Australian Formula 1 | |
---|---|
Motor racing formula | |
Category | Open wheel car |
Country or region | Australia |
Championships | Australian Drivers' Championship |
Inaugural season | 1970 |
Status | Defunct |
Folded | 1983 |
Australian Formula 1 (AF1) was a motor sport category for open-wheeler racing cars which was current in Australia from 1970 to 1983.
AF1 was introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1970, initially restricting cars to non-supercharged engines of no greater than 2.5-litre capacity, running on commercial fuel. [1] AF1 was essentially a new name for the Australian National Formula which had been Australia’s premier racing category from 1964 [2] to 1969. [3]
Effective 23 February 1971, AF1 was changed to a two-part formula catering for racing cars fitted with 5.0-litre production based pushrod V8 engines (internationally known as Formula 5000 cars) and those fitted with less-restricted non-supercharged engines of eight or fewer cylinders and no more than 2-litre capacity. [4] The smaller engine option was discontinued after 1976. [5] [6] The main engines used were Chevrolet and Repco-Holden V8 s, though occasionally a Ford V8 was seen in action without success.
In March 1979, Formula Pacific cars (using 1.6-litre production-based four-cylinder engines) became eligible for Australian Formula 1 alongside the existing 5.0-litre cars [7] and 1980 saw the addition of 3.0-litre FIA Formula One cars to the mix. [8] For 1982, Australian Formula 1 was restricted to Formula Pacific cars only. [9] In 1983 CAMS adopted Formula Mondial as the new Australian Formula 1 but allowed cars complying with Formula Pacific to compete alongside the new cars for that year. [10] (Formula Mondial was an FIA approved international formula very similar to Formula Pacific but with cars restricted to using the 1.6-litre Ford Cosworth BDA four-cylinder engine. [11] ) For 1984 CAMS changed the category name from “Australian Formula 1” to “Formula Mondial”. [12]
The Australian Drivers' Championship (for the CAMS Gold Star award) was open to drivers of AF1 cars throughout the life of the formula, i.e. from 1970 to 1983. During those years the term Australian Formula 1 Championship was often used in lieu of Australian Drivers Championship [13] however the latter is used by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in its official records of the championship. [14]
The Australian Grand Prix was contested by AF1 cars during the years 1970 to 1983 inclusive, although the 1970 event also permitted Formula 5000 cars and the 1981 race was restricted to cars complying with the Formula Pacific section of AF1. [15]
Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industries. Cosworth is based in Northampton, England, with facilities in Cottenham, England, Silverstone, England, and Indianapolis, IN, US.
Formula Two is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name returned again in 2017 when the former GP2 Series became known as the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers.
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Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retailer company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and was for many years known for reconditioning engines and for specialised manufacturing, for which it gained a high reputation. It is now best known as a retailer of spare parts and motor accessories.
Peter Westbury was a British racing driver from England. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, scoring no championship points. In 1969 he raced a Formula 2 Brabham-Cosworth, driving in his first Grand Prix in the 1969 German Grand Prix. He finished ninth on the road, fifth in the F2 class. The following year he failed to qualify for the 1970 United States Grand Prix driving a works BRM, after an engine failure.
Australian Formula 2, sometimes abbreviated to AF2 or ANF2, is a "wings and slicks" formula racing category in Australia. The category is one of Australia's oldest, dating back to 1964. The current format of AF2 was introduced in 1978. Brian Shead of Cheetah Racing Cars and Garrie Cooper of Elfin Sports Cars were largely responsible for the development of the format, which was devised to suit the needs of Australian drivers, most of whom had little or no sponsorship and had to bear the costs of racing out of their own pockets.
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The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category. This category was determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport until 2023. From 2024 the championship is contested by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Australian Auto Sport Alliance. Each year, the winner is awarded a Gold Star - from 1957 - 2023 the CAMS Gold Star and from 2024 the AASA Gold Star.
The Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars.
Australian Formula 3 has been the name applied to two distinctly different motor racing categories, separated by over twenty years.
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The 1986 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned Australian motor racing title for Formula Mondial racing cars. It was the 30th Australian Drivers' Championship. The championship winner was awarded the 1986 CAMS Gold Star.
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Formula Mondial was an international motor racing category which was introduced to replace both Formula Atlantic and the similar Formula Pacific in 1983.
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The 1971 Australian Drivers’ Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Australian Formula 1 and Australian Formula 2 racing cars. It was the fifteenth Australian Drivers' Championship and the first to feature cars complying with a new for 1971 Australian Formula 1 which permitted cars with production based V8 engines of up to 5 litre capacity or racing engines of up to eight cylinders and up to 2 litre capacity. The championship winner was awarded the 1971 CAMS Gold Star and the title of Australian Champion Driver.
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Formula 4 Australian Championship Certified by FIA is an Australian motor racing series for open-wheel cars complying with FIA Formula 4 regulations. The inaugural championship, known as the CAMS Jayco Australian Formula 4 Championship, was organised from 2015 to 2019. The series was revived by a new promoter in 2024.