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Formula Ford 1600 - A Brief History

Formula Ford originated in the UK in 1967 when the first Cortina powered Lotus 51s were built to replace F3 cars being used at the MRS driving school at Brands Hatch. Their cost, complete and ready to run, was one thousand pounds sterling. Engines were provided by Ford at the princely sum of fifty pounds each! Transmissions were Renault units as used in the Lotus Europa and Colin Chapman, consequently, had access to a whole bunch of them! The class was adopted by the SCCA in 1969 and FF1600 soon became the most significant single-seat racing class in the world. It was not uncommon to see grids of up to fifty fairly equal cars take the green flag. The thousands of FF chassis produced over the following four decades far outnumber those of any other racing class. The original Ford Cortina engine that powered these rear-engined, tube-chassis cars was replaced when Ford introduced the sturdier, venerable Uprated or Kent version in 1971. In the early years of its 41 year history, the class was a major step in the ladder to the top and several future World Champions honed their skills and became recognized while racing in Formula Ford. The hallmarks of FF1600 were its low cost and the restrictive rules which assured that it was a class where the driver's skill made the difference. Even today, that characteristic remains a major aspect of the class's considerable appeal. Formula Ford continues to be a strong National class because it still provides what is arguably the greatest value in Club Racing. Cars are available at all price levels as are engines. Rules stability is also a major factor and the amateur racer who wants to can still build up, modify and tune his own engine. Since 2002 when the SCCA approved an open approach to aftermarket engine parts production, FF1600 has had a rebirth and Regional fields have increased significantly. The Kent engine can now be made extremely reliable and its life between rebuilds has been extended significantly. The Regional Club Ford class for pre-1982 cars has become highly popular throughout the country. With a huge support network of part sources, prep shops and engine builders, a devoted following of thousands of racers continues to assure Formula Fords vitality. Although its former role has been, in some ways, eclipsed by spec and wing cars, it remains a racing class which, true to its history, continues to provide an exciting racing experience at relatively low cost.

In the early 60's, the FF contingent found that they could be driving cars that looked almost exactly like the current crop of F1 and Indy cars. Since wings were not yet in vogue, all the rear engined open wheel cars at that time appeared to be part of a single family. This Mickey Thompson built Harvey Aluminum car, for example, was driven by Dan Gurney at Indianapolis in 1962, sporting a much modified stock block Buick V8 ran very well in the 500 until a simple oil seal let go and Gurney's day was over, but not before he had moved up through the field impressively. Thompson's later Indy cars utilized revolutionary small diameter tires which made them very difficult to control. They were deemed to be too dangerous by several top line drivers who tried them. Road racer Dave McDonald would lose his life in one during the '64 race.

One of the most successful chassis run in the US, the Crossle 32/35 series - built in Northern Ireland by John Crossle - won races across the country and dominated National grids. In the early 1980's when the "pre-78" or "CLUB FORD" class was created, the Crossles yet again ran up front. The cars were of simple, straightforward design and were one of the safest cars as well. Racing schools like Skip Barber Racing owned scores of these cars and many up and coming drivers got their first taste of Formula Ford in 32/35's.

FORMULA JUNIOR

From 1958 to 1963, Formula Junior replaced the motorcycle engined 500 cc F3 cars as the stepping-stone to Formula 1. Count Giovganni 'Johnny' Lurani Cernuschi was the primary advocate of the new class which used 1000 cc engines based on production cars then available. In 1958 the CSI granted it international status for 1959.

Initially the Italian cars, and in particular the Stanguellini Fiats dominated by winning the Italian championships in 1958 and 1959 and the International championship in its first year with a car driven by Michael May of Switzerland. But by the end of 1959 there were other manufacturers building cars including Elva, Cooper, Lotus and Lola.

From 1960 on, British built cars totally dominated Formula Junior, particularly the works teams from Lotus with drivers such as Jimmy Clark, Trevor Taylor and Peter Arundel, all of whom progressed through to Formula One with Clark winning two world championships.

Who would have thought that Formula Junior with such a short international life span would make such an impact on the motor racing world and revolutionize Formula One so drastically? During the six years of its existence, racing car design evolved from front engine with ladder style chassis, to the more sophisticated monocoque with rear engine of current design.

There were over 100 car manufacturers building Formula Junior cars and the class spawned many specialist industries in racing car development such as Cosworth and Hewland who are well known in their field of expertise today.

Formula Junior was replaced by Formula two and three in 1964 and Formula Ford in the late sixties, all of which still exist today. During 1960 Formula 2 and 3 were dropped in favor of Formula Junior making it the only doorway to Formula One for aspiring drivers.