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Group 5 (motorsport)

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Group 5was anFIAmotor racing classification which was applied to four distinct categories during the years 1966 to 1982. Initially Group 5 regulations defined a Special Touring Car category and from 1970 to 1971 the classification was applied to limited production Sports Cars restricted to 5 litre engine capacity. The Group 5 Sports Car category was redefined in 1972 to exclude the minimum production requirement and limit engine capacity to 3 litres. From 1976 to 1982 Group 5 was for Special Production Cars, a liberalsilhouetteformula based on homologated production vehicles.

1st Generation Group 5 – "Special Touring Cars" (1966 to 1969)

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In 1966 the FIA introduced a number of new racing categories including one for highly modified touring cars, officially known as Group 5 Special Touring Cars. The regulations permitted vehicle modifications beyond those allowed in the concurrent Group 1 and Group 2 Touring Car categories.[1]Group 5 regulations were adopted for theBritish Saloon Car Championshipfrom 1966[1]and for theEuropean Touring Car Championshipfrom 1968.[2] The Special Touring Cars category was discontinued after the 1969 season.

2nd Generation Group 5 - "Sports Cars" (1970 to 1971)

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Group 5Porsche 917competing in the1970 International Championship for Makes

For the 1970 season, the FIA applied the Group 5 classification to the Sports Car class which had previously been known asGroup 4 Sports Cars.The minimum production requirement remained at 25 and the engine capacity maximum at 5 litres as had applied in the superseded Group 4. Group 5 Sports Cars contested the FIA'sInternational Championship for Makesin 1970 & 1971, alongside the 3 litreGroup 6 Prototype Sports Cars.

During 1970 theFIAdecided to replace the existing Group 5 Sports Car category when the rules expired at the end of the 1971 season, so the big 917s and 512s would have to be retired at the end of that year. Surprisingly, Ferrari decided to give up any official effort with the 512 in order to prepare for the new 1972 season regulations. But many 512s were still raced by private teams, most of them converted to M specification. As a result of the rule change, sports car racing popularity suffered and did not recover until the following decade, with the advent ofGroup Cwhich incidentally were forced out of competition in favour of the 3.5atmoengine formula, reminiscent of events nineteen years previous.

Background to the 5 Litre Sports Car category

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In an effort to reduce the speeds generated atLe Mansand other fast circuits of the day by the unlimited capacity Group 6 Prototypes such as the 7 litre Fords, and to entice manufacturers of 3 litre Formula One engines into endurance racing, theCommission Sportive Internationale(then the independent competition arm of theFIA) announced that the new International Championship for Makes would be run for Group 6 Sports-Prototypes limited to 3 litre capacity for the four years from 1968 through 1971.

Well-aware that few manufacturers were ready to immediately take up the challenge, the CSI also allowed the participation of 5 litre Group 4 Sports Cars manufactured in quantities of at least 50 units. This targeted existing cars like the agingFord GT40and the newerLola T70coupe.

In April 1968, the CSI announced that, as there were still too few entries in the 3 litres Group 6 Prototype category, the minimal production figure to compete in the Group 4 Sport category of the International Championship of Makes would be reduced from 50 to 25 starting in 1969 through to the planned end of the rules in 1971. This was mainly to allow the homologation in Group 4 of cars such as theFerrari 250 LMand theLola T70which had not been manufactured in sufficient quantities to qualify (unless, in the case of the Lola T70, the open Can-Am cars were counted as well).

Starting in July 1968, Porsche made a surprising and very expensive effort to take advantage of this rule. As they were rebuilding race cars with new chassis every race or two anyway, they decided to conceive, design and build 25 versions of a whole new car for the Sport category with one underlying goal: to win its first overall victory in the24 Hours of Le Mans.In only ten months thePorsche 917was developed, based upon thePorsche 908,with remarkable technology: Porsche's first 12-cylinder engine, and many components made of titanium, magnesium and exotic alloys that had been developed for lightweight hillclimb racers. Other ways of weight reduction were rather simple, like a gear lever knob made ofBalsawood.

When Porsche was first visited by the CSI inspectors only three cars were completed, while 18 were being assembled and seven additional sets of parts were present. Porsche argued that if they assembled the cars they would then have to take them apart again to prepare the cars for racing. The inspectors refused the homologation and asked to see 25 assembled and working cars.

On April 20Ferdinand Piëchdisplayed 25 917s parked in front of the Porsche factory to the CSI inspectors. Piëch even offered the opportunity to drive one of the cars, which was declined.

During June 1969,Enzo Ferrarisold half of his stock toFIAT,and used some of that money to do whatPorschedid 6 months earlier with the 917, to build 25 cars powered by a 5-litre V12 in order to compete against them. With the financial help of Fiat, that risky investment was made, and surplus cars were intended to be sold to racing customers to compete for the 1970 season. Within 9 months Ferrari manufactured 25512Scars.

Ferrari entries only consisted of the factory cars, tuned by SpA SEFAC and there were the private cars ofScuderia Filipinetti, N.A.R.T., Écurie Francorchamps, Scuderia Picchio Rosso, Gelo Racing TeamandEscuderia Montjuichwhich not receive the same support from the factory. They were considered as field fillers, never as candidate for a win. At Porsche, however, JWA Gulf, KG Salzburg who were then replaced byMartini Racingfor the following season, received all direct factory support and the privateers likeAAW Shell RacingandDavid PiperRacing received a much better support than Ferrari's clients.

The 917 instability problem was resolved with a revised rear hatch, which was called 917K (Kurzheck). There was a long tail version known as the 917LH (Langheck). Towards the end of the 1970 season,Ferrarientered some races with a new version of the 512, the 512M which had a revised bodywork

3rd Generation Group 5 – "Sports Cars" (1972 to 1975)

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Group 5Ferrari 312PBcompeting in the1972 World Championship for Makes

For 1972, the FIA applied the Group 5 classification to what had previously been known as the Group 6 Prototype Sports Cars category. These cars, now officially Group 5 Sports Cars, were limited to a 3-litre engine capacity and were to be the main competitors in events counting towards the FIA's newly renamedWorld Championship for Makesfrom 1972 to 1975. Unlike the old Group 5, there was no minimum production requirement.

4th Generation Group 5 – "Special Production Cars" (1976 to 1982)

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ALancia Beta Montecarlocontesting the1980 World Championship for Makesin the Group 5 category.

For the 1976 season the FIA introduced a new Group 5 "Special Production Car" category, allowing extensive modifications to production based vehicles which were homologated in FIA Groups 1 through 4. These cars would contest the World Championship for Makes series from 1976 through to 1980 and then theWorld Endurance Championshipin 1981 and 1982. TheDeutsche Rennsport Meisterschaftalso used these regulations from 1977 until 1981. The only non-circuit events that used Group 5 cars were in theGiro d'Italia automobilisticorally.

The rules restricted the width of the car, therefore cars were built with standard body widths but wide mudguard extensions. The regulation required only the bonnet, roof, doors and rail panel were left unmodified.[3]The rules however did not mention headlight heights, therefore when Porsche originally were to enter the935with the production headlight, they read the rules and discovered the loophole, therefore they raced the 935 with the hallmark flat nose. The category was also mostly associated with the wide boxy wheel arches and extravagant body style.

The category would be banished after 1982 in favour of theGroup Bregulation, but continued to compete inJSPC,IMSA GTX category and other national sports car racing championships for a few more years.

Racing Series that included FIA Group 5 cars

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1st Generation

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2nd Generation

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3rd Generation

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4th Generation

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Groups 1-9

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Categories and Groups of Appendix J 1954 - 1965
Categories 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
I. Touring A. Touring
II. Sports II. Grand Touring B. Grand Touring
- C. Sports
Group 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
Group 1 Normal series production
Group 2 "Grand Touring" series prod Modified series prod Modified series prod
Group 3 Special series production Grand Touring Cars
Group 4 Series production Normal GT series prod Sports Car
Group 5 International Modified GT series prod -
Group 6 - GT specials -
Source:[4][5]
Categories and Groups of Appendix J 1966 - 1981 (Production requirement)
Categories 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
A. Production
B. Special B. Experimental Competition B. Racing Cars
C. Racing Cars -
Group 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
Group 1 Series Touring (5000)
Group 2 Touring (1000) Special Touring (1000)
Group 3 Grand Touring (500) Series Grand Touring (1000)
Group 4 Sportscars (50/25) Special Grand Touring (500) Grand Touring (400)
Group 5 Special Touring Cars Sports cars (50) Sports cars Special cars derived from Groups 1-4
Group 6 Prototype sportscars - Two-seater racecars
Group 7 Two-seater racecars International formula
Group 8 Formula racing cars International formula Formula libre racing cars
Group 9 Formula libre racing cars -
Source:[4][5]
Note:Specialmay be replaced withCompetitionin some official documents.

References

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  1. ^abM.L Twite, The World's Racing Cars, 1971, page 173
  2. ^ETCC 1968-1969: The Group 5 YearsArchived2011-03-07 at theWayback MachineRetrieved from "Touring Car Racing History" on 12 January 2009
  3. ^":::: GREAT RACING CARS:::: Toyota Celica LB Turbo Gr5 Page 1 of 2".Archived fromthe originalon 2011-07-15.Retrieved2010-09-19.
  4. ^ab"Regulations - Period Appendix J | FIA Historic Database".historicdb.fia.Retrieved2022-05-19.
  5. ^ab"APPENDIX K TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPORTING CODE"(PDF).
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