Ferrari’s Daytona Moments

Ferrari models have contested at Daytona since the first sports car race was held at Daytona International Speedway’s combined oval and road course. Its first class victory came in 1962, with the latest in 2014. Here is a look at Ferrari’s biggest victories at Daytona.

1964 – Ferrari’s 250 GTOs beat the Cobras

1964 saw the sports car race at Daytona lengthened from 3 hours to 2000km, making it the longest race in America. The 15,000 spectators whom came to the race were treated to the beginning of the Ford and Ferrari wars, with a large number of Shelby Cobra roadsters being joined for the first time by Shelby’s new Daytona coupe which competed against a brace of Ferrari 250 GTOs.

The Daytona Coupe and a North American Racing Team 250 GTO battled over the opening hours, but the Daytona Coupe fell victim to a fire in the pits which would lead to the car’s retirement.  That led to a sweep of the podium for the Ferrari 250 GTO, led by the NART 250 GTO driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Phil Hill in first place, the David Piper and Lucien Bianchi driven 250 GTO in second, and another NART entry driven by Walt Hansgen and Bob Grossman in third place.

1972 – First and Second in Six

1972 marked a change for Daytona’s sports car race. Not only was the race distance shortened from 24 hours to six hours, but a new breed of sports racers was introduced with the FIA’s new 3-liter formula in effect. The main protagonists would be the factory-entered Ferrari 312PBs - one for Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx, one for Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson, and one for Clay Regazzoni and Brian Redman -  and the Autodelta Alfa Romeo TT33s.

The trio of Ferraris and trio of Alfa Romeos were locked in battle from the start of the race but drama would strike nearly all of them. While leading, Clay Regazzoni spun the no. 4 Ferrari 312PB exiting the banking in NASCAR turn four as a result of a flat tire. Andretti and Ickx were slowed after losing a cylinder, and Shenken was forced into an early stop with a slipping clutch. However, despite all those challenges the Ferraris outlasted the Alfa Romeos. Mario Andretti and Jacky Ickx in the no. 2 Ferrari 312PB would finish the race with a two-lap lead over the second-placed no. 6 Ferrari 312 PB driven by Tim Schenken and Ronnie Peterson.

1967 – Ferrari Sweeps the Podium

On the heels of the victory of the Ford GT40s the previous summer at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Ferrari factory produced a new racer – the 330 P4 – for the 1967 season. To provide additional support at Daytona, two versions of the older 330 P3 were updated and renamed the 412P, giving Ferrari four racers to battle against six Ford GT40s and two Chaparrals.

Within the first couple of hours of the race, the Ford GT40s began to suffer from transmission failures, while the leading Chaparral retired after an incident at the end of the race’s third hour. This put a Ferrari 330 P4 into the lead, with the second factory car eventually moving into second position and the pair of 412Ps close behind. At the checkered flag, the no. 23 Ferrari 330 P4 of Chris Amon and Lorenzo Bandini took victory ahead of Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti in the sister no. 24 Ferrari 330 P4, with the North American Racing Team 412P, driven by Pedro Rodriguez and Jean Guichet, completing the podium sweep.

The three Ferraris crossed the checkered flag in formation, creating one of the most iconic images in Ferrari’s history – and leading the automotive press to give the ‘Daytona’ nickname to the Ferrari 365 GTB/4.

1998 – Moretti Finally Does It

It took 15 tries, and he famously said “With all the money I have spent at Daytona, I could have bought 1,000 Rolexes, easily,” but in 1998, 58-year-old Gianpiero Moretti took the checkered flag to win the Rolex 24 at Daytona in his MOMO Ferrari 333SP.

Moretti had been instrumental in the creation of the Ferrari 333SP, urging his friend Piero Lardi Ferrari to create the car. Moretti took the start of the race in the no. 30 MOMO Ferrari 333SP, but suffered a setback in the early hours after, in his words, “I had an argument with a German car”. However, his Kevin Doran-led team and teammates Didier Theys, Mauro Baldi and Arie Luyendyk helped him to charge back through the field before the leading car encountered mechanical problems, putting the Ferrari back into the lead with three hours remaining.

At the final pit stop, the team put Moretti in the Ferrari and he guided the car to the checkered flag in one of the race’s most popular victories.

2014 – The 28 Hours of Daytona

On old tires, Alessandro Pier Guidi in the no. 555 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia was fending off the challenge of Marcus Winkelhock’s Audi R8 for the GT-Daytona class victory as they took the white flag. Winkelhock and Pier Guidi exited the International Hairpin side-by-side and entered the Kink side-by-side, with Pier Guidi coming out of the corner in the lead and Winkelhock in the dirt. Pier Guidi held on to take the victory but was assessed a penalty by IMSA for avoidable contact, taking away the win.

However, four hours later, IMSA reversed the penalty and officially granted victory to Level 5 Motorsports and drivers Pier Guidi, Townsend Bell, Jeff Segal, Bill Sweedler and Scott Tucker all became first-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winners. This was the first victory for Ferrari at Daytona in 16 years. The Level 5 team held an impromptu victory lane celebration long after the crowds – and other teams – had left the circuit.  Something else that had gone missing was Sweedler’s driving shoes, leading him to press his loafers into use for the photos!