Australia’s fastest racers are retro-style V8 open-wheelers

THE BIG Bangers are back! Australia’s stillborn Super5000 category has been brought back to life, ready to put V8-powered open-wheelers on race tracks around the country.

The category, which now has official CAMS approval, will be the fastest motorsport series in Australia when it makes its debut (slated for 2019).

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You may remember the feud that erupted between Australia’s two rival F5000-style racing categories last year. Well, the two parties have cooled their jets and joined together for the new project.

The Super5000 category will shoehorn 5.0-litre V8 engines into the rear of a modern open-wheel Onroak-Ligier carbonfibre monocoque chassis (similar to that used in Formula 3 in Europe), and then fit the car with big wings and bigger rubber.

The Australian Racing Group (ARG) is the category manager for the series, which will become the flagship open-wheel championship locally when it debuts.

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Super5000 cars will have a 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated Coyote ‘Aluminator’ Ford V8 wedged under their cowling, and send power to the rear via a Holinger six-speed sequential transaxle.

ARG has also confirmed the cars will feature the controversial halo safety device, a first for an Australian category.

Technical specifications supplied to Wheels regarding the Super5000 race cars reveal power and torque outputs of 417kW and 623Nm, and a 8000rpm redline. The crate engines will be prepared to Super 5000 specifications by InnoV8 in Brisbane.

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One of the defining features of historic F5000 race cars is copious rear rubber, and Super 5000 will be no different, with 680/405R15 rubber sitting on a 15x17-inch rim at the rear, and 15x12-inch front wheels shod in 570/290R15 slicks.

Super 5000 racers will have pushrod adjustable front and rear suspension, with three-way adjustable shock absorbers, while slowing the cars down will be taken care of by four-piston monobloc callipers grasping vented steel brake rotors.

Despite announcing a 2019 debut for the reborn category, the promotor is yet to reveal a calendar, or confirm teams and drivers.

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ARG director Matt Braid, formerly of Volvo Cars Australia and Supercars, says the category will rejuvenate open-wheel racing locally.

“The 2019 specification Super5000 car not only looks great, but will be extremely safe, fast and spectacular on track, foregoing technical driving aids to ensure driver talent shines through and provide a level of excitement on track that open wheel fans in Australia and the world have not experienced in some time,” he said in a statement. “We can’t wait to see the spectacle of a strong field of Super5000 cars racing wheel-to-wheel on the track in 2019.”