Formula Vee
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
The class is based on a pre-1963 Volkswagen Beetle, utilizing a collection of the 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 chassis is a tube frame design and the body is fiberglass or carbon fiber. The intention of this class is for the average person to build and maintain the car.
Over the years, the rules have evolved to improve performance, lower cost, or to allow replacement of discontinued parts. In 2003, Grassroots Motorsports presented Formula Vee with the Editors' Choice Award.[1]
A top-running Formula Vee 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 "50-55,000 Australian dollars" (approximately $US 37,000), with competitive second-hand cars costing much less. 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 the Formula Vee as a class.
Variants
Variants of the Formula Vee rules exist in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, UK & Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Particularly notable is Formula First, raced 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.
(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
| Year | Driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 |  Lewis Kerr | Formcar |
| 1965 | Dan Fowler | Beach 5 |
| 1966 | Bill Campbell | Zink |
| 1967 | Bill Campbell | Zink |
| 1968 | Bill Scott | Zink |
| 1969 | Bill Scott | Zink |
| 1970 | Harry Ingle | Zink |
| 1971 | Garret Van Camp | Lynx |
| 1972 | Dave Weitzenhof | Autodynamics |
| 1973 | Rollin Butler | Zink |
| 1974 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Harry MacDonald | Lynx |
| 1975 | Mike Frangkiser | Lynx B |
| 1976 | James Brookshire | Agitator |
| 1977 | Mike Frangkiser | Lynx B |
| 1978 | Don Courtney | Vista Bushwaker |
| 1979 | Wayne Moore | Zink |
| 1980 | Wayne Moore † | Zink Z12.5 |
| 1981 | Don Courtney | Vista Bushwaker |
| 1982 | Bill Noble | Caracal |
| 1983 | George Fizell | Zink Z12 |
| 1984 | George Fizell † | Zink Z12 |
| 1985 | Scott Rubenzer | Citation 85V |
| 1986 | George Fizell | Caracal D |
| 1987 | Stevan Davis † | Racer's Wedge |
| 1988 | George Fizell | Caracal D |
| 1989 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
| 1990 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
| 1991 | Skip Streets | Mysterian |
| 1992 | Stevan Davis | Racer's Wage |
| 1993 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
| 1994 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
| 1995 | Jon Adams | Adams Aero |
| 1996 | Jaques Lazier | Mysterian M2 |
| 1997 | Jonathan Rufener | Caracal D |
| 1998 | Brad Stout † | Protoform |
| 1999 | Roger Siebenaler | Mysterian M2 |
| 2000 | Roger Siebenaler | Mysterian M2 |
| 2001 | Brad Stout | Vortech |
| 2002 | Brad Stout | Vortech |
| 2003 | Stephen Oseth | Vortech |
| 2004 | Jeff Loughead † | Vortech |
| 2005 | Brad Stout | Vortech |
| 2006 | Stephen Oseth | Vortech |
| 2007 | Stephen Oseth | Vortech |
| 2008 | Brad Stout | Vortech |
| 2009 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2010 | Rick Shields | VDF |
| 2011 | Roger Siebenaler | Mysterian M2 |
| 2012 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2013 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2014 | Rick Shields | VDF |
| 2015 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2016 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2017 | Michael Varacins | Speed Sport AM-5 |
| 2018 | Michael Varacins † | Speed Sport AM- |
| 2019 | Andrew Whitston | Protoform P2 |
| 2020 | Chris Jennerjahn | Vortech |
| 2021 | Andrew Whitston | Protoform P2 |
| 2022 | Brian Farnham | Silver Bullet FR-S |
Michael Varacins has the most titles with seven.
† Denotes President's Cup Winner
List of Formula Vee championships and Events
| Country | Series/Event Name | Active Years | Additional Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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 | ||
 Ireland |
Selco.ie National Championship Series | Unknown-present | ||
 Brazil |
Campeonato Paulista de Formula Vee | 2011-present | ||
| Copa ECPA | Unknown-present | |||
| Fórmula Vee Open | 2021-present | Exclusively for beginners | ||
 New Zealand |
Formula First New Zealand Championship Series | 1967-present | ||
 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 the 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. |
External links
- http://www.nefv.org/ Northeast Formula Vee USA https://www.facebook.com/groups/nefv.org
- Challenge Cup Series (US, South Africa & Brazil collaboration)
- Formula First USA
- formulaveeracing.org (US)
- formulavee.us (US)
- ApexSpeed.com (US)
- Formula Vee (Ireland)
- Australian Formula Vee Website
- Australian Formula Vee Specifications
- New Zealand Formula First (née Formula Vee)
- Formula Vee (UK)
- 750 Motor Club (UK organising club)
- Formula 1200 – Canada
- Formula Vee at Curlie
- Formula Vee South Africa
- Historic Formula Vee in Australia Archived 2009-03-02 at the Wayback Machine
- Historische Formel Vau Europa
- Formula Vee Brazil
References
- "Grassroots Motorsports | Sports Car Magazine".
- (SCCA GCR 2022 specs) Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
- "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) - 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.