F2000 reunion. Where to start

[djones]

Just for fun. If one were to organize a FC reunion where would you start? I know they were once called super fords .At some point they ran head to head with super vees if I recall correctly. What is the earliest varient of the class using the Pinto motor?

[EricP]

This is a great idea. Although I’m sure you are thinking US, some good background here:

http://www.historicff2000.co.uk/

http://ff2000.co.uk/

[djones]

Just a thought that went through my head. I do love the class and am glad to see it survive over the years. Hope to join it myself this season

[old 59]

This is a great idea. Although I’m sure you are thinking US, some good background here:

http://www.historicff2000.co.uk/

http://ff2000.co.uk/

There's an hour I'll never get back...

Thank you for that.

[EricP]

How about:

HFC (Historic FC):Outboard suspension Pinto or VW
CFC (ClubFC): Pinto rocker suspension
PCFC (PostCFC): Pinto push rod suspension (either just Pinto limited or Pinto and up to a max year)

Or use VFC1 and VFC2 for the last two classes like the S2000 guys.

[djones]

More basic than that. We just had the FF 50th last year. What year was the Pinto powered FC as we know it introduced in the US?

[Rick Kirchner]

We had FC1 and FC2 in VARA when I established the class there. FC1 was rocker, FC2 pushrod. There are some oddballs with a mix. I always figured from a technical perspective if they had diffusers they'd be FC2, original aero FC1. Too early to consider Zetecs - when they ran with us it was either with Pacific F2000 or as exhibition (modissette used to take the restrictor out and have a ball)

I bet there aren't five pre-83 FCs in the US.

The classing discussion is interesting, but what about venue? SVRA had two classes running in the same run group with flat bottom FSV at the Indy Open Wheel Word Challenge in '17. The racing was good, the classing was a total mess. They were supposed to do another OWWC, but who knows? Evidently Tony Parella is no longer at the helm.

[Garey Guzman]

FC has been a class since the 60's although I don't know if that's been constant. I think the 60's were 1100cc but a quick online search didn't show me the whole timeline.

[Craig71188]

Well I dug out a 1979 GCR -it shows Super V and Formula C (Formula C being 1100cc and under - Gary Guzman is correct) are now combined to form the "new' Formula Continental. There is no mention yet of FF2000 that I can find in this edition.

Also, no S2000 mentioned either.

[S Lathrop]

The F2000 started in England. It was called Super Ford as well as F2000. In the early 1980's Canada picked the class up and ran a semi-pro series sponsored by Canada Tire. There were several US participants in that series. I build and ran the first Citation F2000 in Canada before it was recognized in the US. Given the success of the Canada Tire series, SCCA allowed the F2000 car to run in FC but the dominant car was the water cooled FVS. The participation of the F2000s in FC eventually led SCCA to bump the water cooled FSVs up to FA and F2000 became the dominant car in FC.

The last year that F2000 ran with the FSVs there were close to 15 F2000 at the run offs that year. The people who had an interest in seeing F2000 succeed in SCCA raised enough money pro a prize fund that the winner of the F2000 got more money for that win in the F2000 sub class of FC than any other class that year.

Someone can look up the exact years that all these steps happened. But that is the history as I remember it.

[Lotus7]

Evidently Tony Parella is no longer at the helm.

sorry for hijack: of SVRA ??

[Steve Bamford]

The classing discussion is interesting, but what about venue? SVRA had two classes running in the same run group with flat bottom FSV at the Indy Open Wheel Word Challenge in '17. The racing was good, the classing was a total mess. They were supposed to do another OWWC, but who knows? Evidently Tony Parella is no longer at the helm.

I believe part of the reason the OWWC did well in 17 at Indy was the Runoffs were being held there later that year & was good for some to get testing in at the same time. I was running F4 only that year & we ran the same weekend as part of the OWWC event.

If you are to try to do something like this SVRA & FRP would be the two organizations I would suggest to work together on this, just my 2 cents. Not sure how to get cars to turn up unless all organizations including the Club works together on this.

[Purple Frog]

Background: I was involved in both the FF 40th and FF 50th reunions.

Here is the one problem I see with a FC / F2000 reunion...

FC owners seen to be of a different mindset than FF or S2 owners. Maybe it is the wing thing.
From my viewpoint FC racers tend to be more of the mindset of constantly changing their cars to get faster.
They may have started with a '84 Reynard, moved to a '88 Reynard, then to a '97 VD, that they upgraded to '98 specs, then they built a Citation or bought a Mygale, RFR, or Radon. All along that path they didn't look back with any longing desire to own the earlier cars.

In the paddock i don't hear FC racers saying, "Oh i wish i owned my "84 Reynard again."

Even DaveW's Citation, even though he has owned it since '95, is a completely different car than its original version. He and Steve have modified it a lot over the years.

With FF I've seen many owners very happy to stay with one chassis for decades. I don't think that is the case in F2000. For the FF40th we even saw folks purchase their old FF cars and spend a year refurbishing them for the reunion. From my lilypad I ca't see FC owners doing that.

So to have a reunion, you will have to entice the new owners of the old cars to come out. Those owners may not be engrossed in the legacy of the class like FF owners.

Just saying...

YMMV

[Craig71188]

I don't remember all the specifics, but I recall Monoposto looking to put together a rules set / plan / something for a stand alone run group for FF2000 (not unlike S2000) a couple of years back. Anniversary event that kicks off that unique run group within vintage???
Just musing....

[djones]

Certainly agree with that. There doesn't seem to be the passion for FC as in FF. Same for FSV which gets no love at all despite being awesome cars. Ground effects! Come on! Really! Lol. Just wondering about the history of the class as it unfolded here in the states. Most of my questions have been answered.
thanks

[BrianT1]

Just for fun. If one were to organize a FC reunion where would you start? I know they were once called super fords .At some point they ran head to head with super vees if I recall correctly. What is the earliest varient of the class using the Pinto motor?

I would contact Brad Baytos at Primus. He has numerous Regional Series he is starting up and has mentioned a type of runoffs between all the Regional Series at one location. Maybe he could incorporate a FC reunion.

I don't think it would be that hard to accomodate all the different eras of cars. Pre 90 Pinto, 90-98 + Pinto and then 99 - current zetec.

Brian

[Rick Kirchner]

First F2000 I saw was at IRP in '84. T'was a Reynard.

Steve - in the FSV/F2000 run group at the OWWC there were only two cars that I would have considered having potential (late model Zetecs) to go to the runoffs - and one of them I ran close to all weekend on 10 cycle American Racers... Maybe those cars should have swapped with the two mid-90s pintos that somehow got conned into running with he FRP group.

If someone wanted to do something this year I'd suggest the SVRA event in Austin. Centrally located, big event, great track, late enough in the season to get something going.

Monoposto rules? If I had to bet half the cars would have to be backdated to the actual configuration of the year they ran...

[Skip Weld]

Hi All, I am trying to figure out the original minimum weight for ff2000 cars running in FC. The first year was 1985.
I think it may have been 1150, but it could have been 1170 or 1175.
Does anybody know or have an old GCR from that year or maybe 86?
Thanks, Skip Weld

[Garey Guzman]

Hi All, I am trying to figure out the original minimum weight for ff2000 cars running in FC. The first year was 1985.
I think it may have been 1150, but it could have been 1170 or 1175.
Does anybody know or have an old GCR from that year or maybe 86?
Thanks, Skip Weld

Here's a link Google found for me:
http://sovrenracing.org/wp-content/u...4/1985_GCR.pdf

[djones]

1150 with driver as per 85 GRC

[Bob Wright]

IIRC, the rules changed in 1986 to make the FC class specifically for winged pinto powered cars and moved the super vee's to FA (except the air cooled ones). I ran a 1984 VD in the 1986 Canadian Tire Series because there was no class for them in the US. I then ran a '86 Reynard in 1987 in the US- there were about 10 cars of various mfg. in the NE that year.

The class exploded with the advent of the Export A series in Canada and the SCCA Pro Series in the US. Swift USA, Euroswift, Reynard, VD, Citation, Chevron, Crossle, Mondial, and others all started making cars. The dominant cars in the late 80's were Swift (DB3, DB6) and Reynard. VD brought the pushrod design out in 1990(?) and by 1995 dominated when Swift ceased production of the DB6.

[old 59]

The class exploded with the advent of the Export A series in Canada and the SCCA Pro Series in the US. Swift USA, Euroswift, Reynard, VD, Citation, Chevron, Crossle, Mondial, and others all started making cars. The dominant cars in the late 80's were Swift (DB3, DB6) and Reynard. VD brought the pushrod design out in 1990(?) and by 1995 dominated when Swift ceased production of the DB6.

I believe there was a PRS and a Delta as well.