Formula Vee
Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Brazil and Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a popular open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford or Formula BMW.
On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg, all Formula 1 champions, raced Formula Vees in Europe 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.
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]
In 2008, a brand new ready-to-race car would cost about US$15,000. The car could be bought as a kit for about US$8,000, minus the Volkswagen parts. It costs approximately US$700 per race to maintain.
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.
In 2021, the Formula Vee was developed and released for the iRacing simulation software as a free vehicle available for all users.
Variants[]
Variants of the Formula Vee rules exist in the Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Germany 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.[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[]
Year | Driver | Car |
---|---|---|
1964 | Lewis Kerr | |
1965 | Beach 5 | |
1966 | Bill Campbell | Zink |
1967 | Bill Campbell | Zink |
1968 | Bill Scott | Zink |
1969 | Bill Scott | Zink |
1970 | Zink | |
1971 | Lynx | |
1972 | Autodynamics | |
1973 | Zink | |
1974 | Harry MacDonald | Lynx |
1975 | Lynx B | |
1976 | Agitator | |
1977 | Lynx B | |
1978 | ||
1979 | Wayne Moore | Zink |
1980 | Wayne Moore † | Zink Z12.5 |
1981 | ||
1982 | Bill Noble | Caracal |
1983 | Zink Z12 | |
1984 | † | Zink Z12 |
1985 | Citation 85V | |
1986 | Caracal D | |
1987 | Stevan Davis † | |
1988 | Caracal D | |
1989 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
1990 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
1991 | Mysterian | |
1992 | Stevan Davis | |
1993 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
1994 | Bill Noble | Caracal C |
1995 | Jon Adams | |
1996 | Jaques Lazier | Mysterian M2 |
1997 | Caracal D | |
1998 | † | Protoform |
1999 | Mysterian M2 | |
2000 | Mysterian M2 | |
2001 | Vortech | |
2002 | Vortech | |
2003 | Vortech | |
2004 | † | Vortech |
2005 | Vortech | |
2006 | Vortech | |
2007 | Vortech | |
2008 | Vortech | |
2009 | ||
2010 | VDF | |
2011 | Mysterian M2 | |
2012 | ||
2013 | ||
2014 | VDF | |
2015 | ||
2016 | ||
2017 | ||
2018 | † | |
2019 | Protoform P2 | |
2020 | Vortech |
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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 1965–present | |||
Canada | 1965–present | |||
2015–present | Also competes in the United States of America. | |||
2013–2014 | Also competed in the United States of America. This series became the Challenge Cup Series. | |||
Ireland | Unknown-present | |||
Brazil | 2011-present | |||
New Zealand | Formula First New Zealand Championship Series | 1967-present | ||
South Africa | 1966–present | Longest running motor racing championship in South Africa | ||
United Kingdom | 1967–present | |||
1979–present | ||||
United States | Formula Vee at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs | 1964–present | Oldest Formula Vee event in the world. | |
2015–present | Also competes in the Canada. | |||
Unknown-present | ||||
2013–2014 | Also competed in Canada. This series became the Challenge Cup Series. |
See also[]
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Formula Vee. |
- 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.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
- Historische Formel Vau Europa
References[]
- ^ http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com
- ^ (SCCA GCR 2010 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.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- Formula racing
- Sports Car Club of America
- Motorsport categories in Australia
- Volkswagen Beetle modifications
- Volkswagen in motorsport