The Battle Of The F5000 Cars At Skope Will Be Between The North And South Island Cars

Following on from a very successful second 2022/23 series round at the Taupo Historic GP meeting at the recently refurbished and re-named Taupo International Motorsport Park a fortnight ago, this weekend a field of the classic stock block V8-powered Formula 5000 single-seater racing cars which contest New Zealand’s annual SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series will be in Christchurch where the third round is being run at the big Skope Classic meeting at Mike Pero Motorsport Park (Ruapuna).

With two thirds of the field from the North Island and some of the fastest F5000 cars and drivers comprising the third from the South Island, we are in for a good old North/South battle.

Aucklander Grant Martin (Talon MR1/A), showed his speed at Taupo, being a couple of seconds quicker than the rest of the field, but was dogged with bad luck when not one, but two suspension uprights collapsing over a three-day period.

There will also be a strong challenge from Kevin Ingram (Lola T332) and Glenn Richards (Lola T400), as there always is from fellow Lola T332 owner/drivers Russell Greer from Blenheim (ex-Graeme Lawrence HU28 Lola T332), and former SAS Autoparts MSC series title holder and Lola T330 stalwart Brett Willis from Rotorua, this time behind the wheel of the new Lola T332 he debuted during the 2020/21 season,

Add in Tim Rush from Feilding (1972 McLaren M22 M22-3-72) and expat Brit Alastair Chalmers who emigrated to New Zealand in 2015 and now races the only Chevron B32 Formula 5000 in the world, and you complete the line-up from the North Island.

Amongst the quickest F5000 competitors in the South Island are the brother and sister duo of Michael and Anna Collins in their Hey family-owned Leda LT27/ ‘McRae GM1s’.

Finally, adding some more McRae GM1 firepower to the South Island side is three-time former series champion, Steve Ross, also in a F5000 McRae GM1

To honour the memory of Bert Hawthorne, a young Cantabrian killed in a F2 accident in Germany in 1972, the Canterbury Car Club and Hawthorne family have put up a special Bert Hawthorne Memorial Trophy for drivers contesting the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series races at The Skope Classic.

It joins a select bunch of awards members will be vying for at the meeting, including the Stan Redmond Memorial, a trophy awarded to the driver who, over the course of the weekend exhibits the same sort of pace, grace and sheer, unadulterated passion and enthusiasm for F5000 racing that Redmond, one of the founding fathers both of the NZ F5000 Association and the now SAS Autoparts and MSC-sponsored NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, now well into its 20th season, did.

The SAS Autoparts MSC F5000s will be on track across all three days of the Skope Classic meeting rnd.with morning and afternoon practise sessions on Friday, qualifying in the morning and the first race of the weekend on Saturday then the other two races – including the longer meeting feature – on Sunday.

The SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series is organised and run with the support of sponsors SAS Autoparts, MSC, NZ Express Transport, Bonney's Specialised Bulk Transport, Mobil Lubricants, Pacifica, Avon Tyres, Webdesign and Exide Batteries.

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