169 replies to this topic

[Peat]

I hope they do attract some names, but come on. Read the press release. 

I could 'invite' Lewis Hamilton to a BBQ in my back garden and say "Lewis could be there!" but it'd be BS. 

[BRG]

I hope they do attract some names, but come on. Read the press release. 

I could 'invite' Lewis Hamilton to a BBQ in my back garden and say "Lewis could be there!" but it'd be BS. 

Is your back garden in Croydon?  if so, then no chance!

[Jazza]

Better have some meat substitute ready.

[BRG]

I see that this diversion into BBQ territory has prompted the 'lunches' reference in the thread title to be finally corrected!

[RacingGreen]

While I agree with the above sentiment that the field needs a few more cars and maybe a couple of name international drivers to add some marketability for today I think I'll just enjoy watching the action we do have from the Bend on SBS ( followed by Macau and Brazil.) 

 

Thinking about it though there is a fundamental difficulty in assessing any series these days, and that is the large budgets required make it very difficult for drivers to do more than one series making it difficult to gauge the level of the competition. Maybe they need to look at drivers who are in the W Series (which they don't need a budget for) such as Jamie Chadwick or Alice Powell.

[HistoryFan]

Very interesting drivers confirmed for the first S5000 race so far with Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Alexandre Prémat and James Davison already in as well as Luis Leeds

[krapmeister]

What with Rubens and Fisi in the field, it's a shame Webber is done with racing - could've been just like the old days 

[maximilian]

Very interesting drivers confirmed for the first S5000 race so far with Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Alexandre Prémat and James Davison already in as well as Luis Leeds

 

Lewis leads again?  Damn, this series is going to be just as boring as F1! 

[paulb]

Fisi? That will be great, he is still one of my favorite drivers.

 

I am curious to see how he will adapt to the platform given he has been racing sporty cars for many years post F1. 

[Sterzo]

Very interesting drivers confirmed for the first S5000 race so far with Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Alexandre Prémat and James Davison already in as well as Luis Leeds

It sounds like the organisers have wandered down to the local job centre, and offered anyone in the queue a drive.

[krapmeister]

https://www.speedcaf...n-s5000-at-agp/

Williams reserve driver Jack Aitken will be racing an S5000 during the Australian GP weekend...

Edited by krapmeister, 04 March 2020 - 08:51.

[Peat]

50p on him winning one of the races. 

[HistoryFan]

yes he should be favorite.

[LolaB0860]

S5000 finally officially dies and 15 chassis offered for sale
https://speedcafe.co...s-championship/

[GreenMachine]

Hmm, could be a pretty effective track day weapon ... now where did I put that piggybank ...?

 

Seriously, we need a decent premier-class open wheel formula, so I hope someone can make something happen from the pieces.

[LolaB0860]

The old A1GP cars were also sold back in the day but I don't know what happened to them. Just like these S5000s, they had bit more character to them than usual run-of-the-mill open wheelers

[arrysen]

Hmm, could be a pretty effective track day weapon ... now where did I put that piggybank ...?

 

Seriously, we need a decent premier-class open wheel formula, so I hope someone can make something happen from the pieces.

The S5000 were shitters though - not pretty close up and not good to drive (chronic understeer everywhere that couldn't be dialled out). Then there's the problem of an "orphan" design so parts supply is expensive and not always time-efficient, then there was the real-world cost of running them. The only thing that kept the series afloat really was when ARG was throwing money around like a drunken sailor and paying drivers to get in the cockpit (as ARG also did with TCR). Once that tap was turned off, the struggle was real. 

 

Sorry, but that's the reality - poorly conceived and not a deliverable product relatively to the hype around them when launched.

 

Not convinced that Australia is able to sustain a decent premier-class single seater formula these days, particularly after FF was shafted but, if there was really the desire, bucks, drivers and teams on hand to make it work, to me it would make more sense to do something like engage with the Kiwis to share Formula Regional, or use FIA F3 or even F2 cars, possibly Indy NXT. In those cases, there are existing supply lines, known quantities in the cars and because they are a known formula, drivers have something more meaningful to mention when talking to potential teams overseas about furthering their careers.

 

Let's face it, even in the halcyon F5000 days, the fields of truly competitive cars weren't big and that formula was an international one rather than an Oz-only orphan. It's been a long time since a premier class of single-seaters in Australia were strong enough to keep working as a series though.

 

Sorry to be a "negative Nelly" but I think that's the reality of it all.

[Wes350]

Hmm, could be a pretty effective track day weapon ... now where did I put that piggybank ...?

 

Seriously, we need a decent premier-class open wheel formula, so I hope someone can make something happen from the pieces.

 

I wonder if anyone over there has thought of coordinating something with SuperFormula...

 

Even if it doesn't evolve into a regional east Asia Series, at the very least there are cost advantages to using the same car and engines as another series.

[juicy sushi]

There is definitely nowhere near the budgets required for those cars.  Look at the size of the Australian economy and the size of motorsports outside of Supercars.  The money just is not there for a sustainable series.

[Frood]

The S5000 were shitters though - not pretty close up and not good to drive (chronic understeer everywhere that couldn't be dialled out). Then there's the problem of an "orphan" design so parts supply is expensive and not always time-efficient, then there was the real-world cost of running them. The only thing that kept the series afloat really was when ARG was throwing money around like a drunken sailor and paying drivers to get in the cockpit (as ARG also did with TCR). Once that tap was turned off, the struggle was real. 

 

Sorry, but that's the reality - poorly conceived and not a deliverable product relatively to the hype around them when launched.

 

Not convinced that Australia is able to sustain a decent premier-class single seater formula these days, particularly after FF was shafted but, if there was really the desire, bucks, drivers and teams on hand to make it work, to me it would make more sense to do something like engage with the Kiwis to share Formula Regional, or use FIA F3 or even F2 cars, possibly Indy NXT. In those cases, there are existing supply lines, known quantities in the cars and because they are a known formula, drivers have something more meaningful to mention when talking to potential teams overseas about furthering their careers.

 

Let's face it, even in the halcyon F5000 days, the fields of truly competitive cars weren't big and that formula was an international one rather than an Oz-only orphan. It's been a long time since a premier class of single-seaters in Australia were strong enough to keep working as a series though.

 

Sorry to be a "negative Nelly" but I think that's the reality of it all.

 

They are starting a Formula Regional Australia this year. Does seem odd when Formula Regional Oceania is just New Zealand, but they're filling different niches at the moment (in that FROC is a "winter" series)