F1000..what happened? Need a recap! and my intro..

I was always deeply moved by F1000, being a lover of F1 and riding superbikes for 15 years, getting into this might be the closest I will ever get to pro racing, provided I can make it happen.

Started doing karting this year and love it.

So now Here I am trying to educate myself a bit on the F1000 world again and it would seem things have changed. Things were looking great, new races and some newer cars coming into it.

I come back on here and realize there is only a handful of people in it now? What happened?

I think that there are 2 main reasons the class has not grown in recent years.

The biggest is cost. When we started, you could get good engines with just a few miles or even new for $3,000 to $5,000. So you just replaced a bad engine with a new or low time engine. Rebuilding an engine was expensive if you really wanted good reliability. What my people found was the most reliable engines were factory new or very low time engines. The engines that are available today are not as desirable for car applications. Under the best of circumstances, these cars require a lot of maintenance and that cost money.

The next issue was the cars demanded a very high skill level to be competitive or even be just fun to drive. You have in F1000/FB a car that has very nearly FA performance. The power to weight is nearly the same and possibly slightly better, FB compared to FA. The frontal area is much lower for the FB so speeds are the same or higher on most tracks. But you have less than 1/2 the down force and about half the tire on the car. So to get the full performance available, you have to be really on top of the driver skill game. This is not a car for beginners.

The thing I found discouraging when the class was new is the number of cars that were on the market after the first year. The other sign I took as bad was that when the Citations were winning a lot of races, there were almost no inquires about new cars. That told me the class was never as strong as it should have been.

Now this weak beginning may have been a reflection of SCCA and formula car racing in general. The market is too fragmented with too many series / classes competing for a limited number of customers. I don't think a SCCA race weekend is all that attractive for formula car people.

Maybe FB could have a future as a sub class of the FRP FA class. The FRP race weekends are fun and you get a lot of track time in single class groups.

I think that FB is probably the best training class for drivers wanting to race Indy cars. You could easily move from FB straight into Indy Lights and probably find the Lights car no more demanding to drive. Also you would get a great feel for caring for you equipment in FB. You just can not abuse the engine package in FB. And unlike most of the junior classes, you have to learn setups to drive a FB fast. The cars are just too edgy to drive with anything less than a good setup. The drivers I worked with in Indy Lights found that Indy cars were actually a bit easier to drive, if the higher speeds did not bother you.

As a FF and FB owner (both Piper), I agree with everything Mr. Lathrop said. The only exception is cost and to what you compare that. If you are comparing the cost to a club ford or a FV program, yes the costs are high. If you are comparing the cost to a top level FA or equivalent, the costs are very low. Low mile engines can still be sourced for $3 to 5K. If you don't do anything stupid and keep oil in the engines, you can get MANY races out of an engine. I have gotten over a dozen full race weekends (including full test days) on an engine and the engine was still making good power. When you do replace the engine, you get a new gearbox as well so there is added value. I think the cars are incredibly fun to drive and remind me more of a 125cc shifter kart in feel and performance.

For me anyway, I think what is holding the class back is SCCA politics regarding engine restrictors/weight limits and the disaster that is SCCA multiclass racing. When I run the FB in the majors, the SCCA usually puts 7 classes in one group. The racing experience is ruined by too many yellow/black flags caused by drivers doing stupid things due to lack of talent or trying to make questionable moves trying to stay with cars in class.

I run my FF with FRP and the single class F1600 and F2000 racing offered by the FRP group is by far the best value racing experience in open wheel racing today. If the F1000 group could somehow hook up with the FRP group, I would be there in a heartbeat with the F1000.

[SIZE=4]Formula 1000 is growing!
[/SIZE]
After a few years of multiple incarnations of professional series which all fizzled out, the current organization is run by the DRIVERS., no series admin! All registered drivers get a vote in where to race, rules packages, MONEY PAYOUTS, ( NAF1000 pays every driver, every weekend, regardless of finishing position. ) and any other decision made regarding the direction of the series. This is a major shift from other professional series, where the series administration act as dictators and usually siphon off funds for their personal companies or pocketbook.

Track time is a major issue, and solutions are being sought , with nothing off the table. FRP, SCCA regionals, IMSA, F1, NASCAR, even Independent weekends are being looked into. A lot of people are praising the FRP series and the track time they give. 3 hours a weekend looks great, however, with entry fees climbing over a thousand dollars, there has to be a better option. This is something NAF1000 is working hard to resolve through many different avenues. Track time is important, but so is cost effective track time.

As far as cars being built and sold, there are manufacturers taking orders for new cars, beyond their production ability. Galmer and JDR are both currently on a 12 month or more waiting list to purchase a new car. Manufacturers are getting orders from Formula 1000 teams in Italy, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and Asia, as well as for the North American Championship. The demand is real and the series is growing.

This class is demanding, and will challenge any level of driver. Multiple Karting teams have started to show interest in promoting their drivers through the NAF1000 series, and multiple prep shops are gearing up to take on an influx of young talent looking to grow their professional career. But, its not just for the karter moving up, many drivers are weekend warriors who work full time and enjoy this series as a hobby. Age is not a prerequisite for going fast, effort and time are the only limitations to winning at any level.

This is the inaugural season for the North American Formula 1000 Championship, and the series is working hard to continue to grow the class. Ensuring sponsors are beyond happy with the return on their investment through consistent promotion on social media and at the track, as well as trackside hospitality suites available to all sponsors and teams, as well as ensuring every driver wins money, combined with creating camaraderie through Friday evening social with FOOD, and an ever-increasing presence on social media will ensure the growth of the class, the professional series, and the club racing numbers.

All qualifying sessions, races, and podium celebrations are broadcast LIVE on facebook @NAF1000 and available in edited form on Youtube and Instagram.

BTW - NAF1000 will have its own race group for the New Jersey Motorsports Park event on July 22 - 23. Current numbers show more than 20 cars entered, definitely a well represented formula class. And rumor is the DRIVERS will VOTE to do a standing start. Come join the fun!

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Originally Posted by NorthAmF1000

[SIZE=4]Formula 1000 is growing!
[/SIZE]
After a few years of multiple incarnations of professional series which all fizzled out, the current organization is run by the DRIVERS., no series admin! All registered drivers get a vote in where to race, rules packages, MONEY PAYOUTS, ( NAF1000 pays every driver, every weekend, regardless of finishing position. ) and any other decision made regarding the direction of the series. This is a major shift from other professional series, where the series administration act as dictators and usually siphon off funds for their personal companies or pocketbook.

Track time is a major issue, and solutions are being sought , with nothing off the table. FRP, SCCA regionals, IMSA, F1, NASCAR, even Independent weekends are being looked into. A lot of people are praising the FRP series and the track time they give. 3 hours a weekend looks great, however, with entry fees climbing over a thousand dollars, there has to be a better option. This is something NAF1000 is working hard to resolve through many different avenues. Track time is important, but so is cost effective track time.

As far as cars being built and sold, there are manufacturers taking orders for new cars, beyond their production ability. Galmer and JDR are both currently on a 12 month or more waiting list to purchase a new car. Manufacturers are getting orders from Formula 1000 teams in Italy, Australia, South Africa, Germany, and Asia, as well as for the North American Championship. The demand is real and the series is growing.

This class is demanding, and will challenge any level of driver. Multiple Karting teams have started to show interest in promoting their drivers through the NAF1000 series, and multiple prep shops are gearing up to take on an influx of young talent looking to grow their professional career. But, its not just for the karter moving up, many drivers are weekend warriors who work full time and enjoy this series as a hobby. Age is not a prerequisite for going fast, effort and time are the only limitations to winning at any level.

This is the inaugural season for the North American Formula 1000 Championship, and the series is working hard to continue to grow the class. Ensuring sponsors are beyond happy with the return on their investment through consistent promotion on social media and at the track, as well as trackside hospitality suites available to all sponsors and teams, as well as ensuring every driver wins money, combined with creating camaraderie through Friday evening social with FOOD, and an ever-increasing presence on social media will ensure the growth of the class, the professional series, and the club racing numbers.

All qualifying sessions, races, and podium celebrations are broadcast LIVE on facebook @NAF1000 and available in edited form on Youtube and Instagram.

BTW - NAF1000 will have its own race group for the New Jersey Motorsports Park event on July 22 - 23. Current numbers show more than 20 cars entered, definitely a well represented formula class. And rumor is the DRIVERS will VOTE to do a standing start. Come join the fun!

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I applaud your efforts trying to get this series back up and running. You guys have done a great job. The only thing holding me back is the SCCA mixed run groups and it looks like you are addressing that shortcoming. If there is a F1000 only run group, I may show up at NJMP.

You need to look at the FRP entry fees as they were lowered this year to way below $1000 per event. If I calculate the $ per green lap track time between a FRP event and a SCCA Majors event the cost at an FRP event is WAAAAAAY lower......just sayin.

The series is working hard to address all concerns of all F1000 drivers. As the entry for this season in FRP is "only" $850 per weekend, plus a $950 annual registration, the per weekend cost for entry is still roughly $1000. The track time given does make this more cost effective than roughly $500 for SCCA weekends, yet when you are talking about doubling the entry fees, a lot of gentlemen racers will be turned off by the sticker price.
These facts are in no way ruling out FRP as an option, purely recognizing all costs for all competitors.

Multiple sponsors are being courted as a way to achieve both the desired increase in track time, while keeping the entry costs to the drivers as low as possible.

As stated, NAF1000 will have its own qualifying and race group for Round 9 and Round 10 at New Jersey Motorsports Park on July 22-23 . And the rumor is drivers want to do a standing start, this is not a series decision, Drivers will Vote at the event.

Of all the tracks I have been to, IMS may be the best track for the FBs to shame a bunch of FA.

FA in FRP is not oversubscribed. Maybe the FB guys could get together with Bob Wright and see about joining the FA guys for a race weekend just to see how things go.

It may mean that for that one race, you would have to back to Hoosier tires. Last year for the SCCA run offs, Hoosier came up with a new bias ply tire that in the opinion of one of my drivers, it was really outstanding. This tire may held narrow the gap from FB to FA. A change to beat the FA on a regular basis would get really interested in FB again. I really like the class.

Regretfully, the NAF1000 series must retract the earlier posts regarding a single run group at New Jersey Motorsports Park on July 22 and 23.

To the best of the series ability, a single race group was in the works, yet now appear to be an impossibility.

NAF1000 would like to apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused any of the series teams and / or drivers.

As the North American Formula 1000 Championship is run by the drivers, feedback is highly important to the direction of the series. From this feedback, the series knows single group sessions must be a high priority for NAF1000 events going forward.


For the remainder of the inaugural season, it appears endurance-style mixed race groups are the only possibility. However, please know the series is working hard to give the participants what they want, and single run groups are the goal for all 12 races in the 2018 NAF1000 Championship.

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Originally Posted by S Lathrop

I think that there are 2 main reasons the class has not grown in recent years.

The biggest is cost. When we started, you could get good engines with just a few miles or even new for $3,000 to $5,000. So you just replaced a bad engine with a new or low time engine. Rebuilding an engine was expensive if you really wanted good reliability. What my people found was the most reliable engines were factory new or very low time engines. The engines that are available today are not as desirable for car applications. Under the best of circumstances, these cars require a lot of maintenance and that cost money.

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Is the lack of available low cost engines because everyone is still running 2008 engines ?

And other then the currently available "Car Specific" after-market parts what makes the next 2 generations of GSXR 1000 engine "Not a Good Choice for running in a F1000 ?

By looking at the engine specs the differences look minor. About a 0.5% difference in lower Hp but approximately the same amount of increase in Torque.

I would find it equally surprising the buyers of these bikes have all turned into expert riders and there is no longer low mileage motors readily available