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| Category | Le Mans Prototype | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor |
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| Designers | Mauro Rioli(Technical Director) Giampaolo Dallara(Technical Advisor) Dialma Zinelli(Aerodynamicist, Dallara) Giorgio Camaschella(Aerodynamicist, Ferrari) Tony Southgate(Design Consultant) | ||||||
| Predecessor | Ferrari 312 PB | ||||||
| Successor | Ferrari 499P | ||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||
| Chassis | carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb monocoque | ||||||
| Suspension (front) | Double wishbone, pushrod operated coil spring and dampers | ||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Double wishbone, pushrod operated coil spring and dampers | ||||||
| Engine | Ferrari F130E[1] 4.0 LV12Naturally aspiratedmid,longitudinally mounted | ||||||
| Transmission | Ferrari 5-speedsequential manual | ||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli Yokohama | ||||||
| Competition history | |||||||
| Notable entrants |
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| Notable drivers | |||||||
| Debut | 1994Road Atlanta Sprint race | ||||||
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| Teams' Championships | |||||||
| Constructors' Championships | |||||||
| Drivers' Championships | |||||||
TheFerrari 333 SP is asports prototype race car designed by Ferrari that was built by Italian race car manufacturerDallara and later Michelotto to compete in theWorld Sports Car championship forFerrari. Unveiled at the end of 1993, at the behest of amateur racerGiampiero Moretti (owner of theMOMO auto parts business),[2] the 333 SP marked Ferrari's official return tosports car racing since 1973. The car was built to compete in theIMSA's newWSC class, which replaced the previous GTP cars.
A total of 40 chassis were built, the first 4 by Ferrari, then 11 byDallara and the remaining 26 by Michelotto. It is believed that 27 chassis were raced, between 1994 and 2003.[1]
While the 333 SP was in its planning stages, Ferrari contracted Italian motor racing manufacturerDallara to assist with its development. Dallara provided the transmission and suspension, and were also responsible for aerodynamic development and bodywork construction.[3] The gearbox usedHewland mechanical parts, housed within a custom-built Dallara casing.[3] Ferrari developed the chassis tub and engine in-house.[3] British race car engineering consultantTony Southgate joined the project in early 1994 and went on to help design and run the cars until the end of 1995.
The engine was a modified version of the 65-degreeV12 engine used in the 1990Ferrari 641Formula One car, enlarged from 3.5 L to 4.0 L and producing 641 hp (650 PS; 478 kW) @ 11,000 rpm; though still down on power from the original engine by about 40–70 hp (41–71 PS; 30–52 kW).[4][1] Southgate later described it as "one of the most reliable race engines I have ever worked with."[3]
The car debuted in the third round of the 1994IMSA GT Championship atRoad Atlanta on 17th April, securing the first two places. Four cars were allocated to three teams, Euromotorsport (chassis 002 built by Ferrari and chassis 005 built by Dallara), Momo Corse (chassis 004, Ferrari), andTeam Scandia (chassis 003, Ferrari). 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, because Ferrari missed the first two rounds of the IMSA Championship (Daytona and Sebring), they were beaten byOldsmobile to the makes' championship (Kudzu chassis), 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 the24 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 not much competitive that year: its best result was the 6th spot in1997. However, next year the red #12 ofRisi Competizione team had won LMP1 class at their first Le Mans race.
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 driverMax 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.
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In 1998, the car was slightly updated, and found new life in theInternational Sports Racing Series (later calledFIA Sportscar Championship), winning every race and scoring the championship's two top spots with the winnersEmmanuel Collard andVincenzo Sospiri and runners-up Didier Theys andFredy 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 rivalUSRRC 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 introducedAmerican Le Mans Series saw factory-backedAudi andBMW entries dominating against privateer Ferraris. The cars were consistently outclassed in the ALMS races, and in 2000 Doran Racing even fit aJudd 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 theRisi Competizione car made a few appearances inGrand-Am and Doran Racing's Judd-powered chassis won the 20016 Hours of Watkins Glen, while in Europe, Marco Zadra won the2001 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 ofGiovanni Lavaggi's GLV-Brums team. The 333 SP's final appearance was at the2003 500km of Monza.
| Year | Entrant | No | Drivers | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 |  Euromotorsport Racing | 1 img |  Massimo Sigala Jay Cochran René Arnoux | LM-WSC | 7 (3hr) | DNF (electrics) | |
| 1996 | Team Scandia Racing For Belgium | 17 img img | Eric van de PoeleMarc GoossensÉric Bachelart | IMSA-WSC | 208 (16hr) | DNF (accident) | |
| Team ScandiaRocketsports Racing | 18 img | Andy Evans Fermín VélezYvan Muller | IMSA-WSC | 31 (4hr) | DNF (out of fuel) | ||
| 1997 | Moretti Racing Inc. | 3 img img | Gianpiero MorettiDidier TheysMax Papis | LMP | 321 | 6th | 3rd |
| Pilot Racing | 4 img img | Michel FertéAdrián CamposCharlie Nearburg | LMP | 18 (3hr) | DNF (out of fuel) | ||
| 1998 | Doyle-Risi Racing | 12 img img |  Wayne TaylorEric van de PoeleFermín Vélez | LMP1 | 332 | 8th | 1st |
| Moretti Racing Inc. | 3 img img | Gianpiero MorettiMauro BaldiDidier Theys | LMP1 | 311 | 14th | 3rd | |
| Pilot Racing | 10 img img | Michel FertéPascal FabreFrançois Migault | LMP1 | 203 (17hr) | DNF (gearbox) | ||
| Jabouille-Boursche | 5 img img | Vincenzo SospiriJean-Christophe BoullionJérôme Policand | LMP1 | 187 (13hr) | DNF (gearbox) | ||
 | This sectionis missing information about results other than 1994 (the infobox lists championships in 1995 and 1998, but these have not been included here). Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(July 2020) |
| Year | Entrant | No | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY | SEB | ATL | LRP | WGI | IND | MTY | POR | PHX | ||||
| 1994 | Momo | 30 | Gianpiero Moretti | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | DNS | 2 | 2 | ||
 Eliseo Salazar | 2 | |||||||||||
| Euromotorsport | 5 | Mauro Baldi | Ret | Ret | ||||||||
| 50 | Jay Cochran | 1 | 2 | DNS | 5 | Ret | ||||||
 Russell Spence | ||||||||||||
| Team Scandia | 3 |  Ross Bentley | 5 | |||||||||
| Andy Evans | 3 | Ret | 2 | 1 | Ret | 5 | ||||||
| Charles Morgan | ||||||||||||
| Eddie Cheever | Ret | |||||||||||
| Fermín Vélez | 2 | 1 | Ret | 5 | ||||||||
| 50 | Mauro Baldi | Ret | ||||||||||
| Jay Cochran |
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