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Formula Vee

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Olympic Formula Vee racing at Nürburgring in 1969
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.

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

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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

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

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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

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Year Driver Car
1964 United States Lewis Kerr Formcar
1965 United States Dan Fowler Beach 5
1966 United States Bill Campbell Zink
1967 United States Bill Campbell Zink
1968 United States Bill Scott Zink
1969 United States Bill Scott Zink
1970 United States Harry Ingle Zink
1971 United States Garret Van Camp Lynx
1972 United States Dave Weitzenhof Autodynamics
1973 United States Rollin Butler Zink
1974 Canada Harry MacDonald Lynx
1975 United States Mike Frangkiser Lynx B
1976 United States James Brookshire Agitator
1977 United States Mike Frangkiser Lynx B
1978 United States Don Courtney Vista Bushwaker
1979 United States Wayne Moore Zink
1980 United States Wayne Moore † Zink Z12.5
1981 United States Don Courtney Vista Bushwaker
1982 United States Bill Noble Caracal
1983 United States George Fizell Zink Z12
1984 United States George Fizell † Zink Z12
1985 United States Scott Rubenzer Citation 85V
1986 United States George Fizell Caracal D
1987 United States Stevan Davis † Racer's Wedge
1988 United States George Fizell Caracal D
1989 United States Bill Noble Caracal C
1990 United States Bill Noble Caracal C
1991 United States Skip Streets Mysterian
1992 United States Stevan Davis Racer's Wage
1993 United States Bill Noble Caracal C
1994 United States Bill Noble Caracal C
1995 United States Jon Adams Adams Aero
1996 United States Jaques Lazier Mysterian M2
1997 United States Jonathan Rufener Caracal D
1998 United States Brad Stout † Protoform
1999 United States Roger Siebenaler Mysterian M2
2000 United States Roger Siebenaler Mysterian M2
2001 United States Brad Stout Vortech
2002 United States Brad Stout Vortech
2003 United States Stephen Oseth Vortech
2004 United States Jeff Loughead † Vortech
2005 United States Brad Stout Vortech
2006 United States Stephen Oseth Vortech
2007 United States Stephen Oseth Vortech
2008 United States Brad Stout Vortech
2009 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2010 United States Rick Shields VDF
2011 United States Roger Siebenaler Mysterian M2
2012 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2013 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2014 United States Rick Shields VDF
2015 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2016 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2017 United States Michael Varacins Speed Sport AM-5
2018 United States Michael Varacins † Speed Sport AM-
2019 United States Andrew Whitston Protoform P2
2020 United States Chris Jennerjahn Vortech
2021 United States Andrew Whitston Protoform P2
2022 United States Brian Farnham Silver Bullet FR-S
2023 United States Andrew Whitston Protoform P2
2024 United States Steve Whitston Protoform P2

Michael Varacins has the most titles with seven.

† Denotes President's Cup Winner

List of Formula Vee championships and Events

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Country Series/Event Name Active Years Additional Information
Australia Australia Formula Vee Australia Series 1965–present
 Canada Formula 1200 Championship Series 1965–present
Challenge Cup Series 2015–present Also competes in the United States of America.
Autumn Challenge Cup Series 2013–2014 Also competed in the United States of America. This series became the Challenge Cup Series.
Pacific Challenge Cup Series 2022–Present Also competes in the United States of America. This series is held on the West Coast of Canada and the USA
Republic of Ireland Ireland Selco.ie National Championship Series Unknown-present
Brazil Brazil Campeonato Paulista de Formula Vee 2011–present
Copa ECPA Unknown-present
Fórmula Vee Open 2021–present Exclusively for beginners
New Zealand New Zealand Formula First New Zealand Championship Series 1967–present
South Africa South Africa Formula Vee Championship 1966–present Longest running motor racing championship in South Africa
 United Kingdom Formula Vee Championship Series 1967–present
750 Motor Club Formula Vee Championship 1979–present
 United States Formula Vee at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs 1964–present Oldest Formula Vee event in the world.
Challenge Cup Series 2015–present Also competes in Canada.
Northeast Formula Vee Championship Series Unknown-present
Autumn Challenge Cup Series 2013–2014 Also competed in Canada. This series became the Challenge Cup Series.

See also

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References

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  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.