Returning to Racing

[bobs66440]

Hello, I am 56 years old and am thinking of returning to racing FV. I raced karts locally and nationally through the 80's with good success then FV in the early 90's with limited success. I was running a home built copy of a D13 on used tires on a shoestring budget. I got frustrated and quit after one season. Since then I've been raising a family, buying and selling collector cars and generally just taking it slow. Now I'm bored and miss the excitement and anticipation of strapping in and carving lines! I realize, of course, at my age I'm not going to be point champion or break any track records and that's ok. But I'm just looking to be somewhat competitive and have some fun. I'm located in NY about 80 miles NW of NYC. I'm not looking to travel like the old days, but maybe stay in the northeast. Probably do Lime Rock, Pocono...maybe Summit Point.

Anyway, I realize the technology hasn't changed much. I recognize some of the vendors/manufacturer's names from my day. I figure my budget will be around $10K, but I'm starting from scratch. All I have is the usual hand/power tools and a caster/camber gauge left over from back then, ha ha. Will this be enough to run a competitive regional effort? Maybe 4-6 races per year? How long do tires last nowadays? I see they are very expensive, yikes! Are there any racers or shops local to me that I can get together with? Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

[oldphart]

Congratulations! The decision to return is now behind you. Now the fun begins. Interesting you mention the cost of tires as part of your consideration. Let me strongly recommend checking out the Challenge Cup Series. The link to the website is below. With this group you get the advantage of a spec tires that can last competitively for several years. Cost for a set of wheels and tires is about $700. The same tire is run for dry and wet conditions. The Challenge Cup races include Challenge Cup Cars only.
No mirror checks for winged cars, 1600's or F500/600 cars. This group offers competition, camaraderie, podiums and trophies. Give this group a good look.

Contact Ray Carmody for some recommendations about cars that might be available in this area. He may be able to connect you with others.

http://www.challengecupseries.com/

Look forward to seeing you on track!
Ed Sanders - FV55

[aqualls]

Bob, two other resources:

1. Formula Vee Facebook group: https://m.facebook.com/formulavee/?ref=bookmarks

2. formulaveeracing.org

Both should help you as you gather more information.

[jpetillo]

Bob,

You have several options in the Northeast as you can see from the above posts - all excellent options. Also check out http://nefv.org for SCCA Formula Vee in the Northeast. There is a contacts page to chat with folks in your area.

John

[bobs66440]

Wow! Thanks so much guys! It's so cool that there are so many enthusiasts around. I'm very excited but guarded, as a few things have to fall into place to make this happen. Mostly making sure my buddy is on board with this as its more fun traveling with a buddy. I'm hoping he will get a car also so we can race together. But it's looking promising so fingers crossed. Anyway, I'll check out those links and keep you posted! Bob

[gdavis]

Welcome back to the Vee fraternity Bob.
Seriously think about giving the Challenge Cup a go. It is a great series and the spec tire makes the racing much more affordable and less hassle hauling/changing rains. We run as our own group so there are no other classes to screw up your race - or car.

[bobs66440]

The Challenge Cup series does sound attractive, especially with the tire rule. The tires are probably the biggest regular investment aside from the entry fees. And it looks like there are at least 4 tracks within approx 3 hours of me. Other than tires & wheels, do the rules for the cars pretty much follow the SCCA GCR?

[oldphart]

In general, our cars are required to meet the FV rule set in the GCR. I am aware of only two items that set us outside the GCR Spec.
1) The car weight with driver is 1075 lbs (up from 1025 for FV)
2) The spec tire and wheel package
Ed

[bobs66440]

Ahh that's great news! It gives me a bigger pool of cars to choose from. Awesome!