Formula Vee

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Olympic Formula Vee racing at Nurburgring in 1969 WernerHannelore-OlympicFormelV19690801-1.jpg
Olympic Formula Vee racing at Nürburgring in 1969
2008 Formula Vee 45th Birthday Party at Roebling Road Raceway Picture of the 2008 Formula V 45th Anniversary Reunion.jpg
2008 Formula Vee 45th Birthday Party at Roebling Road Raceway

Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a popular open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford.

Contents

On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg, all Formula 1 champions, and Scott Dixon, a six-time IndyCar champion, raced Formula Vees in Europe, New Zealand, or America at the beginning of their careers. In Australia, V8 Supercar drivers Larry Perkins, Colin Bond, John Blanchard, John Bowe, Jason Bargwanna and Paul Stokell were also racers in Formula Vee.

Formula First, raced in the US and New Zealand, employs the same chassis, but with upgraded motor, brakes and steering. Australia’s modern Formula Vee car rules are the definition for Formula First in these countries

Description

The class is based on the pre-1963 Volkswagen Beetle, utilizing a collection of stock parts to form a competitive race car around a purpose-built tube frame and racing tires. The VW engine, transmission, front suspension, brakes, and wheels are stock or modified stock parts. The body is fiberglass or carbon fiber. The intention of this class is for the average person to be able to build and maintain the car.[ citation needed ]

2004 SCCA National Championships Runoffs Winner Jeff Loughead Jeff Loughead FV.jpg
2004 SCCA National Championships Runoffs Winner Jeff Loughead

Over the years, the rules have evolved to improve performance, lower cost, and to allow the replacement of discontinued parts. In 2003, Grassroots Motorsports presented Formula Vee with the Editors' Choice Award. [1]

Unlike many open-wheel formulas, Formula Vee cars are not permitted to use wings or ground effect to produce aerodynamic downforce. The lack of these features, the limited engine power, and the similar performance of the cars makes taking advantage of slipstreaming a key tactic.[ citation needed ]

A top-running Formula Vee car will go 190 km/h (120 mph) and corner at about 1.6 g. It weighs a minimum of 465 kg (1,025 lb) with driver or 500 kg (1,100 lb) with driver as raced in the Australian 1,600 cc (98 cu in) specification. [2] [3]

Purchasing and running a Formula Vee car is relatively affordable compared to most motorsport categories. In 2022, a brand-new race car for the Australian Formula Vee series was estimated to cost approximately AU$50,000 to AU$55,000 (approximately $US37,000), with competitive second-hand cars costing much less.[ citation needed ] Renting a car for a race meeting was estimated at $A1000 (approximately $US700). [4]

Each year, Formula Vee is one of the classes at the SCCA Runoffs, which awards a national championship. While it is primarily a class in the Sports Car Club of America, many other organizations have adopted Formula Vee as a class.[ citation needed ]

Variants

Variants of the Formula Vee rules exist in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, the UK & Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Particularly notable is Formula First, racing in the US and New Zealand, which employs the same chassis, but with later model Beetle parts, a larger 1,600 cc (98 cu in) motor (New Zealand uses the 1,200 cc [73 cu in] variant) and other upgraded components such as disc brakes rack and pinion steering.[ citation needed ]

(Formula Super Vee, although initially similar, soon moved to water-cooled 1.6-litre (98 cu in) VW four-cylinder engines for higher-tech and faster cars).

SCCA Runoffs Winners

YearDriverCar
1964 Flag of the United States.svg Lewis KerrFormcar
1965 Flag of the United States.svg Dan FowlerBeach 5
1966 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Campbell Zink
1967 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Campbell Zink
1968 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Scott Zink
1969 Flag of the United States.svg Bill Scott Zink
1970 Flag of the United States.svg Harry Ingle Zink
1971 Flag of the United States.svg Garret Van CampLynx
1972 Flag of the United States.svg Dave WeitzenhofAutodynamics
1973 Flag of the United States.svg Rollin Butler Zink
1974 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Harry MacDonald Lynx
1975 Flag of the United States.svg Mike FrangkiserLynx B
1976 Flag of the United States.svg James BrookshireAgitator
1977 Flag of the United States.svg Mike FrangkiserLynx B
1978 Flag of the United States.svg Don CourtneyVista Bushwaker
1979 Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Moore Zink
1980 Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Moore † Zink Z12.5
1981 Flag of the United States.svg Don CourtneyVista Bushwaker
1982 Flag of the United States.svg Bill NobleCaracal
1983 Flag of the United States.svg George Fizell Zink Z12
1984 Flag of the United States.svg George Fizell † Zink Z12
1985 Flag of the United States.svg Scott RubenzerCitation 85V
1986 Flag of the United States.svg George FizellCaracal D
1987 Flag of the United States.svg Stevan Davis †Racer's Wedge
1988 Flag of the United States.svg George FizellCaracal D
1989 Flag of the United States.svg Bill NobleCaracal C
1990 Flag of the United States.svg Bill NobleCaracal C
1991 Flag of the United States.svg Skip StreetsMysterian
1992 Flag of the United States.svg Stevan DavisRacer's Wage
1993 Flag of the United States.svg Bill NobleCaracal C
1994 Flag of the United States.svg Bill NobleCaracal C
1995 Flag of the United States.svg Jon AdamsAdams Aero
1996 Flag of the United States.svg Jaques Lazier Mysterian M2
1997 Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan RufenerCaracal D
1998 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Stout †Protoform
1999 Flag of the United States.svg Roger SiebenalerMysterian M2
2000 Flag of the United States.svg Roger SiebenalerMysterian M2
2001 Flag of the United States.svg Brad StoutVortech
2002 Flag of the United States.svg Brad StoutVortech
2003 Flag of the United States.svg Stephen OsethVortech
2004 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Loughead †Vortech
2005 Flag of the United States.svg Brad StoutVortech
2006 Flag of the United States.svg Stephen OsethVortech
2007 Flag of the United States.svg Stephen OsethVortech
2008 Flag of the United States.svg Brad StoutVortech
2009 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2010 Flag of the United States.svg Rick ShieldsVDF
2011 Flag of the United States.svg Roger SiebenalerMysterian M2
2012 Flag of the United States.svg Michael VaracinsSpeed Sport AM-5
2013 Flag of the United States.svg Michael VaracinsSpeed Sport AM-5
2014 Flag of the United States.svg Rick ShieldsVDF
2015 Flag of the United States.svg Michael VaracinsSpeed Sport AM-5
2016 Flag of the United States.svg Michael VaracinsSpeed Sport AM-5
2017 Flag of the United States.svg Michael VaracinsSpeed Sport AM-5
2018 Flag of the United States.svg Michael Varacins †Speed Sport AM-
2019 Flag of the United States.svg Andrew WhitstonProtoform P2
2020 Flag of the United States.svg Chris JennerjahnVortech
2021 Flag of the United States.svg Andrew WhitstonProtoform P2
2022 Flag of the United States.svg Brian FarnhamSilver Bullet FR-S
2023 Flag of the United States.svg Andrew WhitstonProtoform P3


Michael Varacins has the most titles with seven.

† Denotes President's Cup Winner

List of Formula Vee championships and Events

CountrySeries/Event NameActive YearsAdditional Information
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Formula Vee Australia Series 1965–present
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Formula 1200 Championship Series 1965–present
Challenge Cup Series 2015–presentAlso competes in the United States of America.
Autumn Challenge Cup Series 2013–2014Also competed in the United States of America. This series became the Challenge Cup Series.
Pacific Challenge Cup Series 2022-PresentAlso competes in the United States of America. This series is held on the West Coast of Canada and the USA
Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland Selco.ie National Championship Series Unknown-present
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil Campeonato Paulista de Formula Vee 2011-present
Copa ECPAUnknown-present
Fórmula Vee Open2021-presentExclusively for beginners
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand Formula First New Zealand Championship Series 1967-present
Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa Formula Vee Championship 1966–presentLongest running motor racing championship in South Africa
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Formula Vee Championship Series 1967–present
750 Motor Club Formula Vee Championship 1979–present
Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States Formula Vee at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs 1964–presentOldest Formula Vee event in the world.
Challenge Cup Series 2015–presentAlso competes in Canada.
Northeast Formula Vee Championship Series Unknown-present
Autumn Challenge Cup Series 2013–2014Also competed in Canada. This series became the Challenge Cup Series.

See also

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References

  1. "Grassroots Motorsports | Sports Car Magazine".
  2. (SCCA GCR 2022 specs) Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-04-28. Retrieved 2013-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. McCarthy, Dan (2022-01-02). "The Cost of Racing: Formula Vee". Auto Action. Archived from the original on 2022-05-30. Retrieved 2022-05-30.