F5000 comes of age

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33435, 17 January 1974, Page 10

F5000 comes of age

In its four years of history in Europe, the Tasman-style formula, Formula 5000, with its use of 5-litre stockblock V 8 engines, has seemed the right formula for close, exciting, and relatively inexpensive racing. But somehow, it never quite seemed to “click.”

Then last year evervthing came right, and the 31-year-old Belgian driver Teddy Pilette won the European championship, in a Chevron 824, after a battle as close as it had been in Formula 1. More than that, In at least two major meetings Formula 5000 cars and drivers showed they had at last achieved the pace to stay with, and even beat, Formula 1 machinery.

The formula had come of age. In winning the European title, Pilette — now here to contest the New Zealand Grand Prix at Wigram, and the Stuyvesant $lOO,OOO series in New Zealand and Australia — took his Team VDS car to two wins, three seconds, two thirds, and a fourth for a total of 136 points. Tony Dean, of England, was second in the series with 133 points, missing

out on the title by just one placing in the final race.

Keith Holland of Britain was third, with 116 points, and another Stuyvesant series contender, Steve Thompson, finished fifth in the series.

Why did the formula suddenly “come right”? According to the experts, because there were at last sufficient really competitive drivers who were capable of racing a big F5OOO car rather than just driving it.

As a result of the formula’s success last year, this year’s European season will comprise a full 24 races, and the formula is expected to replace Formula 2 in Europe as the premier formula after Formula 1.

Among the others who won in Europe last year were two other drivers taking part in the Stuyvesant series and the Wigram race: the British driver Peter Gethin, and the New Zealander, Graham Mcßae. Among the cars, Chevron and Trojan took five victories each, Lola four, and Mcßae one. March Engineering did not contest the series seriously, no new Surtees appeared, Trojan built their own cars instead of mass-producing McLarens for customers, and the most noted “special” was the Begg FMS of another Stuyvesant contender, New Zealand’s David Oxton.

In the early stages of F5OOO, the cars were lumbering beasts with the horsepower to match Grand Prix cars, but lacking the handling. Denny Hulme said in 1972 that if ever a F5OOO car was made to handle and was properly developed, it would be faster than a Formula 1 car. Suffice to say that in the Race of Champions at Brands Hatch in March last year, Peter Gethin beat the Formula 1 field in his Chevron. Instead of being at the tail of the field in the combined Fl and F5OOO race at Silverstone a few weeks later, the 5-litre cars were again among the leaders.

Graham Mcßae, three times Tasman champion, and reigning champion of the series in the United States, had a bad season in 1973 mainly because of his over-involvement in international racing. Mcßae hopes to get back on top again in 1974, erasing his lowly image of last year when he managed only one win, and finished fourteenth in the Rothmans championship.