Best defunct racing series'

[pcal226]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqLf9Qmo-wg

Found this great old video of a full race from 1968 Tasman Series won by Jim Clark. There's a few other vids of the Tasman Series on YouTube. I found another race from the '68 (also won by Clark) and one from '69 (won by Chris Amon). Its some of the best race coverage from that era I've seen. Full race with correspondents in the pits and everything. The Tasman series featured some of F1's best drivers and watching got me thinking about all the great racing series' that aren't around anymore. So my question is: which one is your favorite and why? And as a secondary question, would you like to see it brought back? I ask because generally reborn series never manage to capture the magic of the original (Trans-Am for example).

My pick would be the Can-Am series, especially as it existed during its early years. It attracted the best drivers in the world and raced on most of North America's best circuits. The cars were monsters too. Here's a pic from the 1967 Los Angeles Times Grand Prix at Riverside won by Bruce McLaren (in the #4 car).

[D28]

The original Can-Am series is usually listed as the most lamented former series, and for just reasons. It proved that spectators really like loud, big engined, spectacular racing cars, as true today as it was 45 years ago. Can-Am, in spirit and attitude was about as far removed as possible from current over-regulated F1 and Indy Car racing. Even the livery and general appearance of the cars suggested outrageous speed.
Unlimited engineering solutions and zero pit to driver assistance, except for pit boards, what a concept!

Not without certain problems, the series seldom provided close inter-team competition at least for the victory. Winning was done by the current dominant team, be it McLaren, Porsche or Shadow.
Still I always attended the Mosport round, even though it sometimes suffered from weak fields due to its opening spot on the calendar.
Fondly remembered and sadly missed, we are unlikely to see such a spectacle again anytime soon.

[Rudy Tamasz]

My pick would be Indycar before the split. Monster cars, great drivers, diverse tracks. I especially loved 500-milers when drivers had to be equally good with wheel-to-wheel action and strategy.

Alas, that wasn't to last long, and not just because of the split. The cars were getting faster and started outgrowing the oval tracks they raced on. At some point heavy regulating became unavoidable as speeds were getting our of control. That killed some of the action and fans started leaving. I still miss those epic battles at Michigan.

[inimitablestoo]

I'll nominate Formula 3000; the cars immediately before it went one-make were particularly good-looking (the Reynards especially) and I quite liked the mix of Grand Prix supports and random other fixtures (Enna, anyone?). GP2, with a grid full of Dallara-Renaults, just going to Grands Prix (with the very occasional standalone race) isn't quite the same.

And domestically, the EUROCAR series, which attempted to create a localised NASCAR with a bunch of V6 stock cars. Entries were oversubscribed for several years, but the attempts to create a headline V8 version, as well as the fact that it quickly standardised to just the Ford Mondeo shell, rather than (as was the intention) whatever saloon shape you wanted, led to a downfall that was almost as swift. It was particularly a shame as the series was on the wane by the time Rockingham opened for business; the V6-engined series was far more suited to the UK than importing the American V8s for ASCAR proved to be.

[journeyman racer]

Over here. The some F3000 cast-offs were bought for the Formula Holden/Brabham series. A series that was supposed to bridge the gap for Australians wanting to get into F1.I liked it. It took a while to get popular amongst ambitious younger driver. But it never really got going.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0gd5mFlIMg

Mark Webber won one of the AGP supports in 96.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkwaYPkHLVY

Scott Dixon won the series in 98.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIXWtIaWe-I

[journeyman racer]

I also really liked the Auscar/Nascar series over here. Auscars were lower powered, less expensive Australian stock cars, that went the opposite direction.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7PADdyoyW4

I also liked Australian Super Touring. It was a good alternative, to the pretentiousness of the ATCC/V8Supercar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmah9TDZZYo

[BDunnell]

Excellent idea for a thread. If we may extend the remit to include rallying, I'd go for the British Open Rally Championship, as run between 1978-89. What a tremendous series that was, including involvement for many years by the cream of international talent alongside the best British drivers. In its heyday, the Circuit of Ireland was as tough as event as anything to be found in the WRC, if not tougher. The fact that Jimmy McRae won it seven times during the period demonstrates his talent, and his first Circuit victory, in 1980, was a truly epic battle against Ari Vatanen. 1981's Manx Rally battle between McRae, Tony Pond and Walter Röhrl was another classic of the era. To see British rallying in such a dire state now is saddening to anyone who remembers a golden age.

[anfield5]

CanAm was truly awesome, seeing hearing and feeling those monsters was a thing to behold. Also Formula 5000 was a great series


The F5000 revival series in NZ and Aus is a joy to watch.

I also miss Formula 1, when designers could design and fresh ideas and innovation was to the fore. Designe ideas like

or

[Mintexmemory]

+1 for F5000 - as a teen I had the left front wing from Peter Gethin's McLaren on my bedroom wall (discarded and recovered in the Brands paddock)

also + 1 for the British Open Rally Championship
(Nice summary of 1979 season to show what people are missing nowdays: http://hyppyrally.blogspot.co.uk/201...-rally_20.html )
Close to my heart, and hence the reason for my username here, was attending the opening round from 78-82. Always an excellent weekend.

Not mentioned to date is F2 (1966-70) a golden era when Rindt v Stewart was more often a real rivalry than in F1

[D-Type]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned Formula Atlantic / Formula Pacific / Formula 'B'. Cars of comparable performance to F3 cars but with engines a lot nearer to production which kept costs down. The formula proved a usefulstepping stone to Formula 1 for several successful drivers