Formula 3 is Coming...

[Canadian Formula 3 Championship]

...whether some people like it or not, (and I know some don't!) Formula 3 cars will be racing in Formula Libre in the Northeast this season. with 2 more "Sold!" car announcements coming next week and another 3rd car announcement pending very soon, our grid is growing...Great Stuff!

[Purple Frog]

Northeast U.S. ? or Northeast Canada?
If Northeast U.S., what sanctioning body runs Formula Libre?
Schedule yet?

[shifter997]

Here is their website. I tried to find the schedule there but I could not find it. I will ask event organizers and let you know. We will be racing in fabulous tracks like Modified Mosport, Mount Tremblant, Shannonville and Calabogie. Google these tracks, I am sure you like them.
http://www.casc.on.ca/road-racing/formula-libre

[mikey]

So is Formula Libre like Formula S it sounds like? A catch all, regional only class?

[Nicholas Belling]

get your website updated and stay ontop of things.

good job on the motivation front.

[Brian]

Formula Libre is a catch-all open wheel class with CASC-Ontario. Classes like Formula Ford and FV have their own run-groups, everything else is in F-Libre. You can see vintage open wheel including Formula Junior, Canada Class, F750, F2000, F-Mazda (new and old F-Mazda), DSR, CSR, S-2000, and now F-3, depending on the weekend.

Brian

[problemchild]

Formula Libre also has double-dipping and 2nd-driver FVs and FFs. At Mosport, there are often 40+ sec/lap speed differentials. Some F3000 cars are threatening to show up this year too. Quite spectacular, or frightening, depending on your perspective.

[prestonparke]

having raced in UK BOSS with F2 car against F3000 and F1 cars
and run F3 cars in Open race events with FFord Vee cars and i also race Fford cars
i can tell you its scary having the speed differences

The quicker cars do not have too much of a problem as you know you are quick and can pass cars
It is the slower cars that do not see you or believe your fast car will catch them at X spot or can brake so hard and late and pass them into a turn that the slower car can cause the incident

When i ran my F2 car GE 300 bhp against the 1990's F3000 F1 cars they had so much speed and downforce the air turbulence use to make my head bob as they passed on the straight with vortices coming off their rear wing-- i stopped running my car with them as the speed was too great

When i run F3 against Fvee FFord cars i know to back off at certain parts of the track let them sort themselves out thru a corner they have no mechanical grip or power & i did have

Logically Libre races need to be spilt as slicks n wings and non slick wing races but Canada land doesnt have the population volume to cater for these split grids and what will eventually happen is the slower non wing cars will not want to race on the faster tracks with the wing cars
It will only take 1 accident to have the powers that be make a rule change

In the UK we cannot race open and closed wheels together 30 years ago we did have Libre races like that
we cannot even have test day or track day with open closed wheels anymore such is the Litigation world now
F3 cars need to really run with FF2000 FC mazda Indylights/F3000 holden cars

[Steve Bamford]

Formula Libre is the alphabet soup class of the CASC race groups, it is one open wheel group from FV up to FA all running together potentially depending on who shows up. Running F3 in Formula Libre is not creating its own series, it is just a place to run your car...maybe you will be racing with another F3 if they show up, or against a FV if they decide to enter. The only thing you are doing potentially is offering prizes for the F3 cars, but any class car could do that with a few hundred dollars a weekend for trophy's.

Formula Libre gives a place to run open wheel cars that do not have their own run group & as Greg pointed out even some FV's & FF's who have their own run group enter in Formula Libre to receive double the track time on the weekend for a reduced second entrance fee.

I am not saying this is a bad way to start as it allows you some where to run your cars that there is not a class for at this time but it is not a series at this point.

I have to ask, with all the different classes of cars out there why are we continuing to water down the classes? Why not pick one class/series that has a good following & help increase the participation level instead of creating another class?

[snowmanmtl]

CASC Formula libre also puts Radicals and Stohrs ,as well as any other car they don't want in GT, in the pot.

[Alex Zeller]

I will be running my Citation Formula Continental in a few of the Ontario Formula Libre races again this year. As a novice I purchased my Formula Continental Citation because it provided great value for money (cheaper than a formula ford), it was a great chassis, it had the relatively reliable and cheep pinto motor, and it was a car I could take to SCCA events if I chose. Running the car in full SCCA spec also allows me to benchmark my-self against known competitive lap-times, but i know full well it's not really "racing".

For me, the Formula Libre class provides a great low-key & low-pressure environment to get my feet wet, learn the ropes, race my miss-fit car, drive some of the best tracks around, and gain experience within my very meager budget. As I gain experience, I'll probably end up mixing in a few SCCA events or moving to the more competitive Formula F class.

There is also a Formula Libre "Club" that began in Ottawa last year. That club is sanctioning it's own races and piggybacks on existing events at Mont Tremblant, Calabogie, and a few other tracks around Montreal. That organization is marketed to Gentleman Racers and has a fun-above-all philosophy. It is my understanding that they will not be joining the Formula Libre in the majority of the Ontario Races (except one at Calabogie).

Cheers, Alex Zeller

[Steve Bamford]

I will be running my Citation Formula Continental in a few of the Ontario Formula Libre races again this year. As a novice I purchased my Formula Continental Citation because it provided great value for money (cheaper than a formula ford), it was a great chassis, it had the relatively reliable and cheep pinto motor, and it was a car I could take to SCCA events if I chose. Running the car in full SCCA spec also allows me to benchmark my-self against known competitive lap-times, but i know full well it's not really "racing".

For me, the Formula Libre class provides a great low-key & low-pressure environment to get my feet wet, learn the ropes, race my miss-fit car, drive some of the best tracks around, and gain experience within my very meager budget. As I gain experience, I'll probably end up mixing in a few SCCA events or moving to the more competitive Formula F class.

There is also a Formula Libre "Club" that began in Ottawa last year. That club is sanctioning it's own races and piggybacks on existing events at Mont Tremblant, Calabogie, and a few other tracks around Montreal. That organization is marketed to Gentleman Racers and has a fun-above-all philosophy. It is my understanding that they will not be joining the Formula Libre in the majority of the Ontario Races (except one at Calabogie).

Cheers, Alex Zeller

Alex,

FC is a class already unlike F3, FC makes sense to me as there is the F2000 Championship Series as well as FC Class in the SCCA.

[snowmanmtl]

There is also a Formula Libre "Club" that began in Ottawa last year. That club is sanctioning it's own races and piggybacks on existing events at Mont Tremblant, Calabogie, and a few other tracks around Montreal. That organization is marketed to Gentleman Racers and has a fun-above-all philosophy. It is my understanding that they will not be joining the Formula Libre in the majority of the Ontario Races (except one at Calabogie).

Cheers, Alex Zeller

Who is behind the "Club"? A lot of effort is being made to combine series and opening talks between organizations to get healthier fields. Why start a new series ?

[Alex Zeller]

Steve, I totally agree!!! Which is why I own what I own. It's an established and widely accepted class in North America.

I try to avoided voicing my (often overly opinionated) thoughts on the internet. It gets me in trouble....

Cheers

[Alex Zeller]

I agree! I was at the first meeting when the idea was being floated.

I voted against the formation of a club. I would have rather seen some form of 'social association' to organize competitors and facilitate larger fields across the region. Not forming a new club. Unfortunately, that's not how it turned out.

http://formulalibreclub.com/

Getting dangerously close to braking my rule... time to shut-up.

[snowmanmtl]

Mortimer. Why is he not doing any CASC races?

[Alex Zeller]

I'm not the one to ask...

[gmac]

Alex,

FC is a class already unlike F3, FC makes sense to me as there is the F2000 Championship Series as well as FC Class in the SCCA.

And FC is a class in WCMA (Western Canada Motorsports Association)

[snowmanmtl]

I'm not the one to ask...

Never mind , I got it.

They gotta make their numbers in Que.

[snowmanmtl]

But if Mortimer has committed his club to the Quebec series than there won't be many cars left in CASC Formula Libre(like single digits) ! Are the F3 cars going to be running in Ontario or Quebec (with the Calabogie) libre?

[shifter997]

We will be running wherever we can. Another F3 cup championship winning Dallara Renault is on the way, should be here by March 16th.