The 1972 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula. [1] The series, which began on 8 January and ended on 27 February after eight races, [2] was the ninth annual Tasman Series. [3] It was won by Graham McRae of New Zealand, driving a Leda GM1 Chevrolet. [4]
Additional information sourced from: [5]
| Round | Name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Winning car | Winning team | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 1 | New Zealand Grand Prix | Pukekohe | 8 January |  Frank Gardner | Lola T300 Chevrolet | Lola Cars Limited | Report |
| 2 | Levin International | Levin | 15 January |  Graham McRae | Leda GM1 Chevrolet | Crown Lynn | Report | |
| 3 | Lady Wigram Trophy | Wigram | 22 January | Graham McRae | Leda GM1 Chevrolet | Grid International (NZ) Ltd [2] | Report | |
| 4 | Winfield Teretonga International [6] | Teretonga | 30 January | Kevin Bartlett | McLaren M10B Chevrolet | Kevin Bartlett Shell Racing | Report | |
| Australia | 5 | Rothmans 100 [2] | Surfers Paradise | 6 February | Graham McRae | Leda GM1 Chevrolet | Grid International (NZ) Ltd | Report |
| 6 | Rothmans 100 [2] | Warwick Farm | 13 February | Frank Matich | Matich A50 Repco Holden | Frank Matich Racing Pty Ltd | Report | |
| 7 | Australian Grand Prix | Sandown | 20 February | Graham McRae | Leda GM1 Chevrolet | Grid International (NZ) Ltd | Report | |
| 8 | Rothmans 100 [1] | Adelaide | 27 February |  David Hobbs | McLaren M22 Chevrolet | Hobbs Racing London | Report | |
Series points were awarded at each round on the following basis. [7]
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
All scores from all rounds were counted. [4]
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Graham Peter McRae was a racing driver from New Zealand.
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula. The '5000' denomination comes from the maximum 5.0 litre engine capacity allowed in the cars, although many cars ran with smaller engines. Manufacturers included McLaren, Eagle, March, Lola, Lotus, Elfin, Matich and Chevron.
The Tasman Series was a motor racing competition held annually from 1964 to 1975 over a series of races in New Zealand and Australia. It was named after the Tasman Sea which lies between the two countries. The Tasman Series races were held in January through to late February or early March of each year, during the Formula One off season, taking advantage of winter in the Northern Hemisphere to attract many top drivers to summer in the south. The Tasman Cup was the permanent trophy awarded to the winning driver.
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The 1964 Tasman Series was an international motor racing series contested in New Zealand and Australia over eight races beginning on 4 January and ending on 2 March. It was the first Tasman Series. The series, which was officially known as the Tasman Championship for Drivers, was organised jointly by the Association of New Zealand Car Clubs Inc. and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport with the winning driver awarded the Tasman Cup. The championship was open to racing cars using unsupercharged engines of up to 2,500 c.c. capacity.
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The 1966 Tasman Championship for Drivers was a motor racing competition for racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The championship was jointly organised by the Association of New Zealand Car Clubs Inc. and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. It began on 8 January 1966 and ended on 7 March after eight races, four of which were staged in New Zealand and the remainder in Australia. The winning driver was declared Tasman Champion and was awarded the Tasman Cup.
The 1967 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition open to racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula. Officially known as the Tasman Championship for Drivers, it was organised by the Motorsport Association, New Zealand Inc. and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport and was contested over six races in New Zealand and Australia between 7 January and 6 March 1967.
Surfers Paradise International Raceway was a motor racing complex at Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The 3.219 km (2.000 mi) long circuit was designed and built by Keith Williams, a motor racing enthusiast who also designed and built the Adelaide International Raceway (AIR) in South Australia in 1972. It was located opposite the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens at Carrara.
The South Pacific Touring Series was an Australian Touring car racing series held annually from 1970 to 1975 during the month of February in conjunction with the Tasman Series for open-wheelers. Races counting towards the series were staged at Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Warwick Farm and Oran Park in Sydney, Sandown Park in Melbourne and, from 1972, at the Adelaide International Raceway in South Australia.
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The 1973 Sandown Park Cup was the seventh round of the 1973 Tasman Series. It was a Formula 5000 race held at Sandown International Raceway. It was held on 18 February on the same circuit that would in November be used for the 1973 Australian Grand Prix. New Zealander Graham McRae won the race and went on to win the Grand Prix as well.
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The 1969 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The series, which commenced on 4 January 1969 and ended on 16 February 1969 after seven rounds, was the sixth annual Tasman Series. It was won by Chris Amon, driving a Dino 246 Tasmania.
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The 1971 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The series, which began on 2 January and ended on 28 February after seven races, was the eighth annual Tasman Series. It was won by Graham McRae of New Zealand, driving a McLaren M10B Chevrolet.
The 1973 Tasman Series was a motor racing competition staged in New Zealand and Australia for cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The series, which began on 6 January and ended on 25 February after eight races, was the tenth Tasman Series. Officially known as the Tasman Championship for Drivers, it was organised jointly by the Motorsport Association New Zealand Incorporated and the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. The championship was won by Graham McRae, driving a McRae GM1 Chevrolet.
The 1974 Tasman Series was an international motor racing competition which commenced on 5 January and ended on 23 February 1974 after eight races. The championship, which was the eleventh Tasman Championship, was open to Racing cars complying with the Tasman Formula. The winner was awarded the Tasman Cup.
The 1975 Tasman Series,, was a motor racing competition open to Racing Cars complying with the Tasman Formula. Contested over eight rounds in New Zealand and Australia beginning on 5 January and ending on 23 February, it was the twelfth and final Tasman Series. The series was organised jointly by the Motorsport Association of New Zealand and the Confederation of Australian Motorsport and was promoted as the Peter Stuyvesant International Series for the 1975 Tasman Championship.
