thumb|right|Olympic Formula Vee racing at [[Nürburgring in 1969]]
thumb|right|2008 Formula Vee 45th Birthday Party at [[Roebling Road Raceway]]
Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is an 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 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.
thumb|left|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.
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.
The engines are based on either the 1200cc or 1600cc variants of the Volkswagen Beetle engine. Unlike many amateur categories, competitors are permitted to build and tune their engines themselves, within strict limitations on the extent of modifications from stock permitted. The 1600cc engines used in the Australian Formula Vee series produce approximately "70-75hp";
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. Renting a car for a race meeting was estimated at $A1000 (approximately $US700).
In the US, 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.
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 motor (New Zealand uses the variant) and other upgraded components such as disc brakes and rack and pinion steering.
(Formula Super Vee, although initially similar, soon moved to water-cooled VW four-cylinder engines for higher-tech and faster cars).
Video links
SCCA Runoffs coverage by year on YouTube
List of Formula Vee championships and Events
{|class="wikitable"
!Country
!Series/Event Name
!Active Years
!Additional information
|-
| Australia
|Multiple state-based championships, see Formula Vee in Australia
|1965–present
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |
|Formula 1200 Championship Series
|1965–present
|
|-
|Challenge Cup Series
|2015–present
| US-based series that collaborates with F1200. See US section for info.
|-
|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
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 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
|-
|rowspan=2|
|Formula Vee Championship Series
|1967–present
|
|-
|750 Motor Club Formula Vee Championship
|1979–present
|
|-
| rowspan="5" |
|Formula Vee at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs
FormulaVeeRacingUSA
|1964- present
| The SCCA Runoffs is the oldest Formula Vee event in the world, and SCCA holds both Regional & National level races all over the US.
|-
|Challenge Cup Series FB
|2015- present
| Based in the Mid-Atlantic region. Also competes in Southeast US with Driverz Cup & in Canada with F1200, started as the Autumn Challenge Cup Series 2013-2014. Runs on radial tires.
|-
|Driverz Cup Series FB
|2018- present
| Southeast-based Challenge Cup Series sibling. Runs on radial tires.
|-
|Northeast Formula Vee Championship Series FB
|Unknown-present
|Holds events in the New England region.
|-
|Pacific Challenge Cup Series FB
|2022- present
|Holds events in the West & Pacific Northwest region.
|}
External links
- Formula Vee Hall of Fame (US)
- Driverz Cup website Facebook group
- Pacific Challenge Cup CANADA/USA Facebook group
- Northeast Formula Vee (US) Facebook group
- Challenge Cup Series (US, South Africa & Brazil collaboration) Facebook group
- Formula First USA Facebook group
- 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 South Africa
- Historic Formula Vee in Australia
- Historische Formel Vau Europa
- Formula Vee Brazil