Motoring News

Formula 5000 Motor Racing – Back then, and back now
By Derek Lawson

Take a trip down memory lane with this beautifully illustrated and researched book from Veloce Publishing, recalling the days when Formula 5000 cars roared around the race tracks, creating a lot of noise and, occasionally, dust. The wail of a 5-litre engine was often more spine-tingling than ANY other racing car! Nowadays, many of the same cars show modern day spectators just how dramatic Formula 5000 racing can be.

Few, if any, of the drivers are prima donnas, so F5000 racing is aggresive. This book covers a very popular racing cars ‘formula’ that is generally untapped as a subject by other authors.

Although Formula 5000 has never had the mass appeal of F1, in some instances the cars and drivers became favourites of spectators across the globe. It was launched in the UK and Europe in 1969, but fell by the wayside at the end of 1976 – although a few cars continued to run in other events after that. Some cars came back to circuits in 2003 as part of the Formula One Race Car Entrants (FORCE) package, but it was in 2004 that a lot more cars became reacquainted with their old haunts following the launch of the Derek Bell Trophy, backed by the UK’s Historic Sports Car Club. This book, which will remind readers of both periods in which the cars have run in anger, is available now from bookshops or from www.velocebooks.com

Formula 5000 Motor Racing – Back then, and back now
By Derek Lawson
ISBN 9781845842161
UPC 636847042165
Available now.
UK ￡40,00, USA $79.95