{"id":497791,"date":"2018-09-07T11:48:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T18:48:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/\/?p=64646"},"modified":"2023-12-12T04:51:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T04:51:46","slug":"launch-for-f5000-tasman-cup-revival-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/launch-for-f5000-tasman-cup-revival-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (2018) – Launch for F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

F5000 stalwarts Kevin Bartlett, Howden Ganley and Ken Smith used a visit to a very special workshop in Salinas, California, during the Monterey Motorsport Reunion, to help officially launch the 16th<\/sup> annual SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series.<\/p>\n

This season\u2019s series again kicks off with a round at the ITM Auckland SuperSprint Virgin Australia Supercars meeting at Pukekohe Park Raceway over the November 3-4 weekend.<\/p>\n

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Ken Smith at Hampton Downs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is then a break until an Antipodean mid-summer run of three meetings over three consecutive weekends starting with the annual Historic Grand Prix at Taupo\u2019s Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park (Jan 19-20, 2019)\u00a0 before heading north to support the Toyota Racing Series at the HRC\/TRS meeting at Hampton Downs on Jan 26-27, then south to Christchurch\u2019s Mike Pero Motorsport Park, at Ruapuna, to headline the annual Skope Classic on February 2 & 13.\u00a0Hampton Downs then hosts the season\u2019s series final, at the \u00a0HRC\u2019s big Legends of Speed meeting on March 23-24.<\/p>\n

Though the calendar has been ratified for a few weeks, members of the committee that organizes the series thought they would wait until after the two big Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion meetings in the U.S. before officially announcing the 2018\/19 date\/venue info.<\/p>\n

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Kevin Bartlett, Howden Ganley and Ken Smith.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Committee spokesman David Abbott said,\u00a0\u201cBecause they (Kevin Bartlett, Howden Ganley and Ken Smith) were heading to Salinas we decided to do it there. And it worked very well. It is honestly unbelievable the interest there is in our little series up here in the \u2018States and even if we don\u2019t receive entries from \u2013 in particular \u2013 some of the US-based guys this coming season, I think you will find we will in 2019\/20.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReally, I can\u2019t overestimate how important it has been for us to be here with a field of quick, reliable, well-driven cars. It\u2019s really put us on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legendary Australian single-seater ace Kevin Bartlett and Kiwis Ganley and Smith were invited to visit the workshop in the city of Salinas of Nick Slade, the son of Bob Slade, a New Zealand-born race engineer and race engine builder with close links to the UOP Shadow team of the late Don Nichols.<\/p>\n

Fourteen Kiwis from the SAS Autoparts MSC NZ F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series shipped their F5000 cars to the United States this year to help celebrate the official US 50th<\/sup> anniversary of the category at the annual Rolex Monterey Motorsports Pre-Reunion and Reunion meetings at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca circuit in Northern California this month.<\/p>\n