STORY OF THE DAY: Ferrari Begins a Perfect Season at Sebring

On 25 March 1972, Jackie Ickx and Mario Andretti won the 12 Hours of Sebring in the number 2 Ferrari 312 SP. Their victory led a Ferrari one-two and opened a dominant World Championship for Makes campaign in which the marque’s three-litre prototype remained unbeaten whenever it appeared.

Sebring demanded a combination of sprint speed and mechanical survival over its fractured concrete surface. Ickx and Andretti controlled their pace through traffic, heat and repeated heavy braking, while the sister Ferrari secured second place. The result showed that intensive development had converted the car’s speed into dependable endurance performance.

The 312 SP used a three-litre flat-twelve derived from Ferrari’s Formula One programme and mounted in a light semi-monocoque chassis. Its low open body, strong brakes and centralized mass produced exceptional agility, while development after the preceding season improved reliability.

Ickx was a Belgian Grand Prix winner and one of endurance racing’s foremost specialists. Andretti, an Italian-born American, had already excelled in oval racing, Formula One and sports cars. Both combined outright pace with technical sensitivity, making them central figures in Ferrari’s outstanding 1972 season.