About Formula Vee

You've been watching your motor racing heroes like Craig Lowndes, Michael Schumacher, Peter Brock, Juan Pablo, and Jason Bargwanna, on TV for as long as you can remember. You’ve been lying in bed and reading about Formula 1, about V8s, and about apexes, understeer, oversteer, brake balance etc.

"I can do better than all of them! Hakkinen couldn't pass a car if they moved over and waved him through!" Or maybe you've been racing karts since you were 2 years old, and now that you are 15 its time to think of making the first big move into real racing cars - real racing cars like Formula Vee!

The time has come to take the plunge, to fulfill your dreams - to become a RACING CAR DRIVER!

Formula Vee Racing provides the thrill of fiercely competitive motor racing at a budget cost. Permitted modifications are minimal so that greater emphasis is on driver skill rather than budget. As a result, the class is the first proving ground in motor racing and has always been a stepping stone to higher levels of motorsport. Larry Perkins, Colin Bond, John Blanchard, and John Bowe began their careers in Formula Vee

The Class

When Formula Vee was established it was designed as a learning class of motor racing. As the sport grew, the formula quickly established itself as a popular form of racing world wide. Take a look at Formula Vee at the 33rd Australian Grand Prix held in 1968.

In Australia this is the 36th successful year of Formula Vee, with over 300 racing Formula Vee's. Membership and car clubs have grown rapidly as it is a level of motor racing most enthusiasts can afford. It is the best value-for-money race car package in Australia.

Formula Vee racing provides the thrill of fiercely competitive motor racing at a budget cost. Permitted modifications are minimal so that greater emphasis is on driver skill rather than budget. As a result, the class is the first proving ground in motor racing and has always been a stepping stone to higher levels of motorsport. Larry Perkins, Colin Bond, John Blanchard, and John Bowe began their careers in Formula Vee.

Jason Bargwanna is a recent graduate from Formula Vee who is now a successful V8 touring car driver. On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Emerson Fittipaldi and Keke Rosberg, all Formula 1 champions, raced Formula Vees in Europe or America at the beginning of their careers.

Formula Vee is controlled by the Formula Vee Association of Australia (FVAA). Without any support from the motor sports establishment, Formula Vee is the fastest growing category with the largest pool of cars in Australian motor sport.

Vee History

The class originated in the U.S. in 1960 at the request of a Volkswagen dealer. Vee racing began in 1963 and was recognised as a class of racing by the Sports Car Club of America. Within a year it was rated fourth in numbers in the 17 racing classes, a year later it was a close second and by 1966 the class was way out in front.

Racing a Formula Vee

Formula vee is the most affordable open wheel racing car category in Australia. It represents the ultimate in simple but effective technology in an affordable race car package.

In the sport of motor racing, where the cost of a car in most categories is in excess of $75,000, the cost of a new Formula Vee is about $25,000 and you can expect to pay around $10,000 for a competitive second hand car. Running costs are low, the VW engine and the VW components are most reliable, available locally and easy to maintain - and a Vee car remains competitive for many years.

A feature of Formula Vee racing is the drivers hitting 200 kph along the straights and then keeping the cars 'on the edge' for the whole race in tight formations. The strong VW engine can take revs of up to 7000 RPM.

Vee cars race hard and close together with frequent lead changes and close finishes. Laptimes are only slightly below those of much more powerful cars. Formula Vee is found on every racing circuit in Australia with sometimes over 40 cars in an event.

The chassis are simple and easy to repair with costs minimal. Despite the often intense wheel-to-wheel racing there have accidents. The excellent safety record has ensured Formula Vee is an been few serious injuries. Due to the structural integrity of the cars drivers generally walk away unharmed from appealing and ageless form of motor racing. Drivers from 15 to 65 compete in evenly matched cars that empahsise driver skill.

Formula Vees are the only open wheel racing cars to stage a full race primarily on the thunderdome, and the only class of cars to ever race on the thunderdome in the rain.

Formula Vee Specifications

A standard 1200cc or 1600cc air cooled VW engine with a standard 4 speed Volkswagen gearbox, and VW components in front and rear suspension. The engine is straightforward to remove and dismantle. The chassis are simple and body panels are either aluminium or fibre glass and easy to repair.

All up body weight of the car and driver is restricted to a minimum of 475kg for 1200cc cars and 490kg for 1600cc cars, with a top speed of approximately 200 kp/h. Dunlop have exclusively developed an all weather racing compound tyre specifically to Formula Vee.

Specifications at a glance