Gianpiero Moretti

By H.A. Branham

He was called “Mr. MOMO” and rightfully so, but there is much more to the legacy of the late Gianpiero Moretti.

He was indeed the man who brought the Ferrari 333 SP to IMSA, a car that was part of the inaugural IMSA Hall of Fame inductee class in 2023, a car that noted journalist Marshall Pruett described as “a cult classic that won the hearts of those who were fortunate to experience them in person.”

And a car that won the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 1998 and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring three times – in 1995, ’97 and ’98. Moretti co-drove in the ’98 victory, an obvious highlight of his 10 overall IMSA wins that made him one of the most successful “gentleman” drivers of all-time.

But when you discuss the impact of the late Moretti, who died in 2012 at the age of 71, you must start with that steering wheel idea. You know, since it changed the world of racing.

Moretti founded MOMO in 1964, building the acronym from the first two letters of Moretti and Monza. The business started off in a big way. Working with a local mechanic, his company produced a special, custom steering wheel for Moretti’s own car. The idea stuck – literally. Moretti’s model had far superior grip compared to other steering wheels at the time. Business grew throughout motorsports, including Formula One. John Surtees got a grip in ’64 – and went on to win a Formula One race, MOMO’s first major victory.

Moretti championed the Ferrari 333 SP project, as did Gian Luigi Buitoni, the president of Ferrari North America. The 333 SP, which debuted in 1994, was Ferrari's first new prototype in over two decades. But it's important to note that Mr. MOMO actually drove more races in Porsches (164), compared to Ferraris (60). In IMSA, the popularity of bright red and yellow MOMO Porsches carried over to a new manufacturer in the IMSA paddock.

But the Ferraris are what he’s most known for, undoubtedly. That, and a personality that helped make him a star, symbiotic with his fan-favorite cars.

Barbara Burns, a longtime MOMO public relations representative, saw first-hand the way fans responded to Moretti. “People wanted to be around him,” Burns said. “He had this kind of an air, an aura … looked like he was right out of The Godfather, a character who was classy and handsome.”

And in his element, Burns added, when hosting his classic spaghetti dinners in the garage, inviting competitors and media. “Being an Italian man cooking pasta … and the spaghetti sauce … and the talking with his friends … he loved doing it,” Burns said. “People really felt included in his life and that they were friends, if they got to come to those dinners.”

The ’98 Rolex 24 triumph was special. Then things got even more so, with victories at Sebring and the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. And that, folks, was a Triple Crown, a sweep of the season’s endurance classics, all in a Ferrari 333 SP.

Great footnote: After each one of those races, Moretti announced his retirement from driving. After The Glen, it took.

“Half of my body is very happy and the other half is very sad,” Moretti said after that race. “I cannot ask for more than this [season].”