy an MC20, sliding past the dramatic scissor doors and going flat-out at the track is going to remove all pain from that decision.

Kimura said Maserati has more of these activities in the works for our part of the world. Meanwhile, 32 customers and would-be buyers paid 1,200 euros each (S$1,673) to be at Master Maserati last Wednesday (Sep 21).

The amount is chump change for the high-speed experience on the track alone, but it might turn out to be an expensive day if it does make you want to drop close to seven figures on an MC20. No such danger for me, of course. I’m still only a frustrated tycoon.

Maserati MC20 Engine 2,992 cc, turbocharged V6 Power 630 hp at 7,500 rpm Torque 730 Nm at 3,000 rpm Gearbox 8-speed twin-clutch automatic 0-100 km/h 2.9 seconds Top speed 325 km/h Fuel efficiency 11.5 L/100km Agent Tridente Automobili Price S$848,000 without COE Available Now