Series 45th Anniversay event preview

Celebrating 45 Years of Formula Vee Racing, in South Africa

The Formula Vee Association of South Africa, celebrates it's 45th Anniversary, with two sprint races and a Ninety Minute Endurance Race at the Execuline 9 Hour Retro race meeting, at Kyalami on the 4th December 2010. The two nine lap sprint races are provisionally scheduled for, 08:15 and 10:30 on Saturday morning, with the Ninety Minute Endurance Race, scheduled to start at 12:15.

Once again, the event has attracted Formula Vee competitors from overseas, with German Formel V Association Chairman and two times German Champion Joachim Lutz, competing in his fourth South African anniversary event. The only man to win the German Formel V Championship, in a South African designed and built chassis, Lutz will be accompanied by another five German Formula Vee drivers and for the first time, South Africa will also be hosting competitors, from the European Historic Formula Vee Association. The European Historic Formula Vee Championship caters for cars from various eras of Formula Vee racing, divided into classes depending on year of manufacture and specification. The Classes are 1964 to 1966 and 1967 to 1972, all with 1300cc, single carburetor Volkswagen Beetle motors and 1973 to 1976 with 1300cc twin carburetor Volkswagen Beetle motors. There are also two classes, for Super Vees, these being from 1971 to 1977 and 1978 to 1982 running the 1600cc VW 411 or Porsche 914 motor. The various classes run together, with up to forty five cars, per race meeting.

Lutz will again partner Symm Grobler (Auto Mecca Rhema 2), while the other drivers, in the German Formel V contingent, are Dirk Kornmeyer, Winfried Kornmeyer and Stefan Elfgen, along with Arno Sommer and Harry Ohs who where also here, for our 40th Anniversary in 2005. Reigning German Champion Dirk Kornmeyer, will partner with four times South African National Formula Vee Champion, Alan Holm (Lasersprint Office Direct Rhema 2), with Winfried partnering Ben Pienaar, in the BJ Pro Welding Rhema 2. Sommer, will compete in the Renexcon Construction Rhema 2, alongside Henk Swanepoel, Ohs will be sharing the Gilus IT SAP Rhema 2, with Nico Blignaut. and Elfgen will be sharing the Nashua Mobile Rhema 1, with Paul Venter. The European Historic Formula Vee Association competitors, Dr Frank Orthey, of Germany who is also the chairman of their Association, will share the Renexcon Rhema 2 with the newly crowned 2010 SA National Formula Vee Champion, Peter Hills, while Robert Waschak,from Austria will be driving Mile Stewart's Rhema 1..

Current German Formula Vees, run with wings and slicks, so their drivers have always found a South African Vee, a bit of a challenge, particularly when we still ran with the skimmed road tires. To them, our cars seemed almost un-drivable, on those tires. Then in 2005, they experienced our cars on the semi slick racing tire, for the first time and although Lutz felt they where a vast improvement, over the road tires, he still found our cars very difficult to drive, compared to the German cars and once again, they will be a challenge for the visiting German drivers, particularly those experiencing a South African Vee, for the first time. For the European Historic Formula Vee drivers, our cars should not be too much of a problem, as it looks like a lot of their cars, still run the old marie biscuit wheels, similar to what South African Vees ran in the early air cooled Beetle engine days.

Making his Formula Vee racing debut, at the Kyalami event, will be fifteen year old Karter Dewald Brummer, sharing the Sting with his father Deon. Most of the regular Formula Vee competitors, will also be competing in the event, sharing drives in the Ninety Minute race, with friends, mechanics, sponsors etc. Mariaan Brits (Rotary Racing Rhema 1), will be sharing the car with Susan Cockeram and Tasj Van Dyk will be back behind the wheel of her (Body Art Omega). Others who have not competed regularly, in recent years but still poses a Vee, will also compete at the event, including the air cooled Wilkie Vee of Tony Beecher, while the Kernick family, synonymous with the History of the category in this country, will be represented in the Ninety Minute Endurance race, by the 1985 National Champion Peter and younger brother Alan Kernick, in Alan's Tasman 96.

The event is open to any Formula Vee racing car in South Africa, of whatever age or specification and is more a celebration of 45 years of Formula Vee Racing, in this country, than anything else. The racing will however be as competitive as ever, with the drivers being true racers at heart. We would also like to encourage as many ex Formula Vee drivers and ex South African Formula Vee National Champions, to attend the event, visit the Vee pits, celebrate with us and share their many stories and memories, of a category that has endured and flourished for so many years, in this country.

-source: safv