Motorsport enthusiasts in the central North Island have a golden opportunity to see what all the 'Formula 5000 fuss' is about this weekend as the success story of the local historic motor racing scene, the MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, visits the Taupo Motorsport Park for the first time.
The beautifully restored and race-prepared stock block 5-litre V8-engined single-seater racing cars from the late 60s and 1970s helped draw 18,000 fans to Pukekohe's Pukekohe Park Raceway for the first of this summer's two Tasman Revival Series meetings last weekend.
And if the interest shown by young and old alike is the same at Taupo the second of two Historic Racing Club-organised Tasman Cup Revival meetings this weekend could well attract one of the biggest crowds yet seen at the picturesque resort town circuit.
At least 19 period F5000 cars are expected to line up for three races over the weekend - one on Saturday and two on Sunday, the third a 12 lap event 'feature' final.
New Zealand was one of the first territories in the world to hold a race for Formula 5000 cars (in late December 1968) hence the local association's focus on celebrating 40 years of the category this season.
New Zealand was also one of the first countries in the world to adopt the stock-block 5-litre (mostly Chevrolet-based) V8 category as its national formula. And many of the spectators drawn to the Pukekohe meeting last weekend had seen the cars raced by the likes of local hero Graham McRae and Ken Smith, Australians Frank Matich and Max Stewart, Belgian Teddy Pillette and British driver Peter Gethin, at that time.
Smith - a three-time New Zealand Grand Prix winner - is one of the real drawcards of the 2007/08 MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, having agreed to 'return to his roots' behind the wheel of a Lola T400 this season.
The evergreen veteran, at 66-years-of-age competing in his 50th successive national motor racing season, currently lies second in the series points standings after a stellar first half of the season snapping at the heels of class young gun Chris Hyde who dominated the first and second rounds behind the wheel of a McRae GM1.
Hyde, a kart-turned-car racing contemporary of Craig Baird, did finally meet his match at Pukekohe last weekend, where he was beaten to pole position in qualifying by class stalwart Roger Williams driving a recently acquired Lola T332, and Smith, then in the first two races by Williams.
However in the Tasman Cup Revival Grand Prix feature race Williams slowed then stopped with terminal engine trouble, just after Hyde had finally found a way past and into the lead.
Heading to Taupo Hyde retains a 12 point lead over Smith with Christchurch's Stan Redmond in third but the MSC Tasman Cup Revival Series is as much a celebration of the big, booming Sprint Car-like single-seaters as it is about chasing a championship and the field is made up of some truly noteworthy cars for fans to identify and cheer on.
Though Roger Williams has been forced to scratch his entry there will be several other Lola T332s (arguably the most popular Formula 5000 car ever made) in the field, including the ex championship-winning Ian Clements car now being driven by Napier man Sefton Gibb.
Fellow classic and historic racing car aficionado Russell Greer from Blenheim will also be competing this weekend in a genuine ex NZ car, the Lola T332 originally driven by Hamilton's Graeme Lawrence.
Meanwhile regular New Zealand series visitors, husband and wife Frank and Judy Lyons have brought with them two interesting cars from the UK, a Lola T400 for Frank and a very rare Eagle 74A fro Judy.
The late, great George Begg, the Southland man who started building racing cars in his agricultural equipment workshop and eventually took one - the FM5 - to the UK to race, is also well represented, in this case by the FM2 of Auckland's Kerry McIntosh and the FM4 owned by Terry Rush and driven by his son Tim.
As well, two Australian drivers, Aaron Lewis and John Bryant, will be at Taupo, Lewis behind the wheel of an Australian-built Matich A53 (powered by one of the Repco-company's Holden-based F5000 engines), and Bryant proudly driving the oldest car in the field, a pre-wing Lola T140.
Also of interest to fans of classic single-seater racing cars is the fact that the international Formula Junior group is running the second round of it's 50th anniversary celebration series at Taupo this weekend.
And there will be support races for tin-top categories like SuperGT, Sports & GT and a number of saloon-based marque categories.
The series is supported by the Historic Racing Club (HRC), the MG Car Club of Wellington, the Historic Motor Racing Club Inc, The Canterbury Car Club, Southland Sports Car Club and Australia's Victorian Historic Racing Register.
2007/08 MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series
Points after Rnd 3 of 5
1. Chris Hyde (Christchurch, McRae GM1) 230 points
2. Ken Smith (Auckland, Lola T430) 218
3. Stan Redmond (Christchurch, Lola T332) 160
4. Sefton Gibb (Napier, Lola T332) 132
5. Roger Williams (Auckland, Lola T332) 125
6. Tony Richards (Christchurch, Lola T332) 120
7. David Abbott (Christchurch, Lola T430) 94
8. Stuart Lush (Auckland, McRae GM1) 74
9. Tony Roberts (Auckland, McLaren M22) 56
10. Frank Lyons (UK, Lola T400) 44
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