The Series - The Cars

Established in 1989, Australia’s own open wheel racing series heads into its eighteenth year in 2006.

The 2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship is a 16-race, 8-round series spread throughout the Australian mainland with races held in rural and metropolitan areas across the east coast of Australia.

Formula 4000 racing cars are all Formula 3000-specification chassis as used in the FIA International Formula 3000 Championship and/or Japanese Formula Nippon series powered by a racing version of the 3.6-litre, quad-cam Holden V6 Alloytec engine as fitted in the Holden VZ Commodore. The racing version of the Alloytec, known as the HFV6, produces approximately 350 bhp.

Formula 4000 uses a control slick tyre produced by Yokohama.

What They Say

"Steve Horne told me to "win the Formula 4000 Championship then come and do Indy Lights", it was the best advice I've ever had."

- Scott Dixon, 1998 Formula 4000 Champion

"The cars are so similar in size and pace that the transition to Indy Lights and Champ Car wasn't a problem at all, and Formula 4000 is also very affordable."

- Jason Bright, 1997 Formula 4000 Champion

"Formula 4000 has superior grip and braking equal to and in some cases better than World Series by Renault or GP2 cars. Formula 4000 was and still is a great stepping stone to any open wheeler category throughout the world."

- Will Power, 2002 Formula 4000 Champion

Alumni

Current Williams Formula 1 driver Mark Webber raced in F4000 from 1995 to 1996, winning the inaugural F4000 race in Melbourne as a support event to the Australian Grand Prix. Webber competed with the dominant Birrana Racing outfit as well as reigning F4000 champions Ralt Australia.

Will Power, now competing in the Champ Car World Series with Team Australia, won the 2002 Australian F4000 Championship after achieving seven wins and three pole positions. Power has since competed in the British Formula 3 Championship, World Series by Renault, A1 Grand Prix and Champ Car and has tested a Formula 1 car for the Minardi F1 Team at Misano in 2004.

2003 IRL IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon won the Australian F4000 Championship in 1998 after claiming the Rookie of the Year title in 1997. Dixon has since won the Dayton Indy Lights series in 2000 before moving to Champ Car in 2001 where he won the Jim Trueman Rookie of the Year award as well as becoming the youngest driver ever to win a Champ Car event at Nazareth, age 20 years, 9 months, and 14 days.

Dixon has also tested a Formula 1 car for the WilliamsF1 Team at Catalunya in 2004.

Current New Zealand A1 Grand Prix stars Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid also crossed the Tasman to compete in Australia's fastest racing cars, Halliday finishing 3rd in the Australian F4000 Championship in 1999 and 2000 while Reid finished runner-up in 2003. Halliday has since contested the Infiniti Pro Series, Formula Renault V6 EuroCup (nee World Series by Renault) and A1 Grand Prix and has tested a Champ Car for Mi-Jack Conquest Racing at Sebring in 2004.

Post F4000, Reid has both lived in and competed in Europe and Japan, contesting the Superfund Euro 3000 Series, Japanese Formula 3 Championship and A1 Grand Prix.

In 2004, A1 Team Australia driver Will Davison test drove a Formula 4000 at Winton Motor Raceway as part of his preparation for a Formula 1 test with the Minardi F1 Team in Misano, Italy. Davison tested a Greg Murphy Racing Reynard 94D in a bid to become familiarised with the high power and downforce output of a Formula 4000, the closest relation to a Formula 1 car in Australia.