![[Under Construction]](images/undercon.gif){kind=small}
| BRAZILIAN MUSIC |
| blog |
EUROPEAN
FORMULA 5000
By
Carlos de Paula
Around
1968, the horsepower difference between 3 liter Formula 1 and 1.6 liter Formula
2 cars was great. There was a place for an intermediate, high horsepower single
seater category in Europe, powered by stock blocks. The U.S. Formula A was just
such a formula: stock block 5.0 liter single seater cars, theoretically fast and
inexpensive to run, that were being ran in the USA since 1967 The formula was
thus adopted in Europe for a 1969 championship.
As an
European championship, Formula 5000 was never very successful. Except for
regular rounds in Monza, Zolder and Zandvoort, most races were run in Britain,
through the duration of the championship, between 1969 and 1975. Fields rarely
exceeded 20 cars, with many also-rans appearing in every round. Notwithstanding,
several drivers from the continent raced in the championship, in fact, a few
made names for themselves in it.
Peter
Gethin was by far the most successful driver in the history of the
championship, having won it in 1969 and 1970, and featuring well in others. In
fact, Gethin was one of the first and few drivers to use F-5000 as a platform to
enter Formula 1, being hired to replace Bruce
McLaren in the McLaren Formula 1 and Can
Am team, in 1970, on the wake of his Formula 5000 success.
By and
large, the championship always suffered from a lack of competitors, as the
mostly American power plants turned out to be expensive.
Most Formula 5000 cars ran Chevy engines, while other engines such as
Ford, Rover (3.5 liter), Oldsmobile were used in the cars in Europe. (Other
engines were run elsewhere).
McLaren
was the most successful manufacturer in the first two years of the Championship,
soon replaced by Lola, which won most races after 1971. Surtees also debuted as
a manufacturer in 1969, fielding, among others, Italian Andrea
de Adamich and former Formula 1 driver Trevor
Taylor. De Adamich who would also drive for the team in Formula 1 some years
later.
Besides
these three manufacturers, several others raced in the European championship,
including Crossle, Talon, Trojan, Chevron,
Kitchner, Leda, McRae, Begg, March, Connew, Brabham, Modus, Harrier, Hepworth,
Conchord, Dulon, Nike, Harris, Beattie, Kincraft. Old Formula 1 cars, equipped
with 5 liter and smaller engines were also run, such as Cooper, Lotus, BRM, BRP
including a McLaren M19 that raced in 1974 and 1975, and a one-off Brabham BT43
that raced in 1975. In 1969, some 2 and 1.6 liter cars also raced, such as BRM,
Lolas and Lotus.
As
mentioned, Gethin won the first two championships fairly easily. In 1969, Keith
Holland and Trevor Taylor came closest to matching Peter, while in 1970, Howden
Ganley was the runner up. Gethin won 8 of the first 12 rounds, building
enough cushion to yield the seat to Reine
Wissel, who won three races later in the car. Those were good days for the
Formula, which also enjoyed drivers of stature such as Frank Gardner, Mike
Hailwood, Trevor Taylor and Graham
McRae. The races were run in two heats, some of them as short as 35 minutes.
Besides Zandvoort, Monza and Zolder, races were also run in Hockenheim, Mondello
Park, Salzburgring and Anderstorp, making this by far the most international of
all Formula 5000 championships.
A
welcome development for the category was the use of Formula 5000 cars in the
Tasman championship in 1970. In this first F5000 Tasman Trophy, some old style
2.5 liter Tasman racers, such as champion Graeme Lawrence’s Ferrari Dino, and
Formula 2 cars were mostly used, but eventually, Formula 5000s would become the
majority for many years. Some Formula 5000 cars were also raced in the South
African Formula 1 championship, and Brazilian Antonio Carlos Avallone, who raced
in the category in 1969, built a F-5000 car, to be raced in Brazil, but his
enthusiasm was not shared by others. He ended up putting fenders on the car and
raced it a few times as a prototype in 1974.
Gethin,
Ganley and Wissel were gone in 1971, all of them racing in Formula 1, so it
looked as though the principle of the category was right. However, Formula 5000
was never properly promoted in Europe, although it did enjoy Rothmans
sponsorship in the early years, and it did not help much when the cars were
included as grid fillers in Formula 1 races such as the International Trophy,
race of Champions and Gold Cup, which made them look very inferior to Formula 1
cars. Most up and coming talent still continued to run in Formula 2, although
Frank Gardner and Mike Hailwood battled royally for the 1971 title. Another
welcome addition to the driver ranks that year was Brian
Redman, who would become one of the formula’s exponents in the newt few
years. An interesting event was the “hors concours” participation of the
Lotus Turbine 56B at Hockenheim, driven to 2nd by Emerson
Fittipaldi.
Dutchman
Gijs Van Lennep won the
1972 title in a Surtees, even though he won only two races and both Brian Redman
and Graham McRae proved faster. The pattern continued: short races, a few
drivers with star quality, with many ill prepared grid fillers, many cars
failing to start, and little internationality.
Some of
the more talented drivers, such as Brian Redman and Jody
Scheckter, preferred to contest the U.S. series in 1973, which, although
featuring fewer races, was better promoted and definitely more professional. The
Belgian VDS team emerged as one of the best in 1973, and won the title with Teddy
Pillete. In addition to Teddy, Peter Gethin also raced for VDS. The same
Gethin also won the only major mixed F1/F5000 race, aboard a F5000 machine, in
the then traditional European Formula 1 season debut race, the Race of Champions
in Brands Hatch.
By 1974,
things were getting tougher for motorsport in general, specially in England, so
it was no surprise that the Formula 5000 championship was poorly supported. Bob
Evans emerged a worthy champion, earning enough exposure to be hired by a
Formula 1 team, for 1975, BRM.
The last
bona fide European Formula 5000 championship took place in 1975, and Teddy
Pillette emerged the winner again. Later in the season, the fields were very
thin, and many cars were failing to start, due to the poor standard of
preparation. It became obvious that something had to change, for filling a grid
with raceworthy Formula 5000 machines was becoming very difficult, if not
impossible. As a result the 3.4 Ford Cosworth GAA powerplant was already being
used by some drivers in 1975, Alan
Jones winning races with it. Perhaps very fittingly, Peter Gethin won the
last European Formula 5000 Championship race ever, in Brands Hatch, driving a
VDS Lola.
In 1976
the Formula 5000 championship became a Formule Libre championship, the
Shellsport championship, which accepted Formula 1, Formula 5000, Formula 2 and
even Formula Atlantic entries. The uncompetitiveness of the few remaining
Formula 5000 cars was obvious, as many Formula 2 cars were much faster, in spite
of the great power differential. The Formula 5000s would be allowed until 1977,
and thereafter, the championship was open only to Formula 1 and Formula 2 cars,
being renamed Aurora Championship. It would not last long, as well.
In the
USA, Formula 5000 would enjoy another year, in 1976, and for 1977 the cars would
be transformed into fendered, sports car bodied racers, to be run in a revived
Can Am series, while Formula 5000 would resist in Australia/New Zealand until
1982.
Among
the noteworthy drivers who raced in this championship were: Peter Gethin, Trevor
Taylor, Alan Jones, Jody Scheckter, Andrea de Adamich, Derek
Bell, Brian Redman, Gijs van Lennep, Reine Wissel, Bob Evans, Chris
Amon, Frank Gardner, Keith Holland, Teddy Pilette, Clay
Regazzoni, Arie Luyendyk, Mike Hailwood, David
Hobbs, Lella Lombardi,
Graham McRae, Ulf Norinder, Morris Nunn (of Ensign fame), Gordon Spice, Tom
Belso, Damien Magee, David
Purley, Ian Ashley, Tony
Trimmer, Ingo Hoffmann, Brett
Lunger, John Watson, Guy
Edwards, Vern Schuppan,
Eddie Keizan, Tom Walkinshaw,
Dave Walker., Mike
Wilds, Richard Scott, Boy
Hayje, Paul Hawkins, Tony Dean, Chris
Craft, David Prophet
Races
for the championship were run in: England, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland,
Denmark, Belgium, Sweden