The SCCA Formula Super Vee was one of the longest running

Formula Super Vee Formula Super Vee was an open-wheel racing series that took place in Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1990. The formula was created as an extension of Formula Vee, a racing class that was introduced in 1959. Formula Super Vee in Europe w ...

championships in the world. Twenty racing season were contested. Most of the races were sanctioned by the

Sports Car Club of America The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a non-profit American automobile club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rallying, and autocross in the United States. Formed in 1944, it runs many programs for both amateur and professional ...

in some occasions the races were sanctioned by the

International Motor Sports Association The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive dir ...

History

In 1969 Josef Hoppen, head of the motorsport department of

Volkswagen of America Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Volkswagen of America, abbreviated to VWoA), is the North American operational headquarters, and subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of automobile companies of Germany. VWoA is responsi ...

, approached the

. The Formula Super Vee was announced as an SCCA national class in November 1969. The class was created as a substitute for the overpopulated

Formula Vee Formula Vee (Formula Fau Vee in Brazil and Germany) or Formula Volkswagen is a popular open wheel, single-seater junior motor racing formula, with relatively low costs in comparison to Formula Ford. On the international stage, Niki Lauda, Eme ...

class. Beach Racing Cars manufactured the first Super Vee car, a single seater using threaded tires and no aerodynamic aides. Settled Formula Vee constructors

Zink Cars Zink Cars is a former constructor of Formula Vee cars among other racing cars. Zink Cars was formed in 1962, as of 1974 all manufacturing of the Zink racing cars was taken over by Citation Engineering. History Ed Zink started his auto racing car ...

, Autodynamics and Zeitler Racing Design soon followed. Beach's first Formula Super Vee chassis was bought by Formula Super Vee Europe to promote the racing class in Europe. Thirteen drivers competed in the first edition of the Formula Super Vee

SCCA National Championship Runoffs The SCCA National Championship Runoffs is the end-of-year championship race meeting for Sports Car Club of America Club Racing competitors. Divisional champions and other top drivers from the SCCA's 116 regions are invited to participate at the ...

Road Atlanta Road Atlanta (known for sponsorship reasons as Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta) is a road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, United States. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur spo ...

. Driver/constructor John Zeitler qualified on pole but dropped to fifth position. Tom Davey won the prestigious race also racing a Zeitler chassis. In the combined Formula Super Vee/

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula Fo ...

race, Super Vee's finished in the first three places.

Skip Barber John "Skip" Barber III (born November 16, 1936) is an American retired racecar driver who is most famous for previously owning and founding the Skip Barber Racing Schools. Driving career Barber started racing in 1958 while studying at Harvard ...

was the first Formula Ford driver placing fourth overall. The first national series was held in 1971. Bill Scott won the inaugural race at

Daytona International Raceway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASC ...

. Scott went on to win races at

Road America Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Ch ...

Lime Rock Park Lime Rock Park is a natural-terrain motorsport road racing venue located in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States, a hamlet in the town of Salisbury, in the state's northwest corner. Built in 1956, it is the nation's third oldest continuously o ...

and

Laguna Seca Raceway Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and M ...

. The 1972 season entries improved and slick tires were introduced to the series. Scott became the first double champion of the series despite only winning two races. For 1973 international drivers stepped in with Swede

Bertil Roos Bertil Roos (October 12, 1943 – March 31, 2016) was a Swedish racing driver from Gothenburg. He participated in a single Formula One Grand Prix, his home race in 1974, from which he retired with transmission failure. Career Despite enjoying ea ...

winning three out of the first four races. A late charge from

Elliott Forbes-Robinson Elliott Forbes-Robinson (born October 31, 1943 in La Crescenta, California) is a road racing race car driver. He is known for his race wins and championships in many different series, including the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), Super Vee, Tran ...

could not prevent Roos winning the championship. In 1974 a new Formula Super Vee era began. The series featured fourteen races, two of them outside the United States. Races abroad were run at

Mosport Park Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park and Mosport International Raceway) is a multi- track motorsport venue located north of Bowmanville, in Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. The facility features a , 10-turn road course; a ad ...

, Canada and

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when Ricardo Rodr� ...

, Mexico. Series organizer, Josef Hopen, was not loyal to any specific sanctioning body. Half of the races, including the races abroad, were sanctioned by the

. . The co-sanctioning continued for 1975 but ended before the 1976 season. Political disagreement resulted in Hoppen pulling the Formula Super Vee Robert Bosch championship out of IMSA. As a response IMSA created the

Formula Atlantic Formula Atlantic is a specification of open-wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club ...

class and USAC created the Mini-Indy Series Formula Super Vee. The next era for Formula Super Vee started in 1978. The class introduced a new, water cooled,

Volkswagen Rabbit The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates ...

engine replacing the old air cooled one. The SCCA club racing scene remained using the old engine. The SCCA dropped the class from its regional and national series, merging it into

Formula Continental Formula Continental is a single seater, open wheel racing class in motorsport. It replaced Formula C as an SCCA racing class. Most Formula Continental's are Formula Ford 2000 (FF2000) models, which is a flat bottomed, steel tube frame open ...

, but the professional series remained.

Bill Alsup Bill Alsup (July 15, 1938 in Honolulu – August 9, 2016) was an American race car driver. He was the first Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Rookie of the Year in 1979 and competed in the 1981 Indianapolis 500, finishing 11th. He made 57 CART ...

won the first season of the new era Formula Super Vee championship.

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s under ...

dominated almost every season fielding the most cars out of any constructor. Only the 1983 and 1986 championships were won by other manufacturers.

Champions

References

{{Formula Vee years Sports Car Club of America Formula racing series Volkswagen Group Defunct auto racing series