S5000 category up for sale

A total of 15 S5000 chassis, along with a comprehensive inventory of spares and equipment, are available for sale. Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) is open to the sale of individual or multiple cars to both Australian-based and international parties.

In what amounts to the inventory of an entire racing category being offered for sale, an excellent opportunity exists for a purchaser to repurpose S5000 as a new open wheel racing championship anywhere in the world.

The S5000 formula was conceived as a budget-priced modern interpretation of the old 1970s 5.0-litre stock-block V8 Formula 5000 category. With its trademark low-downforce configuration, ‘control’ Onroak-Ligier monocoque chassis and the low-maintenance, 500-plus horsepower 5.2-litre Ford Motorsport ‘Coyote’ V8 engine, the formula was unrivalled bang per buck in world motor racing when it was introduced.

While fundamentals of S5000 were sound, a series of setbacks ultimately led to its demise in Australia. The first of those was the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic just as S5000 was entering its second season. Subsequent to that, the consistent undervaluing of S5000 (compared to other racing categories) by Supercars and Motorsport Australia in their grading criteria for Supercars ‘Superlicence’ qualification helped dissuade young drivers from choosing S5000 as a career stepping-stone into Supercars.

The decision to sell its fleet of S5000 racecars comes as GRM focuses on running cars in the Trico Trans Am Series, and the Peugeot 308 P51 program in the TCR Australia Series.