AFD, Class B - An Unncessary Mess
Anyone following Formula Vee this winter will know that all is not well in the Formula. At the instigation of 12 individuals (and allegedly one team), 750mc decided to introduce a class B for the 2008 Championship. Due to the fact that the consultation period was negligable and that the rules exclude the very cars they were supposed to support, it is no surprise that Class B has been met with stiff opposition from most competitors.
Throughout 2007 it was clear that something would have to be done to curb costs and development in FVee. With top-10 budgets frequently in excess of £30k and special engines reving to 9,000rpm and being rebuilt after 20 minutes running, there was no way the garden shed competitor could even hope to get a look in. During the season there was some discussion about the introduction of Class B, but at Snetterton at the final round a definitive ‘no’ came from 750mc.
It was with some surprise then that Class B was included in the 2008 technical regs, following some off-season petitioning, largely I’m led to believe from AHS. Certainly AHS were best placed when the rules came out with a Class B car ready to go into the wind tunnel. Due to the success of the Challengers in recent years, there are some who would unkindly suggest that the only way they would win a race is if a class was created for them.
I went along to the AFD last sunday largely because most boxing is pay-per-view and this promised to be a free of charge punch-up. It was grim stuff. In the face of both facts and logic Keith Messer seemed determined not to give any ground to the competitors, of whom there was a large contingent. If the vast majority of the competitors, who lets not forget keep the club in business, don’t want class B imposed then arguably it is a good idea to scrap the whole thing. Not least because 750mc needs to be smart in picking its battles - ie water cooled engines, 107% qualifying rule on some circuits.
Throughout I was hugely impressed with Steve Glasswell, who amidst a cold shoulder from the club, and a potential coup from the competitors took the moral high ground, and stayed calm and coherent amidst what was a fierce debate.
So where does all this leave us. Well its not pretty. The Vee Centre forum is censoring posts (yes I noticed Gethin’s post disappeared, even though it told the facts as I understood them), the club is determined to show who’s boss, and Class B has as far as I understand three legal chassis’ - Spyders, Leastones and modified AHS Challengers. Pete Belsey, Gethin Jones and Tim Hill should be fighting for Class B honours then.
Formula Vee has a huge amount going for it - the consistently best single seater racing in the uk, the best value single seater racing in the UK, a strong competitor and spectator following. So why do the 750mc seem intent on driving a wedge into a formula that works and those within in seek to deepen the wounds.
The paddock at Mallory Park in two weeks time will be a fascinating place. As I’m not racing in the UK this year, I will be at as many races as possible with the aim of reporting the action, news, gossip and scandal on this site
[…] Top Speed.com wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptFormula Vee has a huge amount going for it - the consistently best single seater racing in the uk, the best value single seater racing in the UK, a strong competitor and spectator following. So why do the 750mc seem intent on driving a … […]
I’ve been following the whole ‘class b’ debacle on the forums.
After years of saving, I’d been looking to get in to racing and had pretty much decided to go down the F-Vee route. For a novice, the technical regs seemd refreshingly strightforward and the club sounded welcoming.
However, since ‘Class-B’ has suddenly appeared, and given the now apparent divisions between club and competitors, I don’t imagine F-Vee will be the most pleasant place to be this year so I’ll look somewhere else (which is perhaps what the administrators want seeing as many grids could be oversubscribed?).
Good Luck to you this season Ben.
Missed your blog-updates last season - hope to read more about your exploits abroad this year.
Just a quick note to confirm that I on behalf of the veecentre, censor posts several times a week. Paying particular attention to breach of copyright, offensive content and potentially liablous posts.
This is done without bias or favouritism.
The post in question was removed wihout any instruction from the club.
I joined Formula Vee because class B was intruduced. Its enabled me to have a crack at winning some silverware on a sub 4k budget, which would not be possible without class B.
I understand the opposition to class B but without there being rule changes to the main formula to curb the costs involved in using £500 dampers and twenty minute 9Krpm engines I wouldn’t bother to compete because I couldn’t possibly win.
If class B is to be removed then I think the way forward should involve sealed engines, with only inlet, carb and exhaust being free. That way the ridiculous 9krpm engines could be avoided and the cars could be run on a much smaller budget. I also think we should go over to water-cooled VW engines as one of these, with a 7k rpm cam in it should easily last a season.