I know we talk a lot about the big cars whether it be IndyCars, Le Mans or Daytona Prototypes, or WRC rally cars, but let’s not forget the little machines that can! One of the things that attracts me to the Mazda Road to Indy is the raciness of the smaller formula cars especially on a tighter and more technical circuit like Barber or Mid-Ohio. They’re just a lot of fun to watch! This year is the 45th anniversary of the SCCA’s Formula F class and they’re throwing a party down at Barber Motorsports Park! This might be the right event for me to make my first every trip down to Barber. John Olsakovsky, you coming? Hope to see you there!
SCCA Formula F 45th Anniversary Highlights Barber Festival
TOPEKA, Kan. (February 7, 2014) – The 45th birthday of the historic and iconic Formula F class highlights the SCCA® Summer SpeedFest at Barber Motorsports Park, August 9-10. Three classes of Formula F machines, representing the beginning of Formula Ford through the modern day National Championship contenders, will be joined by SCCA Spec Racer® Ford, Formula Enterprises, and Formula 500 machines on the anniversary weekend.
Skip Barber won the 1969 National Championship in the class that was then called Formula Ford until a Honda engine was permitted for the 2010 season. The wingless, multi-constructor class has traditionally been a springboard for a successful racing career, counting Barber, Jimmy Vasser and seven-time National Champion Dave Weitzenhof among its SCCA National Championship Runoffs® gold medalists.
The SCCA Summer SpeedFest featuring the Formula F 45th Anniversary will be a doubleheader race weekend for the SCCA Runoffs-eligible Formula F class, as well as the Club Formula F and vintage Formula Ford machines. The current Runoffs-eligible Spec Racer Ford class will race on both Saturday and Sunday and include a race within a race for the Gen 3 Spec Racer Ford machines on Saturday. On Sunday, the Gen 3 machines, will race separately in a stand-alone race.
Formula Enterprises and Formula 500 are also a part of the weekend. The Runoffs-eligible Formula 500 class now includes the 600cc four-stroke engines with the traditional two-strokes.
The event will be run under the SafeRacer SCCA Club Racing “Festival” umbrella, awarding National “nation-wide” points for the Runoffs-eligible classes included in the weekend. While the event’s points will count for qualification at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in October at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, it will not count toward to the participation requirement (see SCCA.com/Runoffs for more information on Runoffs qualifications).
A detailed schedule for the two-day weekend will be announced soon, but the schedule is expected to include a practice, qualifying and 30-minute sprint races on Saturday, with a warm-up and longer 50-mile races on Sunday.
More information on the SafeRacer SCCA Club Racing program can be found at www.SCCA.com. Follow SCCA on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCCAOfficial, or on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.
Image: Tim Kautz leads the pack after getting the green in the 2013 Runoffs at Road America.
Credit: Mark Weber
