Formula 5000

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A Trojan T101 F5000 leads a BRDC International Trophy race at the Silverstone Classic race meeting. Behind it with a March 711 (right) and a McLaren M26 (left) two Formula 1 vehicles
A Lola T-332 F5000 from 1974

The Formula 5000 is a former motor racing class . It had its origins in the USA and was intended to be a cost-effective alternative to Formula 1 . Starting in 1968, a championship in this class was held annually in the USA, followed a little later by other regional or national championships, including a European one. The Formula 5000 could not establish itself in the long term.

history

Formula 5000 goes back to the American Formula A racing class . In 1965 the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) introduced Formula A, the regulations of which corresponded to Formula 1 at the time; Vehicles with a cubic capacity of up to 3.0 liters were allowed. Formula A could not establish itself in the USA. It was not until 1967 that a regular championship took place, but it was poorly attended. American manufacturers did not have suitable engines, so that many British engines had to be imported at great expense. In order to enlarge the starting field, the SCCA allowed engines with a displacement of up to 5.0 liters (5000 cubic centimeters) in Formula A from 1968. The expanded class should offer roughly the same engine performance as Formula 1 at reduced costs.

The American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet had a racing engine with a displacement of 302 cubic inches in its program that fit into these regulations. Occasionally Plymouth or AMC engines were also used . From 1970, the three-liter Formula 1 engines were also registered again. Nevertheless the US V8 engines remained dominant. From 1974 onwards, under pressure from the USAC , 2.65-liter V8s with turbochargers were also allowed to participate. However, the championships brought only Chevrolet engines. The best championship result of an AMC driver was achieved by Mark Donohue, who in 1973 was able to secure third place in the championship.

Well-known pilots of this series were Mike Hailwood and Trevor Taylor .

As chassis manufacturers were McLaren , Lotus , Eagle , Lola , March , Chevron and Surtees involved in Formula 5000th

Championships

The regulations of the Tasman series and the subsequent Rothmans International Series also followed the Formula 5000 regulations at times.

Comparison with Formula 1

In some Formula 1 races without world championship status from 1969 to 1974 F5000 vehicles were also registered, so that both racing formulas were in direct competition. In the vast majority of cases, however, the F1 vehicles won, which was usually also due to the fact that the more prominent, more experienced drivers drove in this racing series. F5000 vehicles were only able to win the respective races with two exceptions:

  • In the first race of this kind, the Gran Premio de Madrid on April 13, 1969 at the Circuito del Jarama , two F1, two F2 and four F5000 vehicles took part. It won Keith Holland in a F5000- Lola - Chevrolet . The best place in an F1 car was achieved by Tony Dean in a BRM , who finished third, one lap behind. In this case, however, the result is not difficult to attribute to the low participation in the race.
  • At the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch on March 18, 1973, there were only 13 Formula 1 vehicles among the 32 participants. Although these cars were able to win the qualification for the most part, in the race Peter Gethin in a Chevron -Chevrolet worked his way up from 8th place and finally won ahead of Denny Hulme in a McLaren - Cosworth . As the second best F5000 driver, Tony Dean followed in 5th place, who had only started the race from 20th place on the grid. However, Gethin was a highly experienced driver who had already won the European F5000 championship in 1969 and 1970 and had also achieved an F1 victory himself at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix two years earlier .

Compared to Formula 1 vehicles, the F5000 vehicles also stood out for their increased fuel consumption. For this reason, the joint races of F1 and F5000 vehicles were usually carried out with shortened race distances or in the form of two shorter races, the results of which were added to an overall ranking.

literature

Derek Lawson: Formula 5000 Motor Racing: Back Then ... And Back Now , Veloce Publishing 2010, ISBN 978-1845842161

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Derek Lawson: Formula 5000 Motor Racing: Back Then ... And Back Now , Veloce Publishing 2010, ISBN 978-1845842161 , p. 8 f.
  2. ↑ Tom Schwede: Formula 5000 - Motorsport explained in a compact way , https://autonatives.de/formel-5000-motorsport-kompakt-erklaert.html