- Ferrari 333 SP
Racing car
Category =Le Mans Prototype
Car_name = Ferrari 333 SP
Constructor = flagicon|ItalyDallara (Series One)
flagicon|ItalyMichelotto (Series Two)
Team = Momo SportsTeam Scandia BMS Scuderia Italia JB Racing
GLV Brums
Designer =Dallara
Test Drivers =
Drivers =
Chassis = carbon andaluminum honeycombmonocoque
Front suspension = double wishbone, pushrod operated coil spring & damper
Rear suspension = double wishbone, pushrod operated coil spring & damper
Engine position = mid, longitudinally mounted
Engine name = Ferrari F310E
Capacity = 3997 cc
Turbo/NA = Naturally-aspirated
Configuration =V12 .
Gearbox name = Ferrari
Gears = 5-speed
Type = sequential manual
Differential =
Tyres =
Fuel = | Debut = 1994Road Atlanta Sprint race
Races =
Cons_champ = 1995IMSA GT Championship
Drivers_champ = 1995IMSA GT Championship
Wins = 199512 Hours of Sebring
199712 Hours of Sebring
199824 Hours of Daytona
199812 Hours of Sebring
Poles = 199524 Hours of Daytona
199624 Hours of Daytona
199724 Hours of Daytona
Fastest_laps = 199624 Hours of Le Mans
Last_season =
The Ferrari 333 SP was a sports prototype car built byMichelotto to World Sports Car regulations forFerrari . Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racerGianpiero Moretti (owner of the MOMO auto parts business), the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return tosports 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 theV12 powerplant used in the 1992 Ferrari F92Formula 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 atRoad Atlanta , securing the first two places. Four cars were allocated to three teams, Euromotorsport, Momo Sports, andTeam Scandia . In the following round, atLime 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 byOldsmobile to the makes' championship, andAndy 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 the12 Hours of Sebring before securing another four wins. With the four cars taking more consistent results, Ferrari won the makes championship andFermín Velez won the drivers title, withMauro Baldi andWayne Taylor taking third and fourth, respectively. The car also made its debut at the24 Hours of Le Mans , but was never competitive in the French race, its best result a 6th spot in 24hLM|1997.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 andDidier 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 modernRiley & 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 calledFIA Sportscar Championship ), winning every race and scoring the championship's two top sports with the winnersEmmanuel Collard andVincenzo Sospiri and runners-up Didier Theys andFredy Leinhard . In America, the car won three rounds in the IMSA Championship (including Sebring) and took Wayne Taylor to second in the final standings, as well as another second in the constructors' 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-backedAudi andBMW entries dominating against privateer Ferraris. The cars were consistently outclassed in the ALMS races, and in 2000Doran 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 outChristian Pescatori , who won the following year, withDavid Terrien , making it three championships in a row for theJMB 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 series 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 ofGiovanni Lavaggi 's GLV-Brums team. The 333 SP's final appearance was at the 2003 500km of Monza.Sources
* [http://www.mulsannescorner.com/ferrari333.html Mulsanne's Corner] - Ferrari 333SP technical
* [http://wsrp.ic.cz/chassis/chassis_ferrari_333_sp.html World Sports Racing Prototypes] - Ferrari 333 SP chassis index
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