What should I read?

[FilW]

Hi there all. I'm hoping to compete in Formula Vee next season, I have the car but have a shortage of know-how. What books should I read to learn about setting up the car etc any ideas? I would be grateful fo rany advice people might have. Thanks.

[alfasud]

"How to Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn.
H.P. Books; ISBN: 0912656468

While it's getting a little old these days, it should still be good for Formula Vee. Don't know about other people but I thought this book had a good balance between theory and practice.

[Jukebox]

We have a member here who is actively racing in Formula Vee....maybe you might want to check with him, his nickname is av8rirl. I hope you don mind me asking the guy to contact you av8rirl

[coln72]

There are also some books by Carroll Smith all titled "***** to Win". If you can get past the engineer speak, some of the chapters have some interesting ideas in them, based on his experiences running race teams.

[av8rirl]

Hey FilW. There are lots of good books to read; the above two included. What experience do you have? Do you know anyone currently racing Vee's? I take it you're racing with 750MC? Who's car did you buy? If its one of the fast ones, it may already have quite a good setup or the seller may help you for the first two/three races. You can read all the books in the world but the best thing is experience. The Vee paddock will generally help you with any questions. This is true all over the world for Vee racers. For your first season (or even first few races), it might be no harm to have a team help you (if you have the budget). A good site to take a look at is Alan Hardings new FV site at www.formulavee.co.uk

Anyway let me know some more about your car, experience, etc... and I'll steer you in the right direction.

[FilW]

Hi av8rirl. I have bought Ricky Coles "Ari" Mk4. I believe it was built by a guy called John Harrison who raced it with some sucess in about 1998 but I can't be sure. It has a fairly new Alan Harding engine which has only done 2 races, so should be good for a few more!?(I hope). I had a chat with Alan at Oulton Park in October when I went to see what Formula Vee was all about, I also spoke to a number of people in the paddock all of whom were extreemly friendly and raved about the series. My racing experience is nil and my racing budget is not much more so it has all got to be DIY (and friends). Any help or suggestions you might be able to offer would be great. Do you race in Ireland only or in England at all? Thanks for your help.

[av8rirl]

I know that Alan did build an engine for Ricky just before he finished Vee's and I don't think he ever qualified so there won't be much mileage on the engine at all (which is good - depending on the price you paid). I'm pretty sure that Ricky didn't do any testing either. Before I go any further, I'd like to say that, IMO, the fact that Ricky never qualified was not the problem of the car or engine. A lack of experience, testing and racing all contributed to this. His last two outings were at a wet Oulton (23secs off the pace) and at Donington (12secs of pole without testing).

What I would suggest, is that you get someone in the business to do a basic setup on the car and to show you how to do it yourself. It is very possible that the car won't have a great setup (again down to the previous drivers inexperience). From what you've probably already read, you will know that setup is very important. Don't think now that you will be able to get in the car and stick it on pole first time out (and if you do, I'll eat my hat). You are best going to one of the following: Alan Harding, John Bowles, Mark Richardson, Andy Storer (Scarab) or Paul Heavey (Leastone). All are in the business and see you as a potential customer. There are others out there, but the ones mentioned will not lead you astray. It might not be a bad idea to see if you can get an experienced fast driver to test your car. That way you'll quickly find out if the engine is good/bad/needs rebuild/rejetting, etc... He'll also tell you about the handling. Driver styles do vary, but you'll get a good starting point. (Beware the novices that just want to have a spin in your car - make sure the guy is experienced and fast)

I didn't race this past year but I raced in the UK (quite successfully) in 2001 and in Ireland in 2000 (rookie year). You can see all the results and times to aim for from the www.750mc.co.uk site. I'm hoping to be back racing next year in Ireland and maybe at a few selected races in the UK (Donington and Oulton - two of the best).

Let me know if you want any more info, names, help, etc... Theres not too many UK Vee people at 10/10's.

[FilW]

Thanks for the info av8rirl. Do you know any of my cars history prior to Ricky having the car?

[av8rirl]

I know that I did hear about the car prior to Ricky but I've since forgotton. I *think* that I heard the car was doing OK before Ricky. Can't be definite though.

[bingman]

the car was extremlly competitive before ricky's time until Mark Burrows cracked the chassis in his two and a half double backflip bone-chrunching roll at Brands....








just kidding

[av8rirl]

Before I saw the "just kidding", I was think "how the f*ck can you tell the guy this???"

phew... If I remember correct, I was told that the car was competitive before. We probably shouldn't be naming drivers...

[Red Dog]

Hi FilW. I race in 750mc (not Vees)and I have just gone through the learning curve of making my car handle. Even though I had a lot of theoretical knowledge I found it was really hard to figure out what was happening at first. Carrol Smith's stuff is good and Allan Staniforth is not bad but you can really do your head in trying to understand it all when you are facing the wrong way on a cold, wet Autumn morning in Norfolk having just made a fool of yourself!!! Very demoralising.

There are a few things you can do before you set out for your first test though. The car must be aligned properly, the corner weights set, the ride height and pitch set, dampers checked for smooth, consistent operation and same for suspension. These are simple(ish) things but are often overlooked. I believe that Vees all use the same VW system so springs should not be a problem.

The really good news is that you hardly need to spend any money to do all this. Straight edges, fine string, long carpenters level, ally angle, 4 cheap bathroom scales, somewhere fairly level with some pads made from mdf board to get the wheels all on the same level is the kind of stuff you want. Don't worry yourself looking in Demon Tweeks at the 2 grand electronic/laser NASA space shuttle kit. If you want some detailed advice let me know. As I run in a different formula I won't mind at all!!

There is lots of good advice from av8rirl but don't try and set your car up the same as a front running driver. That may sound daft but what works for them might be undriveable for you. Especially in the wet. What you want is a car you can be confident and consistent in and doesn't bite you. As you get faster you can change the set up accordingly, but if you don't get your confidence levels up, you will not progress. This is a mind game!

[boyracer]

Very true, car feel is directly related to driver confidence.

[bcobbus]

I book I recently read that had some interesting info in it, was The Unfair Advantage. Even though the book is an auto biography of Mark Donahue, and has stories of many of his races, it still has a buunch of technical info. Not as useful as a actual manual, but a much better read, where a lot of great ideas are mentioned.

[GTV27]

My personal fav's are:

How to Make Your Car Handle by Fred Puhn.
Engineer to Win by Carroll Smith
Going Faster - Mastering the Art of Race Driving (can't remember the author)

In that order if you wan to make the car faster and the other way round if you want to make yourself faster.