17-9-74 F5000 comes of In its four years of history in Europe, the Tasman-style formula, Formula 5000, with its use of 5-litre stockblock V8 engines, , has seemed the right formula for close, exciting, and relatively inexpensire racing. But somehow, it never quite seemed to «click." Then last year everything came right, and the 31-year-old Belgian driver Teddy Pilette WOn the European championship, in Chevron B24, after a battle as close as it bad - 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. Ace-O.S.C.A. One of the features at Wigram will be the Ace- O.S.C.A. saloon race, the fourth round in the South Island series, and possibly - because of the fuel crisis : - the second-last round as well. The series is led by Kevin Haig (Mustang) with 24 points to the 10 of Tre+ VOI Crowe (Corolla Chevrolet), and the nine of Graham Baker (P.D.L. Mus+ tang). The series began as the O.S.C.A. series in the 1971- 72 series, with R. McPhail, the Open Saloon Car Association's president, putting up the money himself to get the series under way. At the end of the season, E. W. Pidgeon and Company of Christchurch, mar keters of Ace products, took ap the sponsorship, and the series became the Ace-O.S.C.A. series. It has gone from strength to strength, offering exciting and competitive racing at a realistic price to competitors. The formula had come of out on the title by just one age. placing in the final race. In winning the European Keith Holland of Britain title, Pilette — now here to was third, with 116 points, contest the New Zealand Grand Prix at Wigram, and and another Stuyvesant the Stuyvesant $100,000 series contender, Steve series in New Zealand and Thompson, finished fifth in Australia - took his Team the series. VDS car to two wins, three Why did the formula seconds, two thirds, and a suddenly "come right"? Acfourth for a total of 136 cording to the experts, bepoints. cause there were at last sui- Tony Dean, of England, ficient really competitive drivers who were capable was second in the series of racing a big F5000 car with 133 points, missing rather than just driving it. Modern racing cars are a tight fit: Walker is assisted to "put his car on" at Levin. age As a result of the Lore mula'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 For* mula 1. Among the others who won in Europe last year were two other drivers taking part in the Stuyvesant senes and the Wigram race: the British driver Peter Gethin, and the New Zealander, Graham McRae. Among the cars, Chevron five vicand Trojan took tories each, Lola four, and McRae one. March Engineering did not contest the series seriously, Surtees appeared, Trojan built their own cars instead of mass-producing McLatens for customers, and the most noted "special was the Begg FM5 of another Stuyvesant contender, New Zealand's David Oxton. In the early stages F5000, 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 F5000 car was made to nandie ana was proper-s developed, it would be taster than & Formula 1 car. Suffice to say that in the Race of Champions Brands Hatch in March last year, Peter Gethin beat the Formula 1 field his Chevron. Instead of being at the tail of the field in the combined Fi and F5000 race at Silverstone a few weeks later, the 5-litre cars were again among the leaders. Graham McRae, 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. McRae hopes to get back on top again in 1974, erasing his lowly image of last year when managed only one win, and finished fourteenth in the Rothmans championship. Although the Australian to the line by MeCully, Johnnie Walker is Australia's "dark horse" for the Stuyvesant $100,000 series. He could be the surprise of the series in his Repco-engined Lola 1330, which he brought back from his first tilt at the rich United States Formula 5000 championship last year. He nearly won the Australian drivers" missing out on the opening championship, in spite round when the Lola failed to arrive in time. Walker was runner-up to John McCormack, who beat him by a mere three pomts. walker, 2o, trom Ade- driver, John Walker, took his Lola T330 to victory at Levin, he was snadowed mainly visible here by the «P.D.L." team sticker visible immediately behind Walker's car. GP's, besides being eighth outright and third in his class in the Japanese GP. J. Walker Elfin-Repco. 5000 racing in 1972, in an He broke into Formula Frank Matich laide, is virtually unknown Ford Consul-engined sports took Walker under his in New • Zealand. He has car, followed by an MGA, wing later that year, gett never raced here and could an Elfin Catalina sports ting him into a Repco-Matnot secure a contract for and then his first real rac- ich and generally teaching the previous series. But ing car, an Elfin Mono. him some of the finer two fourth places and This soon gave way to points of Formula 5000 fifth in the Australian two of the more advanced Iacing. races soon made the Elfin 600 Formula 2 cars, Walker proved an adept promoters take notice. in which he won the Vic- pupil, and set out for the Walker has been knock- torian, South Australian United States last year. He ing at the door of major and West Australian road was fourth outright in his success in Australia for racing championships, first start there. Other some time. He started rac- big 14 litre racing car placings in the three other ing in an old model Holden series in Melbourne and races he contested enabied when he was only 17. He second places in the Sing- him to cover the expenses progressed to a self built apore and Kuala Lumpur of the trip.