Formula 5000
Encyclopedia
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater
auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle
, March
, Lola, Lotus
and Chevron
.
engines with about 500 hp at 8000 rpm, although other makes were also used. The concept was inspired by the success of the Can-Am Series, which featured unlimited formula sports cars
fitted with very powerful engines derived from American V8s; the idea was to replicate the concept using open wheel racing cars. F5000 enjoyed popularity in the early 1970s in the U.S. and featured drivers such as Mario Andretti
, Al Unser
, Bobby Unser
, James Hunt
, Jody Scheckter
, Brian Redman
, David Hobbs, Tony Adamowicz
, Ian Ashley
, John Cannon and Eppie Wietzes
.
Increasing costs and Lola domination meant the formula quickly lost its appeal after 1975. Older cars continued to be used in the SCCA national races, but the most competitive teams reconverted their cars with sports car bodyworks, in the resurrected Can-Am championship, starting in 1977. The formula worked initially, with a number of European drivers crossing the Atlantic to attend the SCCA-run championship, but when IMSA
introduced the new GTP
prototype regulations for their own sports car championship, the old F5000 were now clumsy and slow compared to the new cars.
DFV engine meant that many teams could now afford to build their own chassis around a good engine/transmission package, so Cooper
, Lotus and Brabham stopped the production of customer Formula 1
cars. Unfortunately, smaller privateer teams and drivers that entered Britain's non-championship F1 events were left behind, and the RAC
quickly adopted the American F5000 regulations.
Unlike the American series, the British championship didn't attract many star names from Formula 1 and sports cars, and was dominated by drivers that were usually seen in Formula 2 or in the back of F1's World Championship grids. Peter Gethin
managed to launch his F1 career thanks to his F5000 championship titles. While it was based in the United Kingdom, the British F5000 series (named Guards F5000, Rothmans F5000 or Shellsport F5000, according to the year's sponsor) managed to spread across Europe, with races held at many international circuits, including Monza
(Italy), Hockenheim
(Germany) and Zandvoort
(Netherlands), and attracted a significant number of continental drivers.
The weak pound (a result of the energy crisis) and the increasing cost of importing Chevy V8s caused some concern and engine regulations for European F5000 were revised to permit engines other than the big pushrod V8s - the DOHC Cosworth
GA V6 (based on a unit used in Group 2 Capri
s was permitted to race at a capacity of 3500cc. March 75A and Chevron B30 cars were successful with the V6, the March in particular being little more than a 751 Formula One
car with minor modifications for the new engine.
However, the same problem that befell US F5000 happened in Europe, and in 1976, the Championship was opened to Formula 1 cars, forming the basis of what would become the Aurora F1 Championship
. F5000 cars continued to be used, but were no longer competitive against their 3.0 litre counterparts. Older F5000 cars continued to be used in the British Sprint Championship and were common in Formula Libre
races well into the 1980s.
, was extended in 1970 to include Formula 5000 cars as well as the existing 2.5 litre cars. The Tasman Series ran during the Formula One off season in the European winter, and in the late 1960s it had attracted the attention of the greatest names in Grand Prix racing, from locals Bruce McLaren
and Jack Brabham
to foreigners like Graham Hill
and Jim Clark
.
However, by the 1970s, the Tasman Series had become a competitive Australian/New Zealand local championship, but the more famous names were no longer taking part in the races, leaving the field to be dominated by the cream of "Down Under" drivers, racing against a few Europeans and the new appearance of American drivers. The four Australian Formula 5000 Tasman races continued (separate from the New Zealand races) as the Rothmans International Series
from 1976 until 1979.
Formula 5000 was also the main component of Australian Formula 1
from 1971 to 1981 and this formula was the primary category contesting the Australian Drivers' Championship
during those years and the Australian Grand Prix
until 1980.
in Melbourne, Australia.
Open wheel car
Open-wheel car, formula car, or often single-seater car in British English, describes cars with the wheels outside the car's main body and, in most cases, one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or fenders...
auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle
Anglo American Racers
All American Racers was an American auto racing team and constructor based in Santa Ana, California. Founded by Dan Gurney and Carroll Shelby in 1964, All American Racers initially participated in American sports car and Champ Car races as well as international Formula One events with cars named...
, March
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
, Lola, Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
and Chevron
Chevron Cars Ltd
Chevron Cars Ltd. is a manufacturer of racing cars, founded by Derek Bennett in 1965. Following Bennett's death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original company's designs and name continue to be utilized by Roger Andreason to build replacement parts and continuation...
.
North America
Formula 5000 was introduced in 1968 as a class within SCCA Formula A races, a series where single seaters from different origins were allowed to compete, but which rapidly came to be dominated by the cars equipped with production-based American V8s. The engines used were generally 5 litre, fuel injected ChevroletChevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
engines with about 500 hp at 8000 rpm, although other makes were also used. The concept was inspired by the success of the Can-Am Series, which featured unlimited formula sports cars
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
fitted with very powerful engines derived from American V8s; the idea was to replicate the concept using open wheel racing cars. F5000 enjoyed popularity in the early 1970s in the U.S. and featured drivers such as Mario Andretti
Mario Andretti
Mario Gabriele Andretti is a retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR...
, Al Unser
Al Unser
Alfred "Al" Unser is a former American automobile racing driver, the younger brother of fellow racing drivers Jerry and Bobby Unser, and father of Al Unser, Jr....
, Bobby Unser
Bobby Unser
Robert William "Bobby" Unser is a retired U.S. automobile racer. He is the brother of Al Unser, Jerry Unser and Louie Unser, the father of Robby Unser, and the uncle of Al Unser, Jr. and Johnny Unser...
, James Hunt
James Hunt
James Simon Wallis Hunt was a British racing driver from England who won the Formula One World Championship in . Hunt's often action packed exploits on track earned him the nickname "Hunt the Shunt." After retiring from driving, Hunt became a media commentator and businessman...
, Jody Scheckter
Jody Scheckter
Jody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver, the Formula One World Drivers Champion.-Career:Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College.-Formula One:...
, Brian Redman
Brian Redman
Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England....
, David Hobbs, Tony Adamowicz
Tony Adamowicz
Tony Adamowicz is a former American racing driver from Port Henry, New York. He won the 1968 Trans-Am Under 2-Liter championship in a Porsche, then raced in the Can-Am Series and Formula 5000, winning the 1969 Formula 5000 championship...
, Ian Ashley
Ian Ashley
Ian Hugh Gordon Ashley is a British racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Token, Williams, BRM and Hesketh teams....
, John Cannon and Eppie Wietzes
Eppie Wietzes
Egbert "Eppie" Wietzes is a former racing driver from Canada.-Formula One:He participated in two Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 27 August 1967 in the inaugural Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport. He retired on lap 69 with wet electrics. He scored no championship points...
.
Increasing costs and Lola domination meant the formula quickly lost its appeal after 1975. Older cars continued to be used in the SCCA national races, but the most competitive teams reconverted their cars with sports car bodyworks, in the resurrected Can-Am championship, starting in 1977. The formula worked initially, with a number of European drivers crossing the Atlantic to attend the SCCA-run championship, but when IMSA
International Motor Sports Association
The International Motor Sports Association is an American sports car auto racing sanctioning body based in Braselton, Georgia. It was started by John Bishop, a former employee of SCCA , and his wife Peggy in 1969 with help from Bill France, Sr...
introduced the new GTP
IMSA GT Championship
IMSA GT was a sports car racing series organized by International Motor Sports Association. Races took place primarily in the United States and occasionally in Canada.-History:...
prototype regulations for their own sports car championship, the old F5000 were now clumsy and slow compared to the new cars.
Europe
In the UK, the arrival of the CosworthCosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
DFV engine meant that many teams could now afford to build their own chassis around a good engine/transmission package, so Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
, Lotus and Brabham stopped the production of customer Formula 1
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
cars. Unfortunately, smaller privateer teams and drivers that entered Britain's non-championship F1 events were left behind, and the RAC
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
quickly adopted the American F5000 regulations.
Unlike the American series, the British championship didn't attract many star names from Formula 1 and sports cars, and was dominated by drivers that were usually seen in Formula 2 or in the back of F1's World Championship grids. Peter Gethin
Peter Gethin
Peter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish...
managed to launch his F1 career thanks to his F5000 championship titles. While it was based in the United Kingdom, the British F5000 series (named Guards F5000, Rothmans F5000 or Shellsport F5000, according to the year's sponsor) managed to spread across Europe, with races held at many international circuits, including Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
(Italy), Hockenheim
Hockenheimring
The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg is an automobile racing track situated near the town of Hockenheim in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Amongst other motor racing events, it biennially hosts the Formula One German Grand Prix...
(Germany) and Zandvoort
Circuit Park Zandvoort
Circuit Park Zandvoort is a motorsport race track located in Burgemeester van Alphenstraat 108, 2041 KP in the dunes north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, near the North Sea coast line.- History :...
(Netherlands), and attracted a significant number of continental drivers.
The weak pound (a result of the energy crisis) and the increasing cost of importing Chevy V8s caused some concern and engine regulations for European F5000 were revised to permit engines other than the big pushrod V8s - the DOHC Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
GA V6 (based on a unit used in Group 2 Capri
Ford Capri
Ford Capri was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for three different automobile models. The Ford Consul Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Britain between 1961 and 1964. The Ford Capri coupé was produced by Ford of Europe from 1969 to 1986...
s was permitted to race at a capacity of 3500cc. March 75A and Chevron B30 cars were successful with the V6, the March in particular being little more than a 751 Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
car with minor modifications for the new engine.
However, the same problem that befell US F5000 happened in Europe, and in 1976, the Championship was opened to Formula 1 cars, forming the basis of what would become the Aurora F1 Championship
British Formula One Series
The British Formula One Series, often abbreviated to British F1, was a Formula One motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom. It was often referred to as the Aurora AFX Formula One series due to the Aurora company's sponsorship of the series for three of the four seasons.The long...
. F5000 cars continued to be used, but were no longer competitive against their 3.0 litre counterparts. Older F5000 cars continued to be used in the British Sprint Championship and were common in Formula Libre
Formula Libre
Formula Libre is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the opportunity for some compelling driving performances against superior machinery...
races well into the 1980s.
Australia and New Zealand
In Australia and New Zealand, the Tasman Formula, defining cars eligible for the annual Tasman SeriesTasman Series
The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries...
, was extended in 1970 to include Formula 5000 cars as well as the existing 2.5 litre cars. The Tasman Series ran during the Formula One off season in the European winter, and in the late 1960s it had attracted the attention of the greatest names in Grand Prix racing, from locals Bruce McLaren
Bruce McLaren
Bruce Leslie McLaren , born in Auckland, New Zealand, was a race-car designer, driver, engineer and inventor....
and Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
to foreigners like Graham Hill
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
and Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
.
However, by the 1970s, the Tasman Series had become a competitive Australian/New Zealand local championship, but the more famous names were no longer taking part in the races, leaving the field to be dominated by the cream of "Down Under" drivers, racing against a few Europeans and the new appearance of American drivers. The four Australian Formula 5000 Tasman races continued (separate from the New Zealand races) as the Rothmans International Series
Rothmans International Series
The Rothmans International Series was an Australian Formula 5000 motor racing series which ran from 1976 to 1979.-History:When the joint Australian-New Zealand open-wheeler series, the Tasman Series was discontinued after the 1975 series, the four Australian former Tasman races became the Rothmans...
from 1976 until 1979.
Formula 5000 was also the main component of Australian Formula 1
Australian Formula 1
Australian Formula 1 was a motor sport category for open-wheeler racing cars which was current in Australia from 1970 to 1983.AF1 was introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1970, initially restricting cars to unsupercharged engines of no greater than 2.5-litre capacity,...
from 1971 to 1981 and this formula was the primary category contesting the Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula...
during those years and the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
until 1980.
Revival as historic racing category
The category was revived in the late 2000s in New Zealand as an amateur historic racing category. In 2009/2010, a five round race series was held, the final round as a support race for the 2010 Australian Grand Prix2010 Australian Grand Prix
The 2010 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 28 March 2010 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia. It was the second race of the 2010 Formula One season. The race was won by McLaren driver Jenson Button, the first back-to-back Australian Grand Prix winner...
in Melbourne, Australia.
List of F5000 Champions
| US Formula A/F5000 (1967–1976) Single-seat Can-Am (1977–1986) |
British F5000 Championship | Tasman Series Tasman Series The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries... (F5000 years) |
Australian Drivers' Championship - CAMS Gold Star Australian Drivers' Championship The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula... (F5000 years) |
South African Gold Star (F5000 years) |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Driver | Car | Year | Driver | Car | Year | Driver | Car | Year | Driver | Car | Year | Driver | Car |
| 1967 |  Gus HutchisonGus Hutchison Gus Hutchison is a former racecar driver from the United States.He was also SCCA Formula A Champion in 1967, driving a Lotus 41.... |
Lotus 41 Lotus 41 The Lotus 41 was a Lotus Formula 3 and Formula 2 racing car which ran between 1966 - 1968.John Joyce, Bowin Cars founder, was the Lotus chief designer and was assisted by Dave Baldwin. They started with a clean sheet of paper. The chassis was a welded tubular steel space frame... |
||||||||||||
| 1968 | Lou Sell |
Eagle Mk4 | 1968 |  Jackie PretoriusJackie Pretorius Jacobus "Jackie" Pretorius was a racing driver from South Africa. He participated in four Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 1 January 1965, and scoring no championship points.... |
Lola-Ford | |||||||||
| 1969 | Tony Adamowicz Tony Adamowicz Tony Adamowicz is a former American racing driver from Port Henry, New York. He won the 1968 Trans-Am Under 2-Liter championship in a Porsche, then raced in the Can-Am Series and Formula 5000, winning the 1969 Formula 5000 championship... |
Eagle Mk5 | 1969 | Peter Gethin Peter Gethin Peter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish... |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... M10A |
1969 | John McNicol |
Lola-Ford | ||||||
| 1970 |  John Cannon |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... M10B |
1970 | Peter Gethin Peter Gethin Peter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish... |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... M10B |
1970 1970 Tasman Series The 1970 Tasman Series was the seventh in the series, beginning on 3 January and ending on 22 February after seven races. The series was won by Graeme Lawrence of New Zealand, driving the Ferrari 246T that fellow New Zealander Chris Amon raced to win the 1969 series.It was a transitional year, the... |
 Graeme LawrenceGraeme Lawrence Graeme Lawrence is a former race car driver from New Zealand.Lawrence was the first New Zealander to win a race in the Tasman Series, in 1970. Although he won only the one race that year, he was Tasman Series champion, driving Chris Amon's old Ferrari 246T.... |
Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari Scuderia Ferrari is the racing team division of the Ferrari automobile marque. The team currently only races in Formula One but has competed in numerous classes of motorsport since its formation in 1929, including sportscar racing.... 246T |
1970 | Bob Olthoff |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... -Ford |
|||
| 1971 | David Hobbs | McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... M10B |
1971 |  Frank Gardner |
Lola T192 Lola T300 |
1971 1971 Tasman Series The 1971 Tasman Series was the eighth in the series, beginning on 2 January and ending on 28 February after seven races. It was won by Graham McRae of New Zealand, driving a McLaren M10B Chevrolet.-Races:Additional information sourced from:... |
Graham McRae Graham McRae Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap... |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... M10B |
1971 1971 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1971 Australian Drivers’ Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars... |
Max Stewart Max Stewart Malcolm Clarke Stewart was an Australian racecar driver.... |
Mildren | 1971 | Paddy Driver Paddy Driver Paddy Driver is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and a racing driver from South Africa.He competed on the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit from 1959 to 1965... |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... -Ford |
| 1972 | Graham McRae Graham McRae Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap... |
McRae GM1 | 1972 |  Gijs van LennepGijs van Lennep Jonkheer Gijsbert van Lennep is a Dutch esquire and former racing driver who gave a good account for himself in his eight Formula One drives.- Career :... |
Surtees Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000.-History:... TS11 |
1972 1972 Tasman Series The 1972 Tasman Series was the ninth in the series, beginning on 8 January and ending on 27 February after eight races. The series was won by Graham McRae of New Zealand, driving a Leda GM1 Chevrolet.-Races:Additional information sourced from:... |
Graham McRae Graham McRae Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap... |
McRae GM1 | 1972 | Frank Matich Frank Matich Frank Matich, born 1935, was an Australian racing car driver. A highly successful motor racing competitor in the 1960s and 70s, Matich built his own range of Matich sports cars and open wheel cars, mainly to support his own career, but some cars found success with other drivers... |
Matich A50 | 1972 | Eddie Keizan Eddie Keizan Eddie Keizan is a former racing driver from South Africa. He raced in three World Championship Formula One Grands Prix during the 1970s, debuting on 3 March 1973. He scored no championship points.... |
Surtees Surtees The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000.-History:... -Ford |
| 1973 | Jody Scheckter Jody Scheckter Jody David Scheckter is a South African former auto racing driver, the Formula One World Drivers Champion.-Career:Scheckter was born in East London, South Africa and educated at Selborne College.-Formula One:... |
Trojan Trojan (Racing team) Trojan was an automobile manufacturer and a Formula One constructor from the United Kingdom. The complete history can be found at The car producer Trojan Limited was founded by Leslie Hounsfield in 1914 in Purley Way, Croydon, South London and produced cars and especially delivery vans until... T101 Lola T330 |
1973 |  Teddy PiletteTeddy Pilette Theodore "Teddy" Pilette is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the first on 12 May 1974 with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team.... |
Chevron Chevron Cars Ltd Chevron Cars Ltd. is a manufacturer of racing cars, founded by Derek Bennett in 1965. Following Bennett's death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original company's designs and name continue to be utilized by Roger Andreason to build replacement parts and continuation... B24 |
1973 1973 Tasman Series The 1973 Tasman Series was the tenth in the series, beginning on 6 January and ending on 25 February after eight races. The series was won by Graham McRae of New Zealand, driving a McRae GM1 Chevrolet.-Races:Additional information sourced from:... |
Graham McRae Graham McRae Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap... |
McRae GM1 | 1973 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title open to drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 cars... |
John McCormack John McCormack (racing driver) John McCormack is a former Australian racing driver. Originally from Tasmania McCormack became one of the leading Formula 5000 racers in Australia during the 1970s.... |
Elfin MR5 Elfin MR5 The Elfin MR5 is an Australian Formula 5000 racing car produced from 1971-1972 by Elfin Sports Cars. John McCormack drove an MR5 to victory in the 1973 Australian Drivers' Championship, the 1973 New Zealand Grand Prix, the 1974 New Zealand Grand Prix and the 1974 Lady Wigram Trophy.... |
1973 | Paddy Driver Paddy Driver Paddy Driver is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and a racing driver from South Africa.He competed on the Grand Prix motorcycle racing circuit from 1959 to 1965... |
McLaren McLaren McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup... -Ford |
| 1974 | Brian Redman Brian Redman Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England.... |
Lola T332 Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... |
1974 | Bob Evans | Lola T332 Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... |
1974 1974 Tasman Series The 1974 Tasman Series was the eleventh in the series, beginning on 5 January and ending on 23 February after eight races. It was won by Peter Gethin of the United Kingdom, driving a Chevron B24 Chevrolet.-Races:Additional information sourced from:... |
Peter Gethin Peter Gethin Peter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish... |
Chevron Chevron Cars Ltd Chevron Cars Ltd. is a manufacturer of racing cars, founded by Derek Bennett in 1965. Following Bennett's death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original company's designs and name continue to be utilized by Roger Andreason to build replacement parts and continuation... B24 |
1974 1974 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1974 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars with the championship winner awarded the 1974 CAMS "Gold Star".-Calendar:... |
Max Stewart Max Stewart Malcolm Clarke Stewart was an Australian racecar driver.... |
Lola T330 | |||
| 1975 | Brian Redman Brian Redman Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England.... |
Lola T332 Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... Lola T400 |
1975 | Teddy Pilette Teddy Pilette Theodore "Teddy" Pilette is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the first on 12 May 1974 with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team.... |
Lola T400 | 1975 1975 Tasman Series The 1975 Tasman Series was the twelfth and final in the series, beginning on 5 January and ending on 23 February after eight races.The series was won by Australian driver Warwick Brown in his fifth year of Formula 5000 racing with the Pat Burke Racing team, driving a Lola T332 Chevrolet... |
Warwick Brown Warwick Brown Warwick Brown is a former racing driver from Australia.Brown participated in a single Formula One Grand Prix, on 10 October 1976. He drove a Williams-Wolf at the US GP and finished 14th.... |
Lola T332 Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... |
1975 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1975 Australian Drivers' Championship was the nineteenth Australian Drivers' Championship. It was contested by drivers of Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 Racing cars over a five round series with points awarded on a 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 basis to the top six placegetters in each... |
John McCormack John McCormack (racing driver) John McCormack is a former Australian racing driver. Originally from Tasmania McCormack became one of the leading Formula 5000 racers in Australia during the 1970s.... |
Elfin MR6 | |||
| 1976 | Brian Redman Brian Redman Brian Herman Thomas Redman is a British racing driver from England.... |
Lola T332C Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... |
1976 | David Purley David Purley David Charles Purley, GM, was a British racing driver born in Bognor Regis, West Sussex. He participated in 11 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting at Monaco on 3 June 1973... |
Chevron Chevron Cars Ltd Chevron Cars Ltd. is a manufacturer of racing cars, founded by Derek Bennett in 1965. Following Bennett's death in 1978, the firm has remained active in various guises. The original company's designs and name continue to be utilized by Roger Andreason to build replacement parts and continuation... B30 |
1976 | John Leffler John Leffler John Leffler is a former Australian racing driver. Leffler is best known for driving open-wheelers and winning the Australian Drivers' Championship in 1976.Leffler drove Morris Coopers for many years in the 1960s... |
Lola T400 | ||||||
| 1977 |  Patrick TambayPatrick Tambay Patrick Daniel Tambay is a French former racing driver. He competed in 123 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, winning twice, securing 5 pole positions and scoring a total of 103 Championship points... |
Lola T333CS | 1977 | John McCormack John McCormack (racing driver) John McCormack is a former Australian racing driver. Originally from Tasmania McCormack became one of the leading Formula 5000 racers in Australia during the 1970s.... |
McLaren M23 McLaren M23 The McLaren M23 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck, with input from John Barnard, and built by the McLaren team. It was a development of the McLaren M16 Indianapolis 500 car. A Ford Cosworth DFV engine was used, which was prepared by specialist tuning company Nicholson Engines... |
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| 1978 | Alan Jones |
Lola T333CS | 1978 | Graham McRae Graham McRae Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand.McRae's single outing in the Formula One World Championship was at the 1973 British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973, where he retired in the first lap... |
McRae GM3 | |||||||||
| 1979 | Jacky Ickx Jacky Ickx Jacques Bernard "Jacky" Ickx is a Belgian former racing driver who achieved 25 podium finishes in Formula One and six wins in the 24 hours of Le Mans.- Racing career :... |
Lola T333CS | 1979 1979 Australian Drivers' Championship A 1979 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Australian Formula 1 racing cars. The championship winner was awarded the 1979 CAMS Gold Star... |
Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker (racing driver) Johnnie Walker is a former Australian racing driver. Born in Adelaide, he first raced Holden FE's in the 1960s. After competing in the Australian Formula 2 Championship he graduated to Formula 5000 where he drove an Elfin and a Matich A50 before switching to the Lola marque in late 1973.Walker... |
Lola T332 Lola T332 The Lola T332 was a race car designed and built by Lola Cars for use in Formula 5000 racing and made its racing debut in 1973. Commonly using the 5.0L Chevrolet V8 engine, the T332 was successful around the globe with race victories in places such as Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and... |
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| 1980 | Patrick Tambay Patrick Tambay Patrick Daniel Tambay is a French former racing driver. He competed in 123 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, winning twice, securing 5 pole positions and scoring a total of 103 Championship points... |
Lola T530 | 1980 1980 Australian Drivers' Championship The 1980 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Australian Formula 1 racing cars.The winner of the championship, which was the 24th Australian Drivers' Championship, was awarded the 1980 CAMS Gold Star.... |
Alfredo Costanzo Alfredo Costanzo Alfredo Costanzo is a retired Australian racing driver.The Italian-Australian was Australia's foremost domestic open wheeler driver in the late 70s and early 80s, proving equally adapt at winning races in the powerful Formula 5000 class as much as the nimble Formula Pacific cars that replaced them... |
Lola T430 | |||||||||
| 1981 | Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham Geoff Brabham is an Australian racing driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One World Champion Jack Brabham. Brabham spent the majority of his racing career in the United States. He raced successfully in CART early in his career. In ten appearances in the Indianapolis 500, with a best result... |
Lola T530 VDS 001 |
1981 | Alfredo Costanzo Alfredo Costanzo Alfredo Costanzo is a retired Australian racing driver.The Italian-Australian was Australia's foremost domestic open wheeler driver in the late 70s and early 80s, proving equally adapt at winning races in the powerful Formula 5000 class as much as the nimble Formula Pacific cars that replaced them... |
McLaren M26 McLaren M26 The McLaren M26 was a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Coppuck for the McLaren team, to replace the aging McLaren M23 model. The car was designed to be a lighter and lower car than its predecessor, with a smaller frontal area and narrower monocoque... |
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| 1982 | Al Unser, Jr. Al Unser, Jr. Alfred Unser, Jr. , nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior" or simply "Junior" is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.-History:... |
Frissbee GR2 Frissbee GR3 |
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| 1983 | Jacques Villeneuve Jacques Villeneuve (elder) Jacques Villeneuve Sr. also known as Jacquo or Uncle Jacques is a Canadian racer. He is the younger brother of the late Gilles Villeneuve, and uncle to Jacques Villeneuve . He was born in the small town of Berthierville, Quebec, Canada. He is now frequently known as Uncle Jacques because of the... |
Frissbee GR2 Frissbee GR3 |
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| 1984 |  Michael RoeMichael Roe Michael Roe is an American record producer, songwriter, guitarist and singer.-Career:Although he has released several solo albums since the mid-1990s, Roe is primarily known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for the rock band The 77s... |
VDS 002 VDS 004 |
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| 1985 | Rick Miaskiewicz Rick Miaskiewicz Rick Miaskiewicz is a former American race car driver from Pittsburgh. He won the Can-Am championship in 1985, the series' next to last year of operations and then moved to the CART series for 1986. He competed in five races in a Cosworth powered March chassis. He returned the following year... |
Frissbee GR3 | ||||||||||||
| 1986 | Horst Kroll |
Frissbee KR3 | ||||||||||||
External links
- OldRacingCars.com F5000 cars histories and race results
- NZ Formula 5000 Association website - runs a historic racing series for original F5000 cars.
- MyF5000.com- Web site devoted to F5000 drivers, cars & race events conducted in North America from 1967-1976.