Getting Started
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Those of you wishing to get into a
Formula Vee would be well advised to attend a couple of
F-Vee
race meetings and have a look around the pits at the machines competing
and have a chat to the competitors to get an idea of what is involved and
what F-Vee would be suitable for your budget and abilities.
F-Vee'ers
in general, are an approachable lot and usually don't mind stopping to
have a chat to a prospective new member/competitor!
Another consideration is whether you wish to compete in
the traditional 1200cc class or the newly introduced
1600cc class.1600cc F-Vees are becoming more popular
virtually day by day and new 1600cc cars are appearing
almost at every race meet. Its worth bearing in mind
that 1200cc fields will tend to dwindle as more and more
racers decide to move on to the ever growing and better
performing 1600cc class. These
new cars sport the venerable 1600cc "twin port"
Volkswagen Beetle engine and currently there are extremely tight
controls in place restricting any engine development. This,
coupled with no choice in gearbox and differential
ratios (unlike the 1200's that have 2 different diffs
and various different gear ratios to play with) is
designed to limit the costs of competition and encourage
more competitors to get into the category without the
spectre of expensive head/inlet manifold modifications
to deal with in order to "feel" competitive.
1200cc engines have been allowed to be
"massaged" bit by bit over the years and significant
modifications to the intake manifolds and ports in
the cylinder heads are commonplace now creating a
certain gulf in performance between the "haves" and the
"have nots". This activity can discourage the true "home
builder" from preparing his own engines.
Many existing 1200cc chassis will
accept the slightly larger 1600 engines at a later date.
A good place to
look for Vees is in F-Vee Association of
Australia website and state association newsletters. Most clubs include a
classified section in their newsletters and are usually good places to
start looking and to get an idea of the availability and costs of machinery involved.
Click
on the link below to go to the Australian Clubs pages where you will find
contact information on F-Vee associations right around Australia.
You can
also get in touch with F-Vee manufacturers.
| Click
Here to
go to our Australian clubs pages to find a Formula Vee association in your state
|
| Click
Here to go to our links page to visit a
F-Vee manufacturer site. |
| Click
Here to go to the
COSTS
page for approximate entry level prices |
Once you have an idea of the
Vee you wish to race and purchased your Vee and
the safety gear required, it's time to get
your F-Vee association membership and Cams
licensing in order Next, you will need to join a CAMS (Confederation of
Australian Motorsport) affiliated F-Vee association and through that
association, you can apply for a CAMS NC circuit racing license.
If you are new to motorsport,
you will need to attend a lecture organised by
Cams outlining your responsibilities as a
competitor, flags and safety issues, also, you
will need to pass a medical examination at a
Cams appointed doctor. If all is well you will
be issued with a provisional
NC license requiring you to
display a "P" plate at the rear of
your car for at least 3 open race meetings, undertake some sort of
administrative role or wave the flags at 1 other open race meeting after which
you can apply for an unrestricted NC racing license.
An NC license entitles you to race at State and
National championship level events. You will receive a CAMS Manual of Motorsport
with your license which will outlines Formula
Vee
technical regulations and all other general and safety requirements concerning
you and your car in competition. If all is well
with your car, club membership and Cams racing license, enter your first event and away
you go. Your F-Vee, safety gear and driving apparel will be subject to an inspection
and approval by accredited scrutineers before you will be allowed on to the
track. This inspection is a necessary safety procedure and will reveal
any defect you may have missed before it becomes a danger to yourself or
other competitors. If faults are found that, in the chief scrutineers opinion,
are a hazard or your Vee does not satisfy the technical regulations, your Vee will not be allowed to onto the circuit until the fault is
fixed.
-
It
will piss you right off if you turn up at a race meeting to find that your
car or race apparel does not conform to
defined technical specifications and the
scrutineers decide that you will not be allowed onto the track until the
non-conformance is fixed!
What
is more galling is that you can pretty much guarantee that you will need
your workshop facilities to do the job.
It pays to be
real familiar with F-Vee class regulations as laid out in the CAMS manual
and further detailed on the FVAA website, and to
carry out thorough inspection and preparation before presenting your car to the scrutineers
on race day!
Most clubs
would be more than willing to organize a pre-event inspection of your Vee if
you are not sure about any technical or safety issue.
While you are
a "P"
plater, you will be started at the back of the field on the starting grid.
Officials of the event will be observing your behaviour on the circuit so it
pays to be a little cautious in your first couple of events.
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