By Carlo Platella
Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Daniel Serra and Davide Rigon are the protagonists of Ferrari's triumph at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the GTD Pro class. With the success of the 296 GT3 the Prancing Horse reaches 17 victories in Florida, of which five overall. If we exclude the victories of 1963 and 1964, when the event was not yet held over a 24-hour distance, Ferrari's first success in the American marathon dates back to the 1967 edition, signed by Lorenzo Bandini and Chris Amon at the wheel of the never forgotten 330 P4. The 296 GT3 and the '67 Rossa share a similar design identity, as well as the resourcefulness in proposing innovative technical solutions.
The first and last victory
The 296, the new Ferrari for GT3 competitions, makes its international debut at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2023, a baptism that was anything but rosy. Between accidents and consequent retirements, the only car to see the checkered flag was that of Triarsi Competizione, which ranked tenth in the GTD class. A year later the tune is different, with all five Ferraris reaching the finish line, taking 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in GTD. However, the greatest satisfaction comes in GTD Pro, reserved for crews made up exclusively of professional drivers. The 296 #62 of Risi Competizione is first class with Pier Guidi, Calado, Serra and Rigongiving the Cavallino its first success at Daytona since 2014, also signed by Alessandro Pier Guidi.
Ferrari wins the Florida marathon just a year after the debut of the 296, driving 215 laps out of 733 rounds overall. The mind goes to one of the most famous victories of the Maranello company at Daytona, that of 1967. Even on that occasion, Daytona was the debut ground for another Ferrari, the 330 P4, on which fell the arduous task of redeeming the defeat suffered at Le Mans in 1966 against the Ford GTs. Chris Amon was hired by the Ford squadron and, together with Lorenzo Bandini, took the P4 to victory in the American 24 hours. The other Red, that of Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti, is second at the finish line, ahead of the 412 P of Pedro Rodriguez and Jean Guichet. The three Ferraris stage a parade finish on the Daytona bankingan image immortalized by cameras and which soon made the rounds in the main US newspapers.
Red comparison
Pushing the victorious P4 in 1967 is the new V12 derived from Formula 1, already certified by Ludovico Scarfiotti's victory at the 1966 Italian Grand Prix. Compared to its progenitor, on the P4 the compression ratio in the combustion chamber is increased, also introducing a second intake valve per cylinder. The power gain on the P3 is 30 horsepower, reaching a total of 450 which gives a maximum speed of 320 km/h. Half a century later the 12 cylinders are now a distant memory, with the 296 GT3 racing with a smaller twin-turbo V6. The evolution follows the new corporate strategies, skilfully exploited by the Ferrari Competizioni GT division to improve the cornerstones of the project. The V6 in fact ensures a firing order with excellent vibration balance, limiting stress on the supports and improving overall reliability.
Despite halving the number of cylinders, the same basic identity remains from the P4 to the 296 GT3, characterized by compactness and agility. The 1967 Rossa is the manifesto of Ferrari's technical creed of the time, enhancing lightness and cornering against the maximum power and top speed of the Fords, which are equipped with powerful 7-litre engines, compared to the 4-litres of the P4. The same contrast also emerges in 2024, the year in which the 3-litre V6 of the 296 GT3 finds itself competing against the more than 5-litre aspirated engines from Ford, Corvette and Lexus.
In the Sixties the mantra in Maranello was to reduce the minimum weight as much as possible, something that is not as high a priority in 2024, where weight is imposed by the Balance of Performance. The 296 GT3 instead exploits the compactness of the 6 cylinder for other purposes. The two compressors are smaller than the previous 488 Evo, shortening the response delay and bringing the maximum torque delivery point forward by 500 rpm, to the advantage of pick-up and response reactivity. Furthermore, the two turbos in the “mini” version allow Ferrari to lower them and house them between the engine banks, the angle of which is widened to 120°, offering the aerodynamic department greater freedom in designing the external bodywork.
Own aerodynamic care It's another aspect that the first and last Ferrari winners at Daytona have in common. The 1967 P4 was born after long studies in the wind tunnels of Pininfarina and the Stuttgart Polytechnic, testifying to the attention paid to aerodynamics which was unusual for the time. The 296 GT3, on the other hand, uses the ultra-compact V6 to move the diffuser ramp forward, a feature which, together with other solutions, contributes to increasing the aerodynamic load by 20% compared to the previous 488 Evo. The 296 also changes the rules of the game in GT3, with very large parts of the bodywork designed to be quickly replaced both at the front and at the rear, a precaution that earned the victory at the 24 hours of the Nurburgring in 2023 despite the damage suffered due to a puncture. AND a Ferrari that innovates and sets new standardsexactly as done with the 1967 P4, pioneering in its own way in mounting a second intake valve per cylinder.
Dreaming of the absolute
After the victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967, the P4 also gave Ferrari the World Endurance Championship, but missed the coveted objective of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 296 GT3 for its part will make its debut in the World Championship this year, also an opportunity to attempt an assault on the French marathon. However, the 330 P4 at Daytona remains an overall victory, something that Ferrari could try to chase in the near future. The candidate for the assault already exists and responds to the name of 499P, described by Ferdinando Cannizzo, one of its creators, as very similar in philosophy to the 296 GT3. For the moment there is nothing concrete, other than Giuseppe Risi's expression of interest in deploying a 499P in a private capacity. There are several planets that will have to align, but nothing is stopping Ferrari fans and not just a Red team once again fighting for the overall victory in Florida banking.
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