After changes to the GT1 rules in 2000 which allowed reputable tuners to apply for technical passports, Ferrari had a chance to create a GT racer with their clients rather than directly from the factory. They embarked on a project with Italtecnica, but constraints on time and budget meant the resulting 550 Millennio was plagued with reliability and performance issues.
FROM THE WINNING LINEAGE OF FRONT-ENGINED V12 FERRARIS
Frederic Dor, ex-Prodrive Subaru driver and the disappointed new owner of one of the failed Ferrari 550 Millennio concepts, still had an appetite for a 550-based GT racer. In partnership with his old friends at Prodrive, they purchased a 550 road car and began development on CRD01.
3 WINS AND 11 PODIUMS FROM 2001-2005
After one FIA GT race and hundreds of hours of testing at 10 different tracks (including a 12-hour test at Spa), CRD01 debuted with a race win at the A1 Ring in Austria. With a podium in the next race and a win after that, the 550 Prodrive Project, and CRD01 was off to a flying start.
3RD IN FIA GT IN 2003 AND 2004
Over the next 4 seasons, CRD01 racked up 1 win and 10 podiums as well as 3rd place in both 2003 and 2004 FIA GT Championships.
SCHOLASTIC RESTORATION
After 5 consecutive years of racing, CRD01 was retired and kept by Dor's Care Racing Development until 2022 when the car was purchased by her current owner and underwent a meticulous restoration at Venture Engineering with experts including Prodrive's Chief Engineer at the time of development, Stuart Gale.
LE MANS CLASSIC 2023
Back in the original livery, CRD01 was prepared for Le Mans Classic 2023 where she was raced by the current owner and Peter Kox, who had been the main test driver 22 years prior!
