Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post Reply
aqualls
Posts: 92
Joined: January 27th, 2009, 9:24 pm

Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by aqualls »

(This was posted on http://www.formulaveeracing.org/Association.html)

Please complete the United States Formula Vee Driver’s Association Survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2AnUhmc6ikB8vL6h0Dqi5A_3d_3d

An Open Letter to Formula Vee, Formula First and Vintage Vee Drivers
By Anna De Cheke Qualls

I am a Formula Vee import by marriage and have observed it for only three seasons. In that time, I have grown to love this enduring class – after 45 years it can boast of graduating Formula One and Indy 500 drivers. I read Andy Schupack’s smart little book on the history of Formula Vee and Supervee and have tried to learn as much as I could in a short period of time. There is little doubt that Formula Vee is still the only open-wheeled racecar out there that tests the skills of a driver in the rawest sense while keeping the sport affordable.
I attended Formula Vee’s 45th birthday party last year and was reminded of what racing must have been like 30 years ago – the rumble of so many engines, the close-knit community and the intense competition. But this was a utopia, because when the sun went down on that Sunday night, we had to return to our regions to face lagging entries, and few new drivers.
When it comes to Formula Vee racing, I do not have institutional memory, I am not a driver, and perhaps I do not understand the complicated issues that lie beneath the sport’s 21st century struggles. But as an observer, I will say this – Formula Vee has lost its way in the United States. Its core mission was to serve a population of people who could not afford to race otherwise, while still making the class competitive.
Today’s driver spends too much on tires, engine rebuilds, available parts and technology. This contest toward supremacy is akin to the Nuclear Arms Race of the last century – those who spend the most do proportionally better than those who do not. If you want to make it to the Run-Offs you have to do certain things to get there – buy the best tires, stockpile parts and engines, and even outsource racecar maintenance and repair. And the average driver, taking his or her cues from the national drivers, is forced to buy the tire he or she cannot afford. The “little guy,” who just wants to race in his or her region, is squeezed out by rising costs, cannot compete and eventually gives up (and buys a Spec Miata).
More importantly, it is next to impossible to recruit new talent. What 22-year-old has $700 for a set of tires (three or four times per season) or $2000 - $4000 for a rebuild? In many ways, Formula Vee has become a sport for the well to-do. Without a minimum annual income it just isn’t possible to race a Vee. The original designers of the class, I think, would never have imagined the closed doors that new drivers face today. But it isn’t just the money – it’s more complicated than that.
Today’s American Vee is based on the 1200 engine – based on an obsolete vehicle. Spare parts are hard to come by (and thus more expensive), engine rebuilds cost more because some pieces have to be manufactured, and despite efforts by visionary people, the class does not use a spec tire. In Ireland, the class uses the 1600 engine, with Dunlop all-weather racing tires that last an entire season. Forgetting the demographic differences between the two countries for a second, let’s just treat their situation on face value.
The Irish have a Formula Vee Association. The majority of drivers are between 25 and 45 years of age. The association has an organized website (with a start-up package for new drivers), an executive body, a membership and a marketing scheme. They, not Motorsport Ireland, legislate Formula Vee racing – namely, sustain and amend the rules that govern the sport. Their active members have the final authority on rule changes with respect to engine specs, tires and other regulations. Engine builders, tire manufacturers, parts suppliers serve as advisors but do not have a vote. Through the association and its dynamic Chair, Trevor Grey, they strive to keep annual costs to a minimum: $770 for a set of tires, $2500 for entry fees, $1900 for test days, $400 for fuel, parts depending on season and an engine rebuild ($600 - $1800).
In order to curb rising costs, and lagging entries, Formula Vee in the United States needs this type of organization. SCCA is not to blame for our dwindling numbers. Having said that, the current decision-making structure for rule changes (i.e. the competition committee model) does not allow for communication with all FVee drivers. I take my hat off to guys like Stevan Davis, who started a Formula Vee Registry a couple of years ago. Perhaps this is how it begins – by drivers identifying themselves, rallying around a common interest and starting to organize. Or take someone like Bob Tupper, Driver’s Representative from the D.C. region. He recruited sponsors to help support the local Formula Vee racing series. He also attempted to introduce spec tires to the region, but again, because drivers took their lead from the national guys, the plan did not gain long-term traction.
I also have to mention the Maloneys – Hughie and John, hailing from Pennsylvania. They represent the “every man” in Formula Vee racing, those for whom the sport was intended. And they get it. They understand the sport’s current and long-term difficulties and they are doing something about it – recruiting. For the past few years they have pulled in new (and young) drivers to the D.C. region’s Formula Vee series – first it was their own children, then others. This fall Hughie showed up at Driver’s School with two more guys. I don’t know how they do it. But they do it because they love the sport – they love the sport like they loved it when they first started.
There are a lot of Maloneys out there and a lot of Maloney hopefuls – drivers who want to remain in the sport and those who just want to get started. Without a United States Formula Vee association, the sport may not survive. Drivers at the ground level need a chance to voice needs and weigh in on decisions that affect their longevity in the sport and their pocketbooks. Through a core group of talented individuals, discipline, a succession plan and an organization it is possible to examine these issues in a transparent and deliberate fashion.
Building a such community starts at the grassroots level. And just for the record, I am not volunteering. I do have some ideas that might be worth something. In today’s internet culture, we have an opportunity to get connected. For Formula Vee’s 45th birthday, somehow the organizers got the word out and people came. It is possible to build a listserv, a database of members, and a website. We can build online forms – even for submitting the annual vote. The association can charge a modest membership fee to sustain its minimal efforts – to publish a regular electronic newsletter or communication, organize an annual meeting and collect input from members regarding proposed rule changes, implement a modest recruitment plan to attract new drivers, and maintain a website, for example.
I would bet that these types of activities already occur within the various Formula Vee regions. However, I can only attest to the D.C. region in this regard. The drivers have a listserv, a sponsored racing series as mentioned before, a professional brochure that markets Vees to new drivers and a recruiting website (http://www.formulaveeracing.org). This past year the D.C. region posted an average of 17.3 Formula Vees per race, which these days, may be one of the best in the nation. (And this is an improvement over 2007, when the average was 16.3 cars per race.) Five new Vees attended this fall’s Driver’s School. So there is a lot of best practices abroad and at home.
I have to conclude this long scribble by giving it a “raison d’etre.” This past racing season I met a young man at the birthday party, who made the pilgrimage to Savannah, with the hope of starting in Formula Vee. He is 23 years old, making less then $30K per year, and living at home. He builds engines for unmanned aircraft, which makes him one of the smartest people I know. He bought a Vee for $1500 on eBay because that’s all he could afford. As you might imagine, the car was not drivable. It just needed too much work and money.
He was able to go to fall Driver’s School thanks to a legend named Ed Impink, who donated his own Vee, so that this young man could share in an experience, call it the “endless fever,” that for Ed started in 1967 with his own Driver’s School instructor, Bill Scott. Ed gets it, too. Vee’s visionary designers meant for the sport to be shared and proliferated. Given the current economic situation and the state of the sport, it is time to remind ourselves of these core values. And rather than rely solely on the good Samaritan efforts of the Tuppers, Maloneys and Impinks of this world, it makes sense to build a national network of drivers that could develop and sustain a systematic pipeline for recruiting and retaining talent.
I am not talking about organizing a racing series, like past Pro Vee events. That’s just too much work right now. While those races did much to engage existing drivers, they did not solve the ultimate problem of rising costs and waning entries. There were no members, no voting and no rule changes that would benefit the local driver struggling to stay in the sport or the young gun just wanting to get started.
One final, final thought. Remember when Champ Car and Indy Car went their separate ways? It ended up diminishing open-wheeled racing in the United States. We are headed down the same road with Formula Vee and Formula First. Formula First is to be commended for proactively and intelligently thinking about the future of open-wheeled racing. Despite being a considerable minority in numbers, Firsts exhibit an ambitious marketing strategy and the pragmatic flexibility that the Vee community needs on the brink of survival. Vintage Vees also have their own strong network. It would serve all communities well to sit down, build an umbrella organization that can ensure that small, inexpensive, open-wheeled race cars continue to remain an option for aspiring drivers.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions through the survey below. You may also participate in an email group that would keep you informed of any developments.

United States Formula Vee Driver’s Association Survey
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2 ... qi5A_3d_3d


We have also posted now this message in the Main Discussion Forum:

To the FVee, First, Solo and Vintage community,
We drafted a very rough outline of how an FV club might develop. It is posted at http://www.formulaveeracing.org/Associa ... ubPlan.pdf.

The key point is that much of this already exists, but it isn’t working in a cohesive way. The Interchange/Exchange is a great place to air ideas, but there is no voting mechanism, so discussions tend to go unresolved. The Registry is a useful database, but it is underutilized. Anna’s site (http://www..formulaveeracing.org) has good information, but does not include an online community. We think a unified FV club is a logical next step to moving FV forward. FV is more than an SCCA class, it is a movement that must continue to move forward if it is to survive.

After reading the draft proposal please complete the associated survey:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=B ... _2fg_3d_3d

We look forward to your feedback and suggestions.

Thanks much, Ray (FV 86) and Anna Qualls
Last edited by aqualls on March 4th, 2009, 9:15 am, edited 7 times in total.
flat tappet
Posts: 80
Joined: December 20th, 2008, 4:43 pm

Re: Formula Vee Association (please read and provide feedback)

Post by flat tappet »

Very well said! It's the same now just for Regional racers to compete. Tire cost is still the same based on usage. engine rebuild cost is pretty similar....but it's every other expense that is killing us,as well. Fuels costs for trailering to the track this spring are bound to go up, fee's to the SCCA. lodging,cost of food(checked that one out lately at the grocery store!) all are becoming much more a major part of our annual budgets. Hell, I'm saving now for all the track related expenses to make it thru the race season in October.

It's the same if you run a spec miata(or anything else). They have to buy tires, parts and to be a National competitor in spec miata, you have to have a pro motor, etc. If it all keeps up like this, we will all be running SOLO 1 events and little else!
Ed Womer
Posts: 245
Joined: July 19th, 2006, 8:53 am

Re: Formula Vee Association (please read and provide feedback)

Post by Ed Womer »

OK guy's and gal's, this is a good chance to get togehter on a topic we all should agree upon. We need to put aside the petty differences and work together to hopefully increase our group at the track. Ann is a really sharp person and we could use her help. No disrespect to all of those who have tried this in the past, but now is as good as any time to get together, once and for all, for the benifit of all of us.

Ed Womer
jaymzz

Re: Formula Vee Association (please read and provide feedback)

Post by jaymzz »

I can't give much feedback due to being new to the Vee world, but I did do the online survey. I would love to help out if I can. I am the only formula vee in the area, and would love to have more people into it to have competition and local people to compare notes with.
jtgb
Posts: 19
Joined: December 25th, 2008, 9:35 pm

Re: Formula Vee Association (please read and provide feedback)

Post by jtgb »

I was lucky enough to have joined FV just in time for the 45th Birthday party, and I'd love to see the class survive long enough to enjoy the 50th.
Joseph Brown
CCR, FV38
twofoot
Posts: 105
Joined: May 4th, 2007, 2:19 pm

Re: Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by twofoot »

This is all very very interesting. I find the Irish FV scene to be a good role model for us here in the states. But getting the SCCA to allow us to run at their events will be next to impossible. Why? Revenues. With the economy in the toilet, the last thing they want to do is let potential entry fees go off on their own. Plus, even if they agree, they will then face every other class wanting to go off on their own so they can also "do it right". That is why the SCCA continues to be a business, much like Microsoft, with a detrimental stranglehold on their product (racing).

I think if this is ever going to work, there would have to be a total break with the SCCA and a move to some other governing body like NASA (only as an example) that would give us entry to venues and insurance, etc. Plus you would have to get a large number of drivers to stand up and actually join the new group. It's one thing to sit around and BS and say "yeah I'm in", and another to actually put your money and points standing where your mouth is.

But damn, it sure looks good on paper.

Chris
jtgb
Posts: 19
Joined: December 25th, 2008, 9:35 pm

Re: Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by jtgb »

The fact that SCCA now accepts NASA competition licenses is an indication that SCCA, as a business, recognizes the greater need to collaborate with other clubs in order to bolster its own revenue.

If I’m running SCCA & analyzing participation trends, FV is starting to look like a closing chapter of history. Sure the numbers are still good at the runoffs, but they’re sucking wind at the regional levels where new talent is bred, while at the same time, the SM’s sound like a hive of angry hornets at the drop of the green flag.

I tend to believe that formally organizing ourselves would demonstrate an active membership intent on preserving our numbers and maintaining ourselves as a sustainable revenue base; thus strengthening our relationship with SCCA rather than fracturing it.

From a practical standpoint, though, I wonder if the focus could be broadened from strictly FV to “open wheel” in order to gain enough gravitational mass to be taken seriously.
Joseph Brown
CCR, FV38
jtgb
Posts: 19
Joined: December 25th, 2008, 9:35 pm

Re: Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by jtgb »

Oh, while I'm wishing upon a star... How cool would it be for the club to schedule track test days strictly for open wheel cars? I'd pay an annual membership fee for that pleasure alone.
Joseph Brown
CCR, FV38
aqualls
Posts: 92
Joined: January 27th, 2009, 9:24 pm

Responses to Survey

Post by aqualls »

Hello everyone,

The free version of SurveyMonkey does not allow for an export of survey data. Hence, I had to produce results via screen capture. Please find the results of the survey through this link:

http://www.formulaveeracing.org/Associa ... pdates.pdf

Please encourage drivers to continue submitting responses. Incidentally, there is a very good core group of volunteers to get a club/association started. The free response comments are interesting to read.

Best, Anna Qualls
http://www.formulaveeracing.org
remmers
Posts: 164
Joined: December 4th, 2008, 10:07 pm

Re: Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by remmers »

Would it maybe be possible to have SCCA sanction independent formula vee racing that we could have be a spectator sport? I'm thinking something along the lines of the FCM Vee/1st championship, but one that could get spectators involved. I know given that I make well under $30k/yr, any opportunity to say that sponsorships would pay off for a company would help me get that gas money to get to the track. In particular, possibly even run a couple of 1mile or less ovals. I'd be willing to bet that if we were to get 30 Vees to run say the NHMS oval to a crowd of people, it'd likely make for some really good racing. Just a thought tho.
aqualls
Posts: 92
Joined: January 27th, 2009, 9:24 pm

Re: Formula Vee Driver's Club (please read and provide feedback)

Post by aqualls »

Hello drivers and interested friends,

After laying out the 5-year plan on formulavee.org, the next best step (and the first step in the plan) was to get everyone plugged into an online community. Facebook was the obvious choice - everyone is there, including the guy who picked on you in junior high school. Check it out (if you do not have an account, it is easy and free to obtain one):

http://www.facebook.com then find group:
Formula Vee Racing USA

This type of community has far-reaching possibilities including advertising/promotion and outreach to new drivers. If any of you have any thoughts as to how discussion topics/areas may be structured or other ideas, by all means please email us (formulaveeracing@yahoo.com).

Best wishes,
Ray and Anna Qualls
Post Reply