<< Prev Page 2 of 2 Over the winter, the development continued and in addition to numerous detail changes, the 33/TT/12 was equipped with a prominent air intake behind the cockpit. The efforts had clearly paid off as Alfa Romeo started the World Championship with a spectacular 1-2-3 victory at Monza. Winners that day were Arturo Merzario and Mario Andretti. Principle rivals, Matra, got their act together soon after and disappointingly won all other rounds of the championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Halfway through the 1974 season, the works Autodelta team withdrew from the championship to focus all efforts on 1975. That year, the team partnered with German Willi Kauhsen. Former rivals Ferrari and Matra were no longer around, which allowed the Italo/German squad to hire some of the very best drivers, which included the likes of Henri Pescarolo and Derek Bell. The cars used were very similar to the 1974 machines and were modified in detail to lower the weight and improve reliability.
The year did not start out well as at Mugello, the two Alfa Romeos entered were beaten by the new, turbocharged Renault-Alpine. Arturo Merzario and Jacques Laffite bounced back with a win at Dijon. The team would go on to win at Monza, Spa Francorchamps, Enna Pergusa, the Nürburgring, Zeltweg and Watkins Glen. For the second year, the team sat out the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which now was no longer part of the championship. Winning all but two rounds, Alfa Romeo scored the manufacturer's very first World Sports Car Championship.
Instead of defending the hard-earned championship, Alfa Romeo switched most of their efforts toFormula 1 from 1976. A final evolution of the Tipo 33 was nevertheless developed, combining the flat-12 engine with a new monocoque chassis. In 1977, the team even briefly raced a turbocharged version of the engine before ending the sports car program altogether. Of the numerous incarnations fielded during the better part of a decade, the 33/TT/12 is the most successful, handsomely winning the much desired World Championship in 1975. << Prev Page 2 of 2
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Italy
> Alfa Romeo
Racing cars
> Other Sportscars
Over the winter, the development continued and in addition to numerous detail changes, the 33/TT/12 was equipped with a prominent air intake behind the cockpit. The efforts had clearly paid off as Alfa Romeo started the World Championship with a spectacular 1-2-3 victory at Monza. Winners that day were Arturo Merzario and Mario Andretti. Principle rivals, Matra, got their act together soon after and disappointingly won all other rounds of the championship, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.