Australian Formula 2, sometimes abbreviated to AF2 or ANF2, is a "wings and slicks"

formula racing Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single- ...

category in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The category is one of Australia's oldest, dating back to 1964. The current format of AF2 was introduced in 1978. Brian Shead of

Cheetah Racing Cars Cheetah Racing Cars was a prolific Australian manufacturer of race cars. The cars were almost solely designed, engineered and constructed by Brian Shead in a small factory at the rear of his home in Mordialloc, a suburb of Melbourne, Australi ...

and

Garrie Cooper Garrie Clifford Cooper (22 December 1935 - 25 April 1982) was the founder of the highly successful Elfin Sports Cars and a competitive racing driver in his own right, winning the 1968 Singapore Grand Prix, the 1968 Australian 1½ Litre Champi ...

of Elfin Racing Cars were largely responsible for the development of the format, which was devised to suit the needs of Australian drivers, most of whom had little or no sponsorship and had to bear the costs of racing out of their own pockets. The class was an amalgamation of the previous Australian Formula 2 and Australian Formula 3 categories, using the same or newly developed cars, but powered by production-based single-cam, 2 valve per cylinder engines, with an engine capacity between 1100 cc and 1600 cc. Popular engines initially included the Toyota 2T, Ford Kent and Holden Gemini. Later on the

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...

became the engine of choice due to its lighter weight and greater power levels. Initially the new format proved to be very successful, attracting the largest grids seen in Australian formula racing for years. The manufacture of cars in Australia for the formula flourished. It wasn't uncommon to see cars designed and built by the same person that drove them. For a brief period when

Formula 5000 Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars tha ...

was in its final death throes, AF2 was arguably (but not officially) Australia's top class of racing car. It had a national championship as well as various state series. AF2 was bumped down from being the number one Australian racing formula with the introduction of the slightly faster but far more expensive

Formula Pacific Formula Pacific was a motor racing category which was used in the Pacific Basin area from 1977 to 1982. It specified a single-seat, open-wheeler chassis powered by a production-based four-cylinder engine of under 1600cc capacity. The formula was bas ...

category. Throughout the 1980s AF2 remained an extremely popular and competitive category and the

Australian Drivers' Championship The Australian Drivers' Championship was a motor racing championship contested annually from 1957 to 2014 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor ...

was contested with Formula 2 cars in both 1987 and 1988. In 1999 CAMS introduced 2-litre international

Formula Three Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One driv ...

engines into AF2. The 1600cc class was meant to become the second tier of the formula and then to be discontinued. Despite this 1600cc AF2 remained a popular Formula, perhaps because it was a far cheaper formula than Formula Three and Formula Brabham/Holden/4000. Since then, the popularity of AF2 has slowly diminished and the series has contracted from being a national series, to one that is contested in New South Wales, although there are plans afoot to also incorporate Victoria.

Timeline

*1964–1968 : 1100 cc maximum capacity (production-based) & 1000 cc (free design) *1969–1970 : 1600 cc maximum capacity *1971–1977 : 1600 cc maximum capacity, two valves per cylinder *1978–1988 : 1600 cc maximum capacity, production-based, single camshaft *1989-2002 : 1600 cc maximum capacity, production-based, single camshaft & 2000 cc (FIA Formula Three engines) *2003–date : 1600 cc maximum capacity, production-based, single camshaft

History

The Australian Formula 2 category was established by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) in 1964 as the third tier of single seater motor racing in Australia, below the

Australian National Formula The Australian National Formula (often abbreviated to ANF) was an Australian motor racing category which was introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1964 and remained current until the end of 1969. It had replaced Formula Libre ...

and the Australian 1½ Litre Formula and above

Australian Formula 3 Australian Formula 3 has been the name applied to two distinctly different motor racing categories, separated by over twenty years. The original Australian Formula 3 was introduced in 1964 based on the FIA Formula 3 of the period and intended ...

. It was a two part formula consisting of (a) cars using production based engines of up to 1100cc capacity (the discontinued

Formula Junior Formula Junior is an open wheel formula racing class first adopted in October 1958 by the CSI (''International Sporting Commission'', the part of the FIA that then regulated motorsports). The class was intended to provide an entry level class ...

class from 1963) and (b) cars using free design four cylinder engines of up to 1000cc capacity (the then current FIA Formula Two class). A single race Australian Formula 2 Championship was instituted in 1964 however the title was discontinued after two years.Australian Titles
Retrieved from www.camsmanual.com.au on 9 August 2009 The engine capacity was raised to 1600cc in 1969, Pedr Davis, The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, page 172 AF2 thus replacing the discontinued Australian 1½ Litre Formula as the country's second tier single seater category.CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 1969, page 5 From the same year AF2 cars were eligible to compete alongside the 2½ litre

cars in the

for the first time. The Australian Formula 2 Championship was reintroduced for 1969 and was contested concurrently with the final round of the 1969 Australian Drivers' Championship. It became a stand-alone, single race title again in 1970. For 1971, engines with more than two valves per cylinder were banned as were those of less than 1100cc capacity. In the same year the Australian Formula 2 Championship was contested over a series of races for the first time with all rounds run concurrently with those of the 1971 Australian Driver's Championship. The 1974 championship, which enjoyed significant sponsorship from the Van Heusen Shirt Company, was run as a totally stand alone series. The declining state of the category saw the 1977 championship downgraded to a single race affair and new regulations were announced to take effect in 1978. The engines were to be limited to 1600cc production based units with valve actuation by single overhead camshaft or pushrods. There was no national championship for the new AF2 in this first year but a championship series was reintroduced for 1979. AF2 regulations were amended for 1987 to eliminate underbody aerodynamic aids, thus bringing the formula in line with Europe/UK. The decline of Australia's premier open wheel category,

Formula Mondial Formula Mondial was an international motor racing category which was introduced to replace both Formula Atlantic and the similar Formula Pacific''The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring'', 1986, page 171 in 1983.''Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, 1982 ...

, saw the

move from that category to AF2 in the same year, with the title awarded to the winner of the Australia Cup, an AF2 race held in support of the

1987 Australian Grand Prix The 1987 Australian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Adelaide on 15 November 1987. It was the sixteenth and final race of the 1987 Formula One World Championship. The 82-lap race was won by Austrian driver Gerhard Berger, who s ...

at the

Adelaide Street Circuit The Adelaide Street Circuit (also known as the Adelaide Parklands Circuit) is a temporary street circuit in the East Parklands adjacent to the Adelaide central business district in South Australia, Australia. The "Grand Prix" version of t ...

. The Australian Formula 2 Championship continued and for 1988 the Australian Drivers' Championship was awarded to the winner of the Australian Formula 2 Championship series. The 1988 AF2C title was to be the last awarded by CAMS and the Australian Drivers' Championship was to be determined over a series of races for the new

Formula Holden Formula Holden was an Australian open wheel racing category introduced in 1989. History Known during its development as Formula Australia, it was initially for chassis constructed from aluminium only, running a 3.8-litre Buick V6 engine a ...

category for 1989. In an effort to increase fields, an additional class for cars using 2-litre FIA Formula Three engines was incorporated into AF2 for 1999 alongside the existing 1600cc class FIA Formula Three was itself officially adopted in Australia as a separate category the following year but the 2-litre cars remained eligible to compete in AF2 through to 2002. AF2 reverted to a single class 1600cc formula again for 2003.CAMS Manual of Motor Sport, 2003, page 7-31 to 7-32

Engine

In the current form of AF2, the engine must be based on one from a mass-produced vehicle. Popular engines include the pushrod hemi headed Toyota 2T, the crossflow Ford Kent, and Holden Gemini, but the most common is the Volkswagen Golf. The Volkswagen Golf is popular due to its lighter weight and greater power levels. AF2 engines must use carburetors for fuel induction, with most running Weber carburetors. AF2 engines are now limited to 8500 rpm although in the past prior to the introduction of rev limiters, engine revs over 10,000 rpm were not uncommon. AF2 engines typically produce in the order of 180 to .

Chassis

The majority of AF2 cars produced in the late 1970s and 1980s are made from an aluminium monoquue, just as Formula One cars of the era were. Such cars often weigh in under and the allowable racing weight including the driver is . Newer cars such as those made by Reynard and Dallara during the 1990s are made of

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...

and are actually heavier than the aluminium cars, although they are also more aerodynamic. The newer cars have a 530 kg racing weight, which helps to equalise their performance with the older cars. AF2 cars feature prominent front and rear wings. The wheels are in diameter, with the front wheels typically wide and rears typically wide. They are configured as an

open-wheeler An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, Sports car racing, sports cars, Stock car racing, stock ca ...

, and are shod with control Dunlop

radial Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Mathematics and Direction * Vector (geometric), a line * Radius, adjective form of * Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system * Radial set * A bearing f ...

slicks A racing slick or slick tyre is a type of tyre that has a smooth tread used mostly in auto racing. The first production slick tyre was developed by M&H Tires in the early 1950s for use in drag racing. By eliminating any grooves cut into the tr ...

Transmission

Like most formula cars, the transmission is at the rear of the car, situated behind both the engine and driver. The most common transmission in aluminium monoque cars is the 5 speed Hewland Mk9 transaxle, but the Hewland Mk8 and stronger FT200 transaxles are also used. Another popular transaxle used in monoque cars, mainly Cheetah Racing cars was manufactured by Holinger Engineering. Like the Hewland Mk8 and Mk9 it is also based on the Volkswagen transaxle. Newer carbon Fibre Dallaras and Reynards typically use transaxle housings manufactured by the car manufacturer, although they sport Hewland internals.

Performance

Power levels approaching combined with a racing weight of only 510 to 530 kg, provide a power-to-weight ratio similar to a V8 Supercar. This allows AF2 cars to accelerate very quickly out of corners and to develop some reasonable top speeds. The approximate 0 to 160 km/h time for an AF2 is 5 seconds. Because the cars are so low, and light and because they have grippy slick tyres and front and rear wings to force them to the ground, the cars are capable of generating very high

G force The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g (not gram in mass measure ...

s when cornering and braking.

Current regulations – Australian Formula 2 Club Inc.

The engine must be based on that from a mass-produced vehicle, it must have a capacity between 1100 cc and 1600 cc, have a single camshaft operating no more than 2 valves per cylinder and use carburetors for fuel induction. A rev limiter must be fitted to limit maximum engine RPM to 8500. The bodywork must be of an "open wheel" configuration and there are limitations on both the position and size of the front and rear wings. The car must have a flat floor between the front and rear wheels and the minimum weight of the combined car and driver (racing weight) is either 510 kg or 530 kg depending on the age of the car. The class uses a "control tyre" manufactured by Dunlop, to ensure both close competition and good tyre life.

List of Australian Formula 2 champions

CAMS recognition of the Australian Formula 2 Championship as a national title did not extend beyond 1988

Australian Formula 2 lap records

{, class="wikitable" , - !Track !Distance !Driver !Car !Date !Time , - ,

Adelaide International Raceway The Adelaide International Raceway (also known as Adelaide International or AIR) is a permanent circuit owned by Australian Motorsport Club Limited under the auspices of the Bob Jane Corporation. The circuit is located north of Adelaide in S ...

, Long Circuit , 2.41 km , Peter Glover ,

Cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

, , 52.5s , - ,

Calder Park Raceway Calder Park Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The complex includes a dragstrip, a road circuit with several possible configurations, and the "Thunderdome", a high-speed banked oval equipped to race either clo ...

, National Circuit , 2.28 km , D. Bruce ,

Reynard Reynard the Fox is a literary cycle of medieval allegorical Dutch, English, French and German fables. The first extant versions of the cycle date from the second half of the 12th century. The genre was popular throughout the Late Middle Ages, as ...

893-Volkswagen , 19 May 1996 , 57.9272s , - , Calder Park Raceway, Club Circuit , , Lucio Cesario ,

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under t ...

RT3-Volkswagen , , 42.0200s , - , - , Mallala Motorsport Park , 2.20 km , Barry Ward , Reynard 893-Volkswagen , , 1m07.3s , - ,

Morgan Park Raceway Morgan Park Raceway is a motorsports complex located at Old Stanthorpe Road near Warwick, in Queensland, Australia and is operated by the Warwick District Sporting Car Club Inc. The venue features a race circuit with five different layouts. Th ...

, 2.1 km , Barclay Holden , Van Dieman F2 , 1 March 2008 , 1m01.4639 , - , Oran Park Raceway, South Circuit , 1.96 km , Arthur Abrahams , Reynard 933 , 18 July 1993 , 0:39.9000 , - ,

Sandown Raceway Sandown International Raceway is a motor racing circuit in the suburb of Springvale in Melbourne, Victoria, approximately south east of the city centre. Sandown is considered a power circuit with its " drag strip" front and back straights be ...

, 3.1 km , Barry Ward , Reynard-Volkswagen , 19 May 1991 , 1m:14.47 , - ,

Winton Motor Raceway Winton Motor Raceway is a motor racing track in Winton, near Benalla, Victoria, Australia. History The Benalla Auto Club began planning for a permanent racing track around 1958, as a replacement for their existing track at Barjarg. In 1960 i ...

, National Circuit , 3.0 km , Paul Stephenson ,

Dallara Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Italy he created "D ...

-Volkswagen , June 1999 , 1m23.8310s , - ,

Symmons Plains Raceway Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about south of Launceston, Tasmania. Since the closure of the Longford circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility. The circuit is one of the ...

, 2.4 km , Jonathan Crooke , Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW , 9 March 1996 , 54.73s , - , Baskerville Raceway , 2.01 km , Jonathan Crooke , Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW , 16 March 1986 , 50.24s , - , Surfers Paradise International Raceway , 3.2 km , Jonathan Crooke , Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW , 18 May 1986 , 1m07.3s , - , Oran Park , 2.62 km , Jonathan Crooke , Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW , 8 June 1986 , 1m05.8s , - ,

Lakeside International Raceway Lakeside Park, formerly known as Lakeside International Raceway is a motor racing circuit located in Kurwongbah, Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. It is north of Brisbane, and lies adjacent to Lake Kurwongbah. The circuit was known ...

, 2.4 km , Jonathan Crooke /

Arthur Abrahams Arthur Abrahams) is a semi-retired Australian race car driver. He won the 1987, 1991 and 1993 Australian Formula 2 Championships driving a Cheetah Mk8, Ransburg Cheetah and Reynard 913 respectively. he also won the Australian group C touring ...

, Cheetah Mk8 - Judd Golf VW , 15 June 1986 , 50.6s , - , Sandown Raceway , 3.9 km , Arthur Abrahams , Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW , 14 September 1986 , 1m40.2s , - ,

Amaroo Park Amaroo Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit located in Annangrove, New South Wales, in the present-day north-western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1967, the road circuit served as a venue for a variety of competitions including t ...

, 1.946 km , Arthur Abrahams , Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW , 21 June 1987 , 46.52s , - , Winton Motor Raceway, Short Circuit , 2.03 km , Arthur Abrahams , Ransberg Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW , December 1988 , 56.9600s , - ,

Eastern Creek Raceway Sydney Motorsport Park (known until May 2012 as Eastern Creek International Raceway) is a motorsport circuit located on Brabham Drive, Eastern Creek (40-kilometres west of the Sydney CBD), New South Wales, Australia, adjacent to the Western Sy ...

, 3.93 km , Arthur Abrahams , Ransberg Cheetah - Golf VW , 25 August 1991 , 1m29.3500s , -, ,

Wakefield Park Wakefield Park Raceway was a motor racing circuit located near Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. It is named after Charles Wakefield, the founder of Castrol. The founders of Wakefield Park, John Carter and amateur racer and former ...

, 2.2 km , Craig Smith , Cheetah Mk8 - Golf VW , 16 September 2001 , 59.0361s , -, ,

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1956. History Road circuit Motor racing on Phillip Island began in 1928 with t ...

, 4.445 km , Chas Jacobsen , , 28 July 1999 , 1m33.4389s

List of manufacturers raced in Australian Formula 2

Australian manufacturers

Arbyen, Argus, ASP, Avanti, B.A.E.,

Birrana Birrana was the name of two motor racing organisations, both associated with South Australian racing driver and engineer Malcolm Ramsay. From 1971 to 1978 Birrana constructed a series of successful open-wheel racing cars as well as a Holden V8 ...

, Bowin, CBS,

, Crabtree, CRD,

Elfin Elfin may refer to: * ELFIN, a CubeSat developed by University of California, Los Angeles * Elfin (steamboat), a steamboat that ran on Lake Washington from 1891 to 1900 * Elfin of Alt Clut, ruler of Alt Clut, seventh century Scotland *Elfin, a cha ...

, Fielding, Hardman, HTG,

Kaditcha Kaditcha was an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company, formed by Queensland engineer Barry Lock, made open wheel and sports car racing cars, including cars for Formula 5000, Formula Pacific and Australian Formula 2. Sports cars The pe ...

, Liston, Macon, Mantis, Mildren, PBS,

Rennmax The Rennmax name was applied to a series of open wheel racing cars and sports racing cars constructed by Rennmax Engineering in Sydney, Australia between 1962 and 1978.Tony Davis, The Macquarie Dictionary of Motoring, 1986, pages 402-403 Rennmax ...

, Richards, SAM, Sirch, Wren.

International manufacturers

Brabham Brabham () is the common name for Motor Racing Developments Ltd., a British racing car manufacturer and Formula One racing team. Founded in 1960 by Australian driver Jack Brabham and British-Australian designer Ron Tauranac, the team won four ...

Chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

Lola Lola may refer to: Places * Lolá, a or subdistrict of Panama * Lola Township, Cherokee County, Kansas, United States * Lola Prefecture, Guinea * Lola, Guinea, a town in Lola Prefecture * Lola Island, in the Solomon Islands People * Lola ...

, Lotus, Magnum,

March March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

McLaren McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor, the second oldest active team, and the second most successful Formul ...

, Tiga,

Van Diemen Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, United Kingdom. The company had a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula For ...

Famous alumni (non-champions)

John Bowe,

Peter Brock Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, a ...

Alfredo Costanzo Alfredo Costanzo (born 3 January 1943, in Calabria, Italy) is a retired Italian born Australian racing driver. From 1980 to 1983 Costanzo won four Australian Drivers' Championships in a row, equalling the record set by Bib Stillwell from 1962 ...

Glenn Seton Glenn Seton (born 5 May 1965) is an Australian racing driver. He won the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1993 and 1997 while driving for his own team. Although he never won the Bathurst 1000 like his father Barry did in 1965, Glenn s ...

Andrew Miedecke Miedecke Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team that is competing in Australian GT. It has previously competed in touring car racing between 1987 and 1989, and an earlier form of the team also competed in open wheel racing between 1981 ...

References

*''CAMS Manual of Motor Sport''
Confederation of Australian Motor Sport

External links

Australian Formula 2 Club

Australian Formula 2 Rules

Australian Formula 2 Championship 1971-1979 on OldRacingCars.com
Formula racing Motorsport categories in Australia