After 12 years the Tasman Series had done its dash and 1976 came around with poor F5000 fields and the Kiwi and Australians doing their own thing. Previously drivers and teams had enjoyed competing on both sides of the Tasman over eight rounds.
Now New Zealand ran a four-race Peter Stuyvesant Series while the Australians run their own four-round Rothmans Series. At least they weren’t run at the same time with the Australia races starting a week after the last race in NZ at Teretonga Park, Invercargill.
It was a year of change for the Formula 5000 category. For some time, F1 drivers had stopped heading down-under for their ‘winter’ and cost started spiralling out of control. 1976 would be the last season for the class in NZ while the Australians would keep with it for a number of years.
The current US F5000 champion Brian Redman competed in all four NZ races but not in an F5000. Instead, he drove a Chevron B29 F2 car powered by a 2.0 litre BMW engine. Aged forty, Redman thought he would be able to compete with the F5000s.
Little did we know that the future would be in four instead of eight cylinders with Formula Pacific becoming the leading category from 1977 through to 1982 with a 1.6 litre four cylinder power plant.
1976 was Ken Smith’s year, winning the NZ Grand Prix, the Lady Wigram Trophy race and the overall Peter Stuyvesant Series title. Notable absence from the field was three-time Tasman Series winner Graham McRae. Some say that the organisers didn’t want him, that he was too fast.
Overall Points table – 1976 Peter Stuyvesant Series
| Driver | Nat | P | M | W | T | Points |
| Ken Smith | NZ | 9 | 9 | 6 | 24 | |
| Bruce Allison | Aust | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Jim Murdoch | NZ | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | |
| Kevin Bartlett | Aust | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 | |
| Graeme Lawrence | NZ | 9 | 9 | |||
| Brian Redman | UK | 3 | 6 | 9 | ||
| Paul Bernasconi | Aust | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | |
| Max Stewart | Aust | 9 | 9 | |||
| John Edmonds | Aust | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Graham Baker | NZ | 2 | 2 | |||
| Baron Robertson | NZ | 1 | 1 |
Round 1 – Pukekohe Park Raceway, NZ Grand Prix meeting, 4 January 1976 – 58 laps of 2.816kms (163.33kms)
| Result | Driver | Nat | Car | Laps | Time |
| 1 | Ken Smith | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 58 | 61m 42.5s |
| 2 | Bruce Allison | Aust | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 58 | 62m 02.0s |
| 3 | Kevin Bartlett | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 57 | |
| 4 | Brian Redman | UK | Chevron B29 / BMW 2000cc 4cyl | 57 | |
| 5 | Jim Murdoch | NZ | Begg 018 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 56 | |
| 6 | Paul Bernasconi | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 55 | |
| 7 | Baron Robertson | NZ | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 48 | |
| 8 | John McCormack | Aust | Elfin MR6 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 48 | |
| 9 | John Edmonds | Aust | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 43 | |
| 10 | Robbie Booth | NZ | Katipo M70 / Ford 4940cc V8 | 40 | |
| Ret | Graeme Lawrence | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 29 | Engine |
| Ret | Max Stewart | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 29 | Oil Loss |
| DNQ | Ross Calgher | NZ | McLaren M4A / Cosworth 1840cc 4cyl | ||
| DNQ | Peter Hughes | NZ | Brabham BT29 / Fiat 1600cc 4cyl | ||
| DNA | Graham Baker | NZ | Begg FM5 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | ||
| DNA | Gary Love | NZ | Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 |
Round 2 – Manfeild International, Manfeild Park, Feilding 11 January 1976 – 50 laps of 3.025kms (151.27kms)
| Result | Driver | Nat | Car | Laps | Time |
| 1 | Max Stewart | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 50 | 1hr 0m 26.4s |
| 2 | Brian Redman | UK | Chevron B29 / BMW 2000cc 4cyl | 50 | 1hr 0m 38.2s |
| 3 | Bruce Allison | Aust | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 50 | 1hr 1m 31.6s |
| 4 | Paul Bernasconi | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 49 | |
| 5 | Graham Baker | NZ | Begg FM5 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 48 | |
| 6 | Kevin Bartlett | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 47 | |
| 7 | Baron Robertson | NZ | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 47 | |
| 8 | Graeme Lawrence | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 46 | |
| 9 | Ken Smith | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 45 | |
| 10 | Robbie Booth | NZ | Katipo M70 / Ford 4940cc V8 | 42 | |
| 11 | Ross Calgher | NZ | McLaren M4A / Cosworth 1840cc 4cyl | 38 | |
| Ret | John Edmonds | Aust | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 21 | Puncture |
| DNS | Frank Radisich | NZ | March 722 / Mazda 13B 2700cc Rotary | 0 | Engine |
| DNS | Jim Murdoch | NZ | Begg 018 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | Accident | |
| DNQ | Gary Love | NZ | Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 |
Round 3 – Lady Wigram Trophy Race – Wigram Airfield, Christchurch, 18 January 1976 – 44 laps of 3.43kms (150.9kms)
| Result | Driver | Nat | Car | Laps | Time |
| 1 | Ken Smith | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 44 | 51m 53.9s |
| 2 | Jim Murdoch | NZ | Begg 018 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 43 | |
| 3 | Paul Bernasconi | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 43 | |
| 4 | Bruce Allison | Aust | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 43 | |
| 5 | John Edmonds | Aust | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 40 | |
| 6 | Baron Robertson | NZ | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 29 | |
| 7 | Gary Love | NZ | Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 14 | |
| Ret | Brian Redman | UK | Chevron B29 / BMW 2000cc 4cyl | 4 | Engine |
| Ret | Kevin Bartlett | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 3 | Oil Pump |
| Ret | Max Stewart | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 3 | Oil Pump |
| Ret | Graham Baker | NZ | Begg FM5 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 3 | Piston |
| DNS | Graeme Lawrence | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | Engine | |
| DNS | Neil Doyle | NZ | Surtees TS9 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | Engine |
Round 4 – Teretonga International, Teretonga Park, Invercargill, 25 January 1976 – 62 laps of 2.575kms (159.65kms)
| Result | Driver | Nat | Car | Laps | Time |
| 1 | Graeme Lawrence | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 62 | 56m 56.6s |
| 2 | Ken Smith | NZ | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 62 | 57m 34.6s |
| 3 | Kevin Bartlett | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 61 | |
| 4 | Bruce Allison | Aust | Lola T332 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 61 | |
| 5 | Jim Murdoch | NZ | Begg 018 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 59 | |
| 6 | John Edmonds | Aust | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 55 | |
| 7 | Baron Robertson | NZ | Elfin MR5 / Repco 4994cc V8 | 53 | |
| Ret | Max Stewart | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 52 | Engine |
| Ret | Brian Redman | UK | Chevron B29 / BMW 2000cc 4cyl | 42 | Wheel Studs |
| NC | Paul Bernasconi | Aust | Lola T400 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 | 39 | |
| DNQ | Gary Love | NZ | Begg FM4 / Chevrolet 4995cc V8 |
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