Matra and McLaren V12s square up to F5000 Brawn
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
Nine screaming V12-Engined cars, including David Coplowe’s ex-Jean-Pierre Beltoise Matra MS120B, are among 20 three-litre Formula One machines which should race head-to-head with a Formula 5000 revival and lift The Force’s fledgling Classic Grand Prix series for pre-1972 ears in its second season.
Having sold his Thoroughbred GP-contending Lotus 87B (to Coplowe), Graham Willcox’s has acquired the unique ex-Denny Hulme McLaren MI4 to run, while intrepid Formula 5000 converts Frank Lyons and John Bladon are restoring a brace of Surtees TS9s to join the headline Cosworth DFV-powered class.
Pre-’72 carburetted Formula 5000s set to appear include James Denty’s Lotus 70 ‘wedge’, and Lolas fix Nick Shrigley-Feigl (T192) and Josephine Sebastian (T300). Fittingly, since Peter Gethin dominated initially in Church Farm Racing’s McLaren M10B, one of the Coke bottle-sided designs has been recommissioned by TGP Williams racer Richard Eyre.
A super five-event calendar kicks off at Nogaro, in the south of France, on April 1-2, and the COPE Data Management Consultants-backed series is also slated to visit Brands Hatch, Austria’s Al-Ring, Zolder in Belgium and Most in the Czech Republic. “With over 60 competitors expected to register, I anticipate full grids of quality cars at each event,” said organiser David McLaughlin. Several exclusive races for pre-76 Formula 5000 cars (the first at Donington on June 3-4) have attracted huge interest, with Raymond Boissoneau bringing his McRae GM1 from the USA. MP