| Formula Holden | |
|---|---|
| Motor racing formula | |
| Category | Open wheel car |
| Country or region | Australia New Zealand South-east Asia |
| Championships | Australian Drivers' Championship |
| Inaugural season | 1989 |
| Status | Defunct |
| Folded | 2007 |
Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category introduced in 1989.
Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine as it was then utilised in the new versions of the Holden Commodore (VN). Many of the engines used in the category were built by Perkins Engineering, who normally built Group A Holden Commodores and V8 race engines for privateer touring car teams, as well as company owner, multiple Bathurst 1000 winner and ex-Formula One driver Larry Perkins. Early in 1990, Perkins was reported as saying that his Formula Holden engines were putting out approximately 320 bhp (239 kW; 324 PS). To make the V6 engines suitable for racing (in the Commodore road cars the engines developed 221 bhp (165 kW; 224 PS)), a number of specialised parts were supplied by original series sponsor ACL (Automotive Components Limited).
Second-hand Formula 3000 chassis were targeted immediately as a cheap source of cars in addition to local constructors, and under CAMS rules, all cars had to be at least one year old. Formula Holden also used a Dunlop control tyre in its early years. For the 1992 season cars constructed from carbon fibre were allowed. In 2006 an engine upgrade was made available to the 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 engine, although take-up of the Alloytec V6 was far from universal. The engines were usually mounted in ex- Formula 3000 chassis, a large number of which were sourced from the Formula Nippon championship in Japan, but also included cars from other sources and a few specifically designed for the class, like the Australian designed Cheetah, Elfin, Spa (designed by F1 designer Gary Anderson), and the Shrike cars which were designed and built by technical students at the Croydon Park Institute of TAFE in Adelaide.
Formula Holden was in essence a budget form of Formula 3000, the main difference being the engines. As detailed, Formula Holden ran the 3.8 Litre Holden V6 engines. Formula 3000, as its name suggests, ran 3.0 Litre V8 engines including the Cosworth DFV and later the popular Mugen-Honda which were capable of producing over 500 bhp (373 kW; 507 PS). As a guide to the speed difference between the two categories, television commentator and Formula Holden race driver Neil Crompton tested a Mugen powered Dome Japanese F3000 car at the Phillip Island Circuit in early 1990. The Dome (driven by regular drivers Ross Cheever and Thomas Danielsson) lapped the 4.445 km (2.762 mi) circuit in approximately 1:18 while two months later for the opening round of the 1990 Australian Drivers' Championship, the fastest Formula Holden qualifier was the Ralt RT21 of Simon Kane who qualified in 1:26.97. The Holden V6 engines reportedly had similar torque figures to the F3000 V8's, though they had around 180 bhp (134 kW; 182 PS) less than the V8's which saw the Australian cars have much less top speed. [1] [2]
From its inception in 1989 until 2004 the formula was used to determine the winner of the Australian Drivers' Championship for the CAMS Gold Star, replacing Formula 2 which had been the Gold Star category in 1987 and 1988. From 2005 this title was moved to the Australian Formula 3 Championship.
The first ever Formula Holden race was held at the Mallala Motor Sport Park in South Australia. Mark McLaughlin driving an Elfin FA891, designed and built at the Elfin factory in nearby Adelaide, won the opening race from former dual Australian Formula 2 champion Peter Glover in an Australian designed Cheetah Mk.9 with television commentator turned race driver Neil Crompton third in his Ralt RT21. During the race, television broadcaster Channel 7 claimed that a Formula Holden engine would cost approximately A$9,700. [3]
From 1991 to 1995 the category was officially known as Formula Brabham [4] in honour of Australia's first ever Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, the only person in history to win the World Championship in a car of his own design in 1966. Sir Jack acted as the category patron for five seasons. In 1996 the name reverted to Formula Holden [4] and from the 2003 season the category was officially called "Formula 4000 powered by Holden".
The formula was also used for a 1993 Pan-Pacific series, several New Zealand Grands Prix, and Tasman Cup (Australia versus New Zealand) summer series. It was also proposed to be used for an Asian series based in China. With numbers dropping, largely thanks to the rise of V8 Supercars which all but monopolised big dollar sponsors and television coverage, and the increasing prominence of Formula 3, the class was dropped by the CAMS sanctioning body after the 2005 season. In 2006, the category was run as part of the Australian Motor Racing Series under the sanctioning of the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) and at times the regular Formula 4000 field was complemented by vehicles competing in the new Oz BOSS category for open wheel racing cars. In 2007 numbers had dropped to the point they could no longer form races by themselves and were amalgamated into the OzBOSS category. As part of this amalgamation, the cars themselves were re-badged again as Formula 3000V6.
The drivers in the series in the 2000s were a mix of older drivers who owned their own cars, or very young Oceanic or South Asian drivers looking to make a name for themselves on the international scene. Although technically using cars just a step below Formula One, the lack of competition in the series means that drivers tended to progress from Formula 4000 to a minor series in Europe (Will Power - British Formula 3) or North America (Scott Dixon - Indy Lights). Alternatively drivers moved to any of the Australian sedan based championships such as Supercars or Australian GT.
From 1 January 2012, Formula Holden cars with a competition history established prior to 31 December 1991 are eligible to compete in Group R "Historic Racing & Sports Racing Cars (post-1977)". [5] However, cars constructed with a full carbon tub are specifically excluded from this Group. [5]
Cheetah Mk.9, Dome F102, Elfin FA891, Hocking 901, Hocking 911, Liston BF3, Lola T87/50, Lola T91/50, Lola T93/50, March 87B, Ralt RT4, Ralt RT20, Ralt RT21, Ralt RT23, Reynard 89D, Reynard 90D, Reynard 91D, Reynard 92D, Reynard 93D, Reynard 94D, Reynard 95D, Reynard 96D, Reynard 97D, Reynard 98D, Shrike NB89H, SPA 001, SPA 002, SPA 003
Despite Formula Holden not being raced competitively in Australia since 2007, the class still holds the outright lap records at a number of Australian and New Zealand race circuits. As of May 2016 the list is: [6]
* Circuit closed
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter Formula One. Formula Two had become too expensive, and was dominated by works-run cars with factory engines; the hope was that Formula 3000 would offer quicker, cheaper, more open racing. The series began as an open specification, then tyres were standardized from 1986 onwards, followed by engines and chassis in 1996. The series ran annually until 2004, and was replaced in 2005 by the GP2 Series.
Repco is an Australian automotive engineering/retailer company. Its name is an abbreviation of Replacement Parts Company and it is best known for spare parts and motor accessories.
Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under the Ralt name. Tauranac won the 1954 NSW Hillclimb Championship in the Ralt 500.
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John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a Holden Torana in the Touring Car Masters series.
The Australian Drivers' Championship was a motor racing championship contested annually from 1957 to 2014 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. From 2005 to 2014 this category was Formula 3 and the championship was promoted as the Formula 3 Australian Drivers' Championship. Each year, the winner was awarded the CAMS Gold Star. The title was revived in 2021 for the new S5000 category.
The 1980 Australian Grand Prix was a motor race held at Calder Park Raceway in Victoria, Australia on 16 November 1980.
The 1999 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to drivers of Formula Holden racing cars. The winner of the championship, which was the 43rd Australian Drivers' Championship, was awarded the 1999 CAMS Gold Star. Due to a sponsorship arrangement with Holden, the championship was promoted as the "Holden Australian Drivers' Championship".
The 1984 Australian Sports Car Championship was an Australian motor racing title open to Sports Cars complying with CAMS Group A regulations. It was the 16th Australian Sports Car Championship.
The 1988 Australian Touring Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title for drivers of Group 3A Touring Cars. It was the 29th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. The championship began on 6 March at Calder Park Raceway and ended on 17 July at Oran Park Raceway after nine rounds.
The 1993 Indonesian Grand Prix was a Formula Brabham race held on August 21–22, 1993 at the Sentul International Circuit near Citeureup, Indonesia. It was the first round of a two event Pan-Pacific series for the Australian-based Formula Brabham category.
The Australian Motor Racing Series is a collection of national motor racing series travelling to a series of circuits across Australia under a single banner. These race meetings represent the banner race meetings for the Australian Auto Sport Alliance who sanction the series through circuits aligned to the AASA. The series has since collapsed due to poor entry numbers.
The 1989 Australian Drivers' Championship was an Australian motor racing competition open to racing cars complying with CAMS Formula Holden regulations. The championship winner was awarded the 1989 CAMS Gold Star as the Australian Drivers' Champion. It was the 33rd running of the Australian Drivers' Championship and the first to feature the Formula Holden class which had been developed during 1988, originally named Formula Australia.
Shrike is a racing car developed in Australia by the students of the Croydon Park Institute of TAFE in Adelaide in 1988 and 1989. It was developed for the then new Formula Holden category which mandated an aluminium tub monocoque, powered by a Buick sourced 3.8 litre Holden V6 engine, as used in the Holden VN Commodore at that time. The car proved to be instantly competitive in the Australian Drivers' Championship against designs from Elfin, Cheetah, and imported Formula 3000 chassis such as Ralt and Reynard.
The 1994 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing competition open to drivers of racing cars complying with CAMS Formula Brabham regulations. The championship winner was awarded the 1994 CAMS Gold Star as the Australian Champion Driver. It was the 38th running of the Australian Drivers' Championship and the sixth to feature the Formula Holden / Formula Brabham category which had been developed during 1988. The championship began on 17 April 1994 at Eastern Creek Raceway and ended on 28 August at Oran Park Raceway after six rounds.
The 1996 Australian Drivers' Championship was a motor racing competition open to drivers of racing cars complying with CAMS Formula Holden regulations. The championship winner was awarded the 1996 CAMS Gold Star as the Australian Drivers' Champion. It was the 40th running of the Australian Drivers' Championship and the eighth to feature the Formula Holden category. The championship began on 8 March 1996 at the Albert Park Street Circuit and ended on 2 June at Mallala Motor Sport Park after eight races held over four rounds.
The 1997 Australian Drivers' Championship was a motor racing competition open to drivers of racing cars complying with CAMS Formula Holden regulations. The championship winner was awarded the 1997 CAMS Gold Star as the Australian Drivers' Champion. It was the 41st running of the Australian Drivers' Championship, and the ninth to feature the Formula Holden category which had been developed during 1988. The championship began on 15 March 1997 at the Calder Park Raceway and ended on 3 August at Oran Park Raceway after seven rounds of a series which was promoted as the "Holden Australian Drivers Championship".
The 2001 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of cars conforming to Formula Holden regulations, with the winner awarded the 2001 CAMS Gold Star. This, the 45th Australian Drivers' Championship, was promoted as the 2001 Holden Australian Drivers' Championship.
The 1988 Australian Drivers' Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title which was awarded to the winner of the 1988 Australian Formula 2 Championship. The winning driver received the 1988 CAMS Gold Star and is recognised by CAMS as the winner of both the 43rd Australian Drivers' Championship and the 21st Australian Formula 2 Championship. 1988 was the second and last year in which the Australian Drivers' Championship was contested by Australian Formula 2 cars, this being an interim arrangement between the demise of Formula Mondial in Australia at the end of 1986 and the introduction of Formula Holden in 1989.
Birrana was the name of two motor racing organisations, both associated with South Australian racing driver and engineer Malcolm Ramsay. From 1971 to 1978 Birrana constructed a series of successful open-wheel racing cars as well as a Holden V8 touring car. Ramsay brought the Birrana name back to motor racing in the 1990s running a series of Reynard Motorsport built Formula 3000 chassis in the Australian Drivers' Championship. Birrana came to dominate the championship winning titles with Jason Bright, Paul Stokell, Rick Kelly and Simon Wills as well as giving Mark Webber his first racing experience of wings and slicks open-wheeler racing. As Formula Holden started to wither, Birrana moved into V8 Supercar with Wills. Ramsay reduced his involvement as the team morphed into Team Dynamik. Today Ramsay continues the Birrana name as a mechanical engineering firm servicing the mining industry.
