The Formula 5000 era of the 1970s not only featured spectacular racing, but afforded the opportunity to Australia’s top open-wheel drivers to take on some of the world’s best and also win lucrative prize money.
Launched in the US for season 1968, Formula 5000 soon became an international open-wheel ruleset spawning many manufacturers from large like March, McLaren and Lola, to locally based chassis including Begg, Leda and Chevron.
Frank Matich was the first Australian to achieve success in the recently renamed SCCA L&M Continental 5000 Championship in the opening round of the season in 1971 at the fierce, but now demolished Riverside International Raceway.
Qualifying third and finishing second in both hits gave Matich the round win, with the Aussie repeating the feat at Laguna Seca a week later to complete his planned two round cameo in the US. Matich won $13,500.
However, Matich move onto bigger and better things as he designed his own Formula 5000 using his McLaren M10B featuring the Repco Holden V8 as the base.
The next year, New Zealander Graham McRae contested the whole season and won driving a chassis of his own design, defeating Sam Posey by 18-points.
Australians Bob Muir, Kevin Bartlett and Colin Hyams.
Bartlett’s only start came at Laguna Seca where he scored fifth overall, as brake dramas forced him down an escape road dropping him multiple positions.
Top 10 results for Muir at Lime Rock and Riverside ensured he kept racing as the expense of hitting the track was equaled out by the prize money on offer, in addition to free tyres from Goodyear.
Hyams completed a limited program also finishing a best of eighth at Road America.
Season 1973 welcomed a large contingent of Aussies including Matich’s return with his own chassis, Max Stewart, Johnnie Walker and Muir alongside Trans Am driver Horst Kwech.
Stewart was best placed of the Aussies as he teamed up with Bartlett, but a fractured wrist ended his season at Mid Ohio. He scored fourth in Michigan to end the season 12th.
Bartlett proved the fastest, but lacked luck and Walker was just as competitive finishing a best of fifth.
For 1974, Warwick Brown led the Australian charge and continued to be a regular until the Americans decided to reconfigure the series into Can Am featuring F5000s with bodies.
Vern Schuppan and Alan Jones joined later, but Brown held the upper hand in 1975. Jones entered in 1976 and finished fourth taking two wins at Mosport and Watkins Glen.
Jones went onto take victory in the newly configured series in 1978, the same season he joined Williams in Formula 1.
America’s opportunities during this period stepped up the competition locally and also gave Holden it’s first international success via Matich and continued Repco’s, which had begun more than a decade previously alongside Jack Brabham.