Where to start?

[Huckelberry]

Thanks for the add. I don't have a FV and have never raced. I have had quite a bit of air cooled VW experience in my life though. I have a daughter who is in her first year of engineering school and has asked me to teach her about cars and expressed an interest in racing. I am trying to find a best fit use of funds that will give her experience with general mechanicals as well as the thrill of driving her own handiwork. I originally was thinking something she could Auto X but somehow have gotten drug into the Formula Vee rabbit hole.

We live in the middle of Missouri so have easy access to Gateway as well as Heartland Park...not sure what else would be in the area. I am looking for advice on getting a young person going, access to events somewhat local, experience from veteran racers somewhat local, etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

[t walgamuth]

Thanks for the add. I don't have a FV and have never raced. I have had quite a bit of air cooled VW experience in my life though. I have a daughter who is in her first year of engineering school and has asked me to teach her about cars and expressed an interest in racing. I am trying to find a best fit use of funds that will give her experience with general mechanicals as well as the thrill of driving her own handiwork. I originally was thinking something she could Auto X but somehow have gotten drug into the Formula Vee rabbit hole.

We live in the middle of Missouri so have easy access to Gateway as well as Heartland Park...not sure what else would be in the area. I am looking for advice on getting a young person going, access to events somewhat local, experience from veteran racers somewhat local, etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

Either the Formula ford or v would be excellent starting points. Or if you like fenders a Miata. The guys on this site are mostly engineers and will give you the straight story on things.

[patman]

If you have no track experience I would actually recommend you both do some track days. Any non-suv car is fine for that. That will get you started on track driving.

As far as what car if you are a vw guy fv makes sense. The cars are cheap and easy to work on. The main thing I would be very careful of is safety; you want your kid in the safest car you can find. Fv has been around a long time and there are some pretty outdated chassis out there. There are also some that are totally fine, and the low weight, low speed, no aero certainly lowers the risk factor. Just make sure you take a good look at any potential car and do your research.

[pacratt]

"Hi. My name's Glenn...and I'm a vee racer." (Everybody reply..."Hi Glenn"...)
I agree that track days with your street car(s) is good way to feel the experience before making the financial plunge.
Once you're hooked, the very best first step is to get to know vee people in your general area (ApexSpeed is a great place to find them).
Try to get yourself invited to their shops (plural - get to know more than one or two). Talk, look, listen, learn.
Decide if you want to try vintage racing or current-era.
TAKE YOUR TIME finding the right car for the right price. The "right price" is determined by how much $$ you want to spend vs. how much work you want to put in to it. Most vee people will steer you straight with help & advice.
When you're diving deep into the market, try cars on for size...seriously...make sure you fit...cars can be modified but it's a major endeavor and expensive. I personally knew someone that was 6'2" and spent top-dollar for a beautifully prepared vee - SIGHT UNSEEN (just photographs & word of mouth) - only to get it home & find out it was built for a 5'7" driver.
Starting right now MIGHT get you out this year, but I'd take the slower route and get set up for a perfect start next year.
Go to as many races, at as many tracks, as you can manage this year. Meet people. As I said earlier, talk, look, listen, learn and TAKE YOUR TIME.
Welcome to the addiction.Glenn

[FVRacer21]

It used to be models, slot cars, sports car, autocross, time trial, road racing.

my suggestion today is iRacing, indoor karting, time trial, racing or autocross.

much depends on your area. Here in the New England we are surrounded by all of the above.

(I was told the growth spot in cars is drifting, but we used to just call that driving in the snow.)

As mentioned above- do your homework this year (indoor karting is great right off the bat), you don’t want to buy a car with no place or nobody to compete against.

If looking for an engineering angle, FF or Miata is better as FV is a little more unique.

unfortunately, most time trials will not allow open wheel cars, but autocross is a good place for FV even if just for fun.

keep coming back with questions.

ChrisZ

[S Lathrop]

I highly recommend that you consider FV as your first choice for starting in racing.

And I have 2 reasons I think this is the best option for learning. 1. The cars are relatively easy to drive, especially as a beginner. 2. The people you will be competing against will be better at driving these cars at the limits than you will find in faster race cars. So you will be jumping into a class that is populated with accomplished drivers pushing their cars close to the limits. I remember thinking that the older drivers were the toughest to beat when I was a kid in my 20's. They were the masters who taught me about driving race cars. When I moved up to F1600 I did not find that same level of expertise in my fellow competitors.

[graham.smith]

Welcome!
I am located in Kansas City and started racing my vee last year after doing autox in it for a while. The easiest way to start around here in my opinion is to go to an event and meet people in your region. I started with track days and autox in a street car which allowed me to get the most track experience as possible.
With Heartland Park closing we do not have an event there this year. There is an event on June 1st at the new Ozark track which I would highly recommend you check out. We also may have an event this year at the new track in Garden City, MO. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions. I am happy to help where I can.

[The Big Bad Wolf]

"Hi. My name's Glenn...and I'm a vee racer." (Everybody reply..."Hi Glenn"...)
I agree that track days with your street car(s) is good way to feel the experience before making the financial plunge.
Once you're hooked, the very best first step is to get to know vee people in your general area (ApexSpeed is a great place to find them).
Try to get yourself invited to their shops (plural - get to know more than one or two). Talk, look, listen, learn.
Decide if you want to try vintage racing or current-era.
TAKE YOUR TIME finding the right car for the right price. The "right price" is determined by how much $$ you want to spend vs. how much work you want to put in to it. Most vee people will steer you straight with help & advice.
When you're diving deep into the market, try cars on for size...seriously...make sure you fit...cars can be modified but it's a major endeavor and expensive. I personally knew someone that was 6'2" and spent top-dollar for a beautifully prepared vee - SIGHT UNSEEN (just photographs & word of mouth) - only to get it home & find out it was built for a 5'7" driver.
Starting right now MIGHT get you out this year, but I'd take the slower route and get set up for a perfect start next year.
Go to as many races, at as many tracks, as you can manage this year. Meet people. As I said earlier, talk, look, listen, learn and TAKE YOUR TIME.
Welcome to the addiction.Glenn

Hiiiiiiiii Glennnnnnnnn

[nhJohn]

Thanks for the add. I don't have a FV and have never raced. I have had quite a bit of air cooled VW experience in my life though. I have a daughter who is in her first year of engineering school and has asked me to teach her about cars and expressed an interest in racing. I am trying to find a best fit use of funds that will give her experience with general mechanicals as well as the thrill of driving her own handiwork. I originally was thinking something she could Auto X but somehow have gotten drug into the Formula Vee rabbit hole.

We live in the middle of Missouri so have easy access to Gateway as well as Heartland Park...not sure what else would be in the area. I am looking for advice on getting a young person going, access to events somewhat local, experience from veteran racers somewhat local, etc. Any advice would be appreciated.

My humble suggestions:

1. Get in contact with ANY - FV driver in your area. Talk to that person. How do you find them, call the SCCA office in your area and get the name of the RE (Regional Executive)
2. Once you find an event - post here and ask if anyone wants a helper.
3. Your goal, is to get yourself as a "helper" for an actual race date. Plan on being a shadow for that driver for the weekend. THIS is where you learn about all the things you have to do BEFORE you turn one lap at the track.
   
   • how do I get a license?
   • how do I register for an event?
   • what spares - tools etc. do I need to bring?
   • What is annual tech?
   • What is tech look like on race day?
   • Where do I get my fuel?
   • How do I check the oil level in MY Vee?
   • How do I set and check my tire pressures?
   • Why do so many of the Vee drivers camp at the track?
   • Do I need to bring my own beer?
   • .........and so many more than I can list ...
   
   
4. Try for size every car there on race day.
5. Ask around for cars that might be for sale.
6. Try different Hans devices or ask drivers for their opinion.

Many more reasons to hook up and help one person for a weekend.
JOhn

[jrh3]

If you’ve never raced it’s hard to beat a year’s experience in karts.
Stay away from the shifters.

[E1pix]

Agree on both counts.

Nothing beats karting for getting comfortable and consistent.

Shifters are very, very physical, and getting up to speed is much harder. The shifting part is different enough from race cars that a manual transmission in a street car is probably better training anyway.

[billtebbutt]

I've been driving largely Formula Fords (plus a sports car and some vintage stuff occasionally) since 1986. One would think I would be better at it by now.....

A friend of mine's likely son-in-law had been doing track days with a stripped down BMW 3 series, and was wondering what road racing would be like. Could I give him a schooling?

So I met the guy, he's just a super young fellow, and we talked about road racing at length. He liked the concept of a proper formula car, but admittedly didn't know much about the mechanical side of things and was a little intimidated by the whole thing. I told him the best way to figure out if he's really got the stamina for the sport is to hang around and crew for a season. So I put him to work in 2022 (we won the Toyo B class championship that year as it turned out) and he had a pretty immersive experience.

He got to see what it was like on a weekend where everything goes your way, and what a Saturday nite looked like when someone tore two corners off you in qualifying. He had to learn how to do everything from wiping the car down to the proper use of Dzus tool to setting tire pressures, wheel torques etc. He watched gear ratio changes, helped with electrical troubleshooting and more. Most importantly, he got to know the FF crowd and became friends with us all. He even learned the correct ratios for a proper Vesper, and why Lillet Blanc is far superior in this regard to white Vermouth.......

He came out again in 2023 and did a little more of the same, but had decided that this whole racing thing was indeed for him. We got him introduced to a long-time FV team (a class act who has been around for ages) and he did a one day test with them at the end of the season and just loved it. He's doing a school, getting his licence, and at last chat is planning a limited FV season with that team in 2024.

All in all, I think it was the best way for him to figure it all out before making a commitment.

cheers,
bt