Australian S5000 (modern take on Formula 5000)

[FourWheelDrift]

Can't keep the Aussies away from big V8 powered race cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBdmctQRb-s

Rubens Barrichello has been trying one out at Philip Island.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VEYd2LVsH4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6mbsVS4IUw

Take that F1 and your quiet hybrids.

[FourWheelDrift]

Start of first race - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlzf-Opnpzg

Oh Rubens......

[Smollet]

I do hope this catches on elsewhere. I remember F5000 and was at Brands in ‘73 when Peter Gethin driving a Chevron won the RoC that included current F1 cars.

[HustleRussell]

Surprised there hasn't been more conversation on this.

The parallels between S5000 and F5000 are easy to make. In both instances a significant number of people decided that F1 was disappearing up its own arse with ever more sophisticated cars and that a much simpler formula could deliver similar or better entertainment.

Perhaps the case for an alternative V8-powered series is even stronger now that the entire F1 field is powered by exceptionally polite 1,600cc turbo hybrid engines.

I was not around when F5000 was, however I have stood in a garage while Frank Lyons warmed up the 5,000cc engine in his 1974 Gurney Eagle F5000 and the sound was thrilling.

By comparison the S5000 grid is just noise.

Surely they could've made the S5000 cars lighter than they are, too?

I'm kind of glad somebody's doing it, and I realise it is only a national effort at this point, however the original F5000 series made a much more convincing attempt at usurping F1 than S5000 appears to have done.

[FourWheelDrift]

Mark Webber, Jenson Button and Gil de Ferran have already been in contact with Rubens about the racing. I think if one or two of them also joined in it would increase the interest and publicity.

[Kraken]

HustleRussell said:

I'm kind of glad somebody's doing it, and I realise it is only a national effort at this point, however the original F5000 series made a much more convincing attempt at usurping F1 than S5000 appears to have done.

Maybe because usurping F1 isn't the intention of the series?

[andy97]

There was a proposal 20 years ago (?) for a sort of UK F5000 series using F3000 chassis and a TVR AJP8 engine (4 litre?).

A car was built and tested but it went no further.

The Australians also had F4000 or FHolden a while ago, again with F3000 chassis mated to Holden 4 litre V8 engines, so not a massively new idea. Hope it works out for them and gets exported!

[coppice]

I attended many F5000 races in period and I would pay good money to see the faces of younger spectators more used to the thrills of spec Ginetta races or (yaaawn ) F4 if they encountered a field of these brutes in 2019 .

Like many single seater formulae (but not FF1600/2000 !) overtaking wasn't common in F5000 but the spectacle of these brutes , in speed and THAT NOISE made up for that. Best memory was a full grid at Mallory Park - so a lap every 40 seconds - and no escape from the thunder . . At the hairpin..wow ..locked brakes , big sideways stuff and wheel spin galore - it was bloody brilliant.