F5000

VINTAGE F5000 RACE SCHEDULE FOR 2014—

Rochester, MI — Vintage big-block open-wheel race fans can get their fix this coming season at a trio of legendary tracks as the Formula 5000 Drivers Assn. has announced its preliminary race schedule for 2014. The race group will debut this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in June — the first-ever vintage races held there — followed just over a month later at Road America in July, and winding up on the West Coast at Sonoma Raceway in October.

The group, comprised primarily of V8-powered, tube-framed open-wheelers from manufacturers such as Chevron, Eagle, LeGrand, Lola, Lotus, March, McKee, McLaren, Shadow and Surtees, is a member-driven car club established to promote the restoration, presentation, registration and racing of historic F5000 race cars that contested the SCCA’s Formula A races from 1967-76.

The schedule as it stands now includes:  

June 4-8 — the inaugural Brickyard Vintage Races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This, the first-ever vintage races held at the legendary oval, will be organized by SVRA, and will offer racing on the facility’s newly renovated F1 road course, as well as controlled sessions on the 2.5-mile oval.

July 17-20 — the F5000 circus returns to one of its perennial dates at the 4-mile Road America circuit for the massive vintage races now billed as The Hawk with Brian Redman;  Redman, coincidentally, won the F5000 title for three years straight from 1974-76 in a Lola T332. Expect the F5000 cars to be paddocked together for convenient up-close perusal by fans.

Oct. 3-5 — the cars make a West Coast appearance at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California, as part of the Classic Sports Racing Group’s annual Charity Challenge, where fans can buy laps in multi-seat race cars to raise funds for the needy. 

The group’s president Seb Coppola noted the schedule may expand as the year unfolds:  “It is possible we may add other races. As drivers, owners and participants, we are delighted to join with event sponsors and race organizers to be able to provide a great show for racing fans.”  For more information, visit:  www.F5000registry.com