Dallara SP1
The Dallara SP1 was a sports car prototype, which was used from 2000 to 2005 in sports car racing.
The racing history of the Dallara SP1, also known as Chrysler LMP, goes back to the year 2000. That with the Chrysler Viper GTS -R in the 24- hour race at Le Mans very successful ORECA team sought an alternative to the previous race car. This was partly because Chrysler did not provide any evolutionary stages of the Viper more and on the other hand ORECA wanted to go into the LMP classes and this had been done with the Reynard 2KQ 2000 also.
In close coordination with ORECA Chrysler sought a viable racing car. ORECA was a racing team and not a manufacturer, and had not had good experiences with the Reynard. Dallara had begun at this time, with the development of a sports car chassis, the SP1. This vehicle seemed fitting and ORECA Dallara and developed the race car ready together. The vehicles were named Chrysler LMP and went in 2001 with a 6 -liter V8 engine of the Chrysler - Mopar daughter in Le Mans.
After just one year, but Chrysler withdrew completely from motorsport and SP1 were Judd V10 engines. 2005 came rolling in Centre- Racing - SP1, a turbocharged engine from Nissan for use.
The first race results, even as LMP Chrysler were unpromising. When the vehicles came to the finish, then with great behind the dominant Audi R8. After much testing work Olivier Beretta qualified the fastest LMP at Le Mans in the sixth position, faster than both Bentley Speed 8 Three LMP were at the start, and despite many technical problems the car Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Pedro Lamy finished fourth overall in the target. Despite this success, the Board of Chrysler decided for financial reasons against a continuation of the motorsports program.
ORECA led the program continues without Chrysler and brought the race car 2002 Dallara- Oreca at the start. At Le Mans, the team Beretta / Comas / Lamy and Sarrazin / Montagny / Minassian came in fifth and sixth to the finish.
2003, when ORECA drift into other projects that SP1 were sold to private teams in Europe and overseas. Dallara also produced more chassis in order to meet the existing demand. The SP1 ran until the end of 2005 in the American Le Mans Series and the Le Mans Series.