The European Formula 5000 Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars held annually from 1969 to 1975. [1] It was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club with each championship also including rounds held at European circuits. [2]
The championship was first run in 1969 as the Guards Formula 5000 Championship. [1] Various sponsorship and name changes followed, with the series run as the Guards European Formula 5000 Championship in 1970, [1] the Rothmans F5000 European Championship in 1971 [3] [4] [5] and 1972, [6] [7] [8] the Rothmans 5000 European Championship in 1973 [9] [10] [11] and 1974 [12] [13] [14] and finally as the ShellSport 5000 European Championship in 1975. [15] [16] [17]
The series was replaced by the Shellsport International Series in 1976 [18] with Formula One, Formula Two and Formula Atlantic cars also eligible to compete. [2]
Year | Championship | Winning driver | Car |
1969 | Guards Formula 5000 Championship | McLaren M10A Chevrolet | |
1970 | Guards European Formula 5000 Championship | McLaren M10B Chevrolet | |
1971 | Rothmans F5000 European Championship | Lola T192 Chevrolet Lola T300 Chevrolet | |
1972 | Rothmans F5000 European Championship | Surtees TS11 Chevrolet McLaren M18 Chevrolet | |
1973 | Rothmans 5000 European Championship | McLaren M18 Chevrolet Chevron B24 Chevrolet | |
1974 | Rothmans 5000 European Championship | Lola T332 Chevrolet | |
1975 | ShellSPORT 5000 European Championship | Lola T400 Chevrolet |
The Surtees Racing Organisation was a race team that spent nine seasons as a constructor in Formula One, Formula 2, and Formula 5000.
Emilio de Villota Ruíz is a former racing driver from Spain, born in Madrid. He entered 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix between 1976 and 1982, qualifying twice. He entered most Spanish Grand Prix between 1976 and 1982 and became a major force in the short-lived Aurora AFX Formula One Championship for F1 cars, winning the title in 1980.
Graham McRae is a former racing driver from New Zealand. He achieved considerable success in Formula 5000 racing, winning the Tasman Series each year from 1971 to 1973, and also the 1972 L&M Continental 5000 Championship in the United States.
Connew Racing Team, commonly known as Connew, was a short lived British Formula One constructor. Founded in 1971 by Peter Connew, the team constructed a single car, the PC1. The first monococque had to be aborted due to a change in regulations and the second tub was known as PC2. However, record books show the car driven by Migault and others as PC1. The intent was to compete in the Formula One World Championship in 1972, but a lack of financial and technical resources meant that the car only managed to start in one championship race, the 1972 Austrian Grand Prix, with French driver François Migault at the wheel. Following the Austrian race, the car competed in a handful of non-championship races before being converted to meet Formula 5000 specifications for the 1973 season. The chassis was damaged beyond repair during the season finale at Brands Hatch and the team closed.
John Cannon was a sports car racer, who competed under the banner of Canada, though he was born in London, U.K.. He raced in the USRRC series, the CanAm Series and the L&M Continental Series.
Tom Belsø was a motor racing driver, credited as the first Formula One driver from Denmark.
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.
David Walker is an Australian former racing driver who drove for Lotus in the 1971 and 1972 Formula One World Championships.
Oulton Park Circuit is a motor racing track close to the village of Little Budworth, Cheshire, England. It is about 5 miles (8 km) from Winsford, 13 miles (21 km) from Chester city centre, 8 miles (13 km) from Northwich and 17 miles (27 km) from Warrington, with a nearby rail connection along the Mid-Cheshire Line. It occupies much of the area which was previously known as the Oulton Estate. The racing circuit is owned and operated by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation.
Mallory Park is a motor racing circuit situated in the village of Kirkby Mallory, just off the A47, between Leicester and Hinckley, in central England. Originally used for grass-track until 1955, a new, basically oval hard-surfaced course was constructed for 1956, with a later extension forming a loop with a hairpin bend.
Formula Ford 1600 is a number of championships which cater to 1600cc, Ford Kent powered Formula Ford racing cars. These are cars that were disbanded when the UK national Formula Ford category adopted the 1800cc Zetec engines in 1993. However, has been running as several regional club championships ever since and has recently enjoyed renewed success. Several cars constructed to Zetec rules have been converted to accept a Kent engine, as well as the Duratec powered cars that followed. There have also been several recent purpose-built kent cars which have enjoyed successes.
The 1977 Shellsport International Series was a Formula Libre motor racing championship held in the United Kingdom, the series ran F1, F2, F5000 and Formula Atlantic cars in the same race. The second Shellsport International Series was contested over 14 rounds. The season started on 13 March and ended on 16 October. The Drivers' Championship was won by Englishman Tony Trimmer. The season was marred by the death of Brian McGuire due a practice session for round 11 at Brands Hatch. It was the last season of the Shellsport International Series. For 1978, the series would become the British Formula One series.
Ian Grob is a former English racing driver. His father, Ken Grob, of Token Racing fame, ran his cars, which allowed Ian his opportunity to race. He raced in a number of events, including European Formula 2 and Le Mans 24 Hours. He retired from international motor sport after his last race, 1980 24 Hours of Daytona.
The 1971 Rothmans F5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars. The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club but also included European rounds. It was the third of seven annual European Formula 5000 Championships to be contested between 1969 and 1975, and the first to carry the Rothmans F5000 European Championship name. The championship was won by Frank Gardner, driving a Lola T192 and a Lola T300.
The 1972 Rothmans F5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars. The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club but also included rounds in Belgium and Ireland. It was the fourth European Formula 5000 Championship, and the second to be contested under the Rothmans F5000 European Championship name. The championship was won by Gijs van Lennep, driving a Surtees TS11 and a McLaren M18.
The 1973 Rothmans 5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars. The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club but also incorporated European rounds. It was the fifth in an annual sequence of European Formula 5000 Championships, and the first to be contested as the Rothmans 5000 European Championship. The 1973 championship was won by Teddy Pilette, driving a McLaren M18 and a Chevron B24.
The 1974 Rothmans 5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars. The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club, but also incorporated European rounds. It was the sixth in a sequence of annual European Formula 5000 Championships, and the second to be contested as the Rothmans 5000 European Championship. The 1974 championship was won by Bob Evans, driving a Lola T332.
The 1975 ShellSPORT 5000 European Championship was a motor racing series for Formula 5000 cars. The series was organized in the United Kingdom by the British Racing and Sports Car Club, but also incorporated European rounds. It was the seventh and last in a sequence of annual European Formula 5000 Championships, and the first to be contested as the ShellSPORT 5000 European Championship. The 1975 championship was won by Teddy Pilette, driving a Lola T400.
Anthony Gordon Dean was a British racing driver from England who competed in sports car racing, touring car racing, the Can-Am series and various single seat formulae, including non-championship Formula One, in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He is known for winning a round of the Can-Am championship in 1970 as a privateer entrant.
Keith Holland is a British former racing driver from England who competed in various classes of racing in the 1960s and 1970s. He is known for winning the 1969 Madrid Grand Prix in a Formula 5000 car in a field which contained several Formula One entries. He was also a regular competitor in the British Formula 5000 Championship finishing third in the title standings on two occasions.