The Formula Super Vee Series in
the USA started with the Series 1 FSV's and were built to the specs set down by
Josef Hoppen and adopted by the SCCA as a Championship Series in the fall of
1969.
The first National Race, (as
opposed to Regional) SCCA occurred on July 4, 1970 at Lime Rock and FSV’s
manufactured by Beech, Caldwell, Zink and Zeitler were entered in that race.
However, these cars had raced prior to that time in SCCA Regional events, under
the "Formula" specified by the SCCA in November 1969. John Zeitler won
that first National Race in his own car.
In 1970, the ARRC (American Road
Race of Champions) was moved from Riverside Raceway in California to Road
Atlanta in Georgia and was run Nov. 28/29, 1970. The Championship race ran the
Formula Fords against the Formula Super Vees (still in Series 1 Specs). The Ford
drivers were shocked when the FSV’s took the first three (3) places. The order
of finish was:
1st: Tom Davey - Zeitler FSV
2nd: Harry Ingle - Zink FSV
3rd: Jim Clarke - Caldwell D-10 FSV
4th: Skip Barber - Caldwell D-9 F Ford
5th: I do not know
6th: Ray Caldwell - Caldwell D-10 FSV
7th: John Zeitler - Zeitler FSV
In 1973 there were nine (9)
races for FSV’s, still under the exclusive control of the SCCA.
For 1974, Josef Hoppen decided
that he owed no particular loyalty to the SCCA and he moved half of the Super
Vee series of races to IMSA, which was by this time headed by former SCCA chief
John Bishop. Also the decision was made to allow slicks and in 1975, wings and
tabs for down force were allowed. The wings were approved for the first race at
Daytona in 1975, but the approval came so late that none of the FSV’s had
wings. The winged cars started appearing at Sebring in 1975. The Series 2
FSV’s are the 1974 and later cars.
The VW Gold Cup was established
in 1974 as a Professional Road Racing Series and began a very confusing period
because the USA now had two series of races for Formula Super Vees. One was the
SCCA series, which ran seven (7) races, and the second was the IMSA series,
which also ran seven (7) races.
Political disagreements ensued,
and in 1976 Josef Hoppen pulled the Robert Bosch Gold Cup for Super Vees out of
IMSA as punishment. IMSA replaced the Super Vees with Formula Atlantic.
The first of the water-cooled
FSV’s appeared in 1978 and their first race was at Phoenix International. The
specs limited motors to the 1600cc water-cooled overhead cam engine from the VW
Rabbit/Sirocco/Dasher. These cars are considered the Series 3 FSV’s.
Ultimately the motor size went to 1800cc and for a time the air-cooled cars were
allowed to go to 1700cc to try to remain competitive with the water-cooled cars.
Because of the politics involved
with the SCCA and IMSA there are people such as the "Monoposto
Register" that do not acknowledge that the Series 1 cars even existed and
do not have a class for those cars to run competitively in Vintage Racing. The
allegation has been made that there never were flat bottomed, tube framed, air
cooled FSV’s on 6 inch rims running treaded tires without wings. Those people
are not well informed nor have the read the literature relating to those early
days of Formula Super Vees. Unfortunately, some of the "Vintage" race
groups simply adopt the Monoposto Register classes as gospel and in so doing
require the Series 1 FSV’s to run against later F-5000, Formula B and the
Series 2 and Series 3 FSV’s in an "Exhibition Class", rather than
against the 1968 to 1973 Formula Fords were the Series 1 FSV’s were originally
classed.
The majority of this information
is available in print in the Brochures of the original manufactures and from a
text entitled: Formula Vee/Super Vee, Racing, History, and Chassis/Engine Prep
by Andrew L. Schupack. 1981. Published by Tab Books Inc. (Blue Ridge Summit, PA
17214).
Additionally: USAC picked up the
IMSA series in 1977 calling it 'Mini-Indy'. In 1979, the SCCA FSV class was
dropped and replaced by Formula Continental [FC]. The Type IV air-cooled engines
were not allowed to go to 1679cc until at least 1980.
Although "The Racing
Bugs" implies that regulations initially allowed 1600cc air-cooled engines
of either type 3 (as used in the Beetle) or type 4 (as used in the VW-Porsche
914 sports car), my information from British-based racers indicates a different
scenario. The regulations initially specified a type 3-1600cc engine, however at
a late stage VW had a change of heart and decided that the type 4 engine would
be a better option. The type 4 engine is without doubt a better engine. However,
this motor was never produced in a 1600cc version so VW decided to produce a
"special" 1600cc version through their industrial engines division,
with smaller pistons and barrels, which reduced the capacity to 1600cc.
As with any formula, Formula
Super Vee progressed through a number of changes during its life. Initially, for
example, the cars ran without wings and used drum brakes at the rear. Later the
regulations allowed the use of wings and rear disc brakes. Since slick tyres had
yet to be introduced into racing, the cars ran with treaded tyres initially, but
later moved onto slicks.
The original regulations
specified a non-Hewland gearbox and cars ran with fixed ratio VW boxes. In
Europe a company called Metso began building Hewland-like boxes which provided
the ability to change ratios to suit each circuit and exploited the wording of
the regulations, which had simply banned Hewland boxes rather than explicitly
specifying the fixed ratio VW box. Once the cars started to use Metso boxes the
regulations were changed and Hewland's were also allowed. This change, combined
with start money being offered by Hewland to drivers using its products,
effectively put Metso out of business, although the company did build boxes for
other formula cars such as Formula Fords.
Much later, engine regulations
were also opened up, allowing water-cooled engines from the VW Golf (or Rabbit
as it is known in North America). The water-cooled engines inevitably replaced
the air-cooled, which were rendered uncompetitive, and (at least in the UK) many
air-cooled cars were converted to accept the water-cooled engine. I was grateful
to Dr. Michael Kaske for pointing out to me that the SCCA in the USA did allow
1700cc air-cooled engines towards the end of the air cooled period, to remain
competitive while the water cooled cars joined the grid.
Ultimately the most developed
version of Super Vee was to be found in the USA, since they continued with a
Super Vee series years after the formula had died away elsewhere. Indeed by the
mid-80s Super Vee in the USA had taken over from Formula Atlantic as the feeder
formula for Indy cars, often being referred to as the "Mini-Indy"
series. In the mid-80s the Ron Tournac designed Ralt RT5 had a virtual monopoly
in the USA series.
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