Ferrari 333 SP
Encyclopedia
The Ferrari 333 SP was a sports prototype car built by Michelotto to World Sports Car regulations for Ferrari
. Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racer Giampiero Moretti
(owner of the MOMO
auto parts business), the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return to sports car racing
after a 20 year absence. The car was built to compete in the IMSA
's new WSC
class, which replaced the previous GTP cars.
While the 333 SP was on its planning stages, Ferrari contracted Italian motor racing chassis manufacturer Dallara
to develop the chassis and tub, leaving the maker to concentrate on the engine, a version of the V12
powerplant used in the 1992 Ferrari F92A
Formula One
car, enlarged to 4.0 L, with power around 600 bhp (around 450 kW).
The car debuted in the third round of the 1994 IMSA GT Championship
at Road Atlanta
, securing the first two places. Four cars were allocated to three teams, Euromotorsport, Momo Corse, and Team Scandia
. In the following round, at Lime Rock
, the Italian cars monopolized the podium, and would take three more wins until the end of the season. However, due to Ferrari starting the season late, they were beaten by Oldsmobile
to the makes' championship, and Andy Evans was the best placed Ferrari driver at fifth in the drivers' championship.
In 1995, the 333 SP took its revenge. Although proving unreliable at the 24 Hours of Daytona
, it took top honors at the 12 Hours of Sebring
before securing another four wins. With the four cars taking more consistent results, Ferrari won the makes championship and Fermín Velez
won the drivers title, with Mauro Baldi
and Wayne Taylor
taking third and fourth, respectively. The car also made its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
, but was never competitive in the French race, its best result a 6th spot in .
The following year the car was still competitive and tied with Oldsmobile in the constructors championship but lost on a tie-breaker, as well as allowing ex-F1 driver Max Papis
to score a final second place and Didier Theys
a fourth in the drivers championship, even though the 333 SP won only two races. In 1997, the Ferrari won again at Sebring and took another four wins. However, the car was losing its competitiveness against the more modern Riley & Scott
, and taking 4th, 5th and 6th in the drivers championship and second in the makes was the best it could with a four year old design.
In 1998, the car was slightly updated, and found new life in the International Sports Racing Series (later called FIA Sportscar Championship
), winning every race and scoring the championship's two top spots with the winners Emmanuel Collard
and Vincenzo Sospiri
and runners-up Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard
. In America, the car won three rounds in the IMSA Championship (including Sebring) and took Wayne Taylor to second in the final standings while Ferrari won the makes championship. In the rival USRRC
Can-Am championship, the 333 SP finally managed to take the Daytona 24 Hours crown.
Starting from 1999, the car found its niche in the European races, as the newly introduced American Le Mans Series
saw factory-backed Audi
and BMW
entries dominating against privateer Ferraris. The cars were consistently outclassed in the ALMS races, and in 2000 Doran Racing even fit a Judd
engine in an attempt to stay competitive. However, across the Atlantic, the 333 SP was the car to own, and in 1999, Collard and Sospiri renewed their ISRS title, edging out Christian Pescatori
, who won the following year, with David Terrien
, making it three championships in a row for the JMB Racing
-entered Ferrari.
As the 333 SP became outdated in chassis, engine and aerodynamics, it gradually disappeared from international sports car racing. In 2001, no Ferrari prototype raced in the ALMS, although the Risi Competizione
car made a few appearances in Grand-Am, while in Europe, Marco Zadra won the FIA Sportscar Championship
but the car was not as dominant as it had once been. In 2002, the 333 SP was absent from the championship, but made a few appearances the following year, powered by a Judd engine, at the hands of Giovanni Lavaggi
's GLV-Brums team. The 333 SP's final appearance was at the 2003 500km of Monza
.
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
. Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racer Giampiero Moretti
Giampiero Moretti
Giampiero Moretti is a retired racing driver and the founder of the MOMO company in the 1960s.He is a former winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, winning in 1998, driving a Ferrari 333SP with co-drivers Mauro Baldi, Arie Luyendyk and Didier Theys.- Notes :...
(owner of the MOMO
MOMO (company)
MOMO Srl is a design company headquartered in Milan, Italy that makes accessories and parts for automobiles.- Company history :MOMO was founded by gentleman racer Giampiero Moretti in the 1960s. MOMO are the initials for Moretti-Monza. Monza is a region in the Province of Milan.In 1969 MOMO opened...
auto parts business), the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return to sports car racing
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
after a 20 year absence. The car was built to compete in the IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
's new WSC
IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
class, which replaced the previous GTP cars.
While the 333 SP was on its planning stages, Ferrari contracted Italian motor racing chassis manufacturer Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
to develop the chassis and tub, leaving the maker to concentrate on the engine, a version of the V12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
powerplant used in the 1992 Ferrari F92A
Ferrari F92A
The Ferrari F92A was a Formula One car designed by Jean-Claude Migeot for the Ferrari for use in the 1992 Formula One season. There were two versions of the car, the original version raced in the first eleven races of the season, with the updated F92AT version racing in the latter stages of the...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car, enlarged to 4.0 L, with power around 600 bhp (around 450 kW).
The car debuted in the third round of the 1994 IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
at Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
, securing the first two places. Four cars were allocated to three teams, Euromotorsport, Momo Corse, and Team Scandia
Team Scandia
Team Scandia was a team in the Indy Racing League owned by Andrew L. Evans that fielded a record 7 cars in the 1996 Indianapolis 500. Evans bought the team from Dick Simon during the 1996 season and Simon was listed as the owners of some of Scandia's cars in the 1996 "500"...
. In the following round, at Lime Rock
Lime Rock
Lime Rock may refer to:United States*Lime Rock , a neighborhood in the village of Lakeville, Connecticut*Lime Rock Park, a race track in Lime Rock, Connecticut*Lime Rock, Rhode Island, a village in Lincoln, Rhode Island...
, the Italian cars monopolized the podium, and would take three more wins until the end of the season. However, due to Ferrari starting the season late, they were beaten by Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
to the makes' championship, and Andy Evans was the best placed Ferrari driver at fifth in the drivers' championship.
In 1995, the 333 SP took its revenge. Although proving unreliable at the 24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona
The 24 Hours of Daytona, currently known as the Rolex 24 Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is run on a combined road course, utilizing portions of the NASCAR tri-oval and an infield...
, it took top honors at the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
before securing another four wins. With the four cars taking more consistent results, Ferrari won the makes championship and Fermín Velez
Fermín Vélez
Fermín Vélez was a Spanish sports car racing driver, two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring and two-time World Sportscar Championship Group C2 champion....
won the drivers title, with Mauro Baldi
Mauro Baldi
Mauro Baldi is an Italian former Formula One driver who raced for the Arrows, Alfa Romeo and Spirit teams.He started his career in rallying in 1972 and turned to circuit racing in 1975 with the Italian Renault 5 Cup...
and Wayne Taylor
Wayne Taylor
Wayne Taylor is a South African sports car racer. He won the 1996 and 2005 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 2005 Rolex Series. He co-drives for SunTrust Racing with Max Angelelli...
taking third and fourth, respectively. The car also made its debut 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...
, but was never competitive in the French race, its best result a 6th spot in .
The following year the car was still competitive and tied with Oldsmobile in the constructors championship but lost on a tie-breaker, as well as allowing ex-F1 driver Max Papis
Max Papis
Massimiliano "Max" Papis is a racing driver who has competed in several top-level motorsports events such as Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car. He has three Champ Car victories. He is the son-in-law of Emerson Fittipaldi. His son's godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi...
to score a final second place and Didier Theys
Didier Theys
Didier Theys is an Belgian sports car driver. He is a two-time overall winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona ; a winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring ; the Sports Racing Prototype driver champion of the Grand-American Road Racing Association and the winner of the 24 Hours of Spa...
a fourth in the drivers championship, even though the 333 SP won only two races. In 1997, the Ferrari won again at Sebring and took another four wins. However, the car was losing its competitiveness against the more modern Riley & Scott
Riley & Scott
Riley & Scott Cars Inc. was a racing constructor and racing team that primarily provided chassis for various forms of motorsport, but worked primarily in sports car racing. It was founded in 1990 by Bob Riley and Mark Scott.-Sports car racing:...
, and taking 4th, 5th and 6th in the drivers championship and second in the makes was the best it could with a four year old design.
In 1998, the car was slightly updated, and found new life in the International Sports Racing Series (later called FIA Sportscar Championship
FIA Sportscar Championship
The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and was eventually taken control of by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on two classes of open-cockpit sports prototypes in...
), winning every race and scoring the championship's two top spots with the winners Emmanuel Collard
Emmanuel Collard
Emmanuel Collard is a French racing driver. He is a member of the Porsche Junioren factory team, but drives also for other marques....
and Vincenzo Sospiri
Vincenzo Sospiri
- Early career :Sospiri started racing in the Italian 100CC Karting Championships at the age of 15. He spent a long time working his way through the karting ladder, eventually becoming World Karting Champion in 1987. Sospiri then progressed to Formula Ford, before working through to Formula 3000 in...
and runners-up Didier Theys and Fredy Lienhard
Fredy Lienhard
Fredy Lienhard, Sr. is a Swiss racing driver.In 1968 Lienhard founded Lista Racing and throughout the 1970s and 1980s he competed in Formula Vee and Formula Two. In 1993 and 1994 he moved to sports car racing competing in a Lola Can-Am car in Interserie division 2...
. In America, the car won three rounds in the IMSA Championship (including Sebring) and took Wayne Taylor to second in the final standings while Ferrari won the makes championship. In the rival USRRC
United States Road Racing Championship
The United States Road Racing Championship was created by the Sports Car Club of America in 1962. It was the first SCCA series for professional racing drivers. SCCA Executive Director John Bishop helped to create the series to recover races that had been taken by rival USAC Road Racing...
Can-Am championship, the 333 SP finally managed to take the Daytona 24 Hours crown.
Starting from 1999, the car found its niche in the European races, as the newly introduced American Le Mans Series
American Le Mans Series
The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Teams compete in one of five classes: LMP1, LMP2 and LMPC...
saw factory-backed Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....
and BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
entries dominating against privateer Ferraris. The cars were consistently outclassed in the ALMS races, and in 2000 Doran Racing even fit a Judd
Judd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
engine in an attempt to stay competitive. However, across the Atlantic, the 333 SP was the car to own, and in 1999, Collard and Sospiri renewed their ISRS title, edging out Christian Pescatori
Christian Pescatori
Christian Pescatori is a professional racecar driver from Italy. He was born in Brescia, in 1 December 1971.Pescatori started his career in single-seater racing, becoming Italian Formula 3 Champion in 1993, before moving up to Formula 3000....
, who won the following year, with David Terrien
David Terrien
David Terrien is a French racing driver. He has competed in such series as International Formula 3000 and the French Formula Three Championship.-External links:*...
, making it three championships in a row for the 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...
-entered Ferrari.
As the 333 SP became outdated in chassis, engine and aerodynamics, it gradually disappeared from international sports car racing. In 2001, no Ferrari prototype raced in the ALMS, although the Risi Competizione
Risi Competizione
Risi Competizione is an American auto racing team formed by Giuseppe Risi in 1997. Initially a partnership with Doyle Racing using the name Doyle-Risi Racing, Giuseppe Risi took full control of the project and it was rebranded with its current name in 2000...
car made a few appearances in Grand-Am, while in Europe, Marco Zadra won the FIA Sportscar Championship
FIA Sportscar Championship
The FIA Sportscar Championship was a sports car racing series created by John Mangoletsi and was eventually taken control of by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . It was a series similar to the FIA GT Championship, concentrating on two classes of open-cockpit sports prototypes in...
but the car was not as dominant as it had once been. In 2002, the 333 SP was absent from the championship, but made a few appearances the following year, powered by a Judd engine, at the hands of Giovanni Lavaggi
Giovanni Lavaggi
Giovanni Lavaggi is a racing driver from Italy.A nobleman by background, Lavaggi raised the money to buy ten Formula One Grand Prix drives, for Pacific and Minardi, debuting on July 30, 1995. In 1995 he was the only driver not to finish any of the F1 races that they started...
's GLV-Brums team. The 333 SP's final appearance was at the 2003 500km of Monza
2003 FIA Sportscar Championship Monza
The 2003 FIA Sportscar Championship Monza was the third race for the 2003 FIA Sportscar Championship season held at Autodromo Nazionale Monza and ran for 500 kilometers. It took place on June 29, 2003.-Official results:Class winners in bold...
.
Sources
- Mulsanne's Corner - Ferrari 333 SP technical
- World Sports Racing Prototypes - Ferrari 333 SP chassis index
- Racing Sports Cars - Ferrari 333 SP results