The FM5 continued the winning pattern set by the FM4. It was built from a combination of hand-made parts, top quality racing parts sourced from overseas, and modified road car parts, such as Triumph Herald steering parts, and even a Fiat Bambina starter motor for the Morand-modified Chevrolet. The car was built around the fuel cells giving it the bulging midriff that contrasted with the angular look of its predecessors. The bulkheads were fabricated from alloy and polystyrene foam "sandwiches" and the entire monocoque weighed in at only 32 kilograms. An offer from Graham McRae to take over the Leda race car works McRae ran for a wealthy backer tempted George to consider another move to Britain but a visit to the company revealed that managing the company was not likely to be a successful venture for him. Watching F5000 racing in Britain, though, planted the seed of an idea, which didn’t go away as George prepared for the 1972-73 New Zealand season. Arriving back in New Zealand George was met by Garry Pedersen who needed a car to replace his crashed ex-McRae McLaren. The timing was perfect, and FM4 changed hands. Fred McLean had finished off the FM5 over the winter and it looked beautiful in its yellow paint. More importantly, it looked as good or better than anything George had seen overseas. The car worked well from the outset, winning first up at Pukekohe. While the early stages of the Gold Star series looked as though David Oxton would bolt away, some mechanical problems led to the series coming down to a match between the FM5 and Garry Pedersen in the well-sorted and well-driven FM4. Oxton’s three-point Gold Star series win was the result of excellent driving but Pedersen’s second was a credit to him, and to the FM4’s inherent quality. The Tasman Series was planned to include the Australian races for the Begg team. Arrangements were made with Australian Kevin Bartlett to swap facilities and transportation in each country. While the series promised much, the first race saw Oxton taken off in practice by another car and the FM5 being badly damaged. A hasty repair session got the car on the grid but in his determination to work his way through the field, Oxton clipped a marker, bending a wishbone. A fifth at Levin a week later was good for the team and the car had finished only a second or so behind Bartlett's Lola T300. Another fifth at the lady Wigram Trophy race in Christchurch and an eight in a rain-soaked Teretonga round concluded the New Zealand section. But plans for the Australian races were to be dashed though poor arrangements made by others on the team's behalf, and an impossible schedule to make the first start convinced George to call the project off. As it was, he was already planning something much more challenging. Racing against the Europeans - at home Back |
