The Formula Vee Association of New Zealand, which runs the MotorSport New Zealand-sanctioned Weldwell Formula First Championship NZ, will be spreading the word about the race craft to be learned and fun to be had behind the wheel of these 1200cc single seaters when they exhibit at this year’s CRC Speedshow.

CRC Speedshow director Ross Prevette and his son Zach attended the recent Formula First ‘have a go’ day at the Taupo Motorsport Park which utilised six Formula First race cars made available by Dennis Martin from Sabre Motorsport.

Prevette, who once raced jet-skis professionally and now races Zach in karts at their local Whakatane kart-track on a regular basis, came away from the day very impressed.

“The whole ‘have a go’ day was exceptionally well run, very professional with a fantastic lunch for the 32 participants,” says Prevette. “There is plenty of history in the class, which was originally called Formula Vee when it started in the 1970s. Well-known drivers like Scott Dixon, Shane Van Gisbergen, Ritchie Stanaway, Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy, Brendon Hartley and Jono Lester all started in Formula First.

“Add that to the fact these 1200cc cars accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in about six seconds and have a top speed of 200 km/h and there were plenty of big smiles as people got out of the cars after their first runs!”

“After a mandatory safety video and well-informed drivers’ briefing, we were let out on the track in groups of three or four cars.

“My opinion: very, very different from karting. From the moment you hop in the car and discover the radically different seating position, tight cockpit, full harness seatbelts, you certainly get a good appreciation of what an open wheel race car feels like.

“Out on the track, they have a lot less grip than a typical kart, which really surprised me, and also caught more than a few drivers out with spins and 360s around various parts of the Taupo track. Add to this a short-shift 4-speed transmission, sharp responsive steering and lots of feel from the brakes and it all adds up to one hell of a lot of fun, but also very challenging!

“Now that I have experienced one of these race cars first-hand, I can definitely see how racing in the series would be hugely competitive and oodles of fun. Running a Formula First is also very affordable when compared with other form of motorsport and would possibly be on par from a cost point of view with top tier karting (excluding the cost of the race car or kart).

“For anyone wanting to experience the thrill of a real open wheel Formula First race car, there are a number of avenues available. Firstly, the club runs ‘have a go days’ at various times throughout the year, just like the day that Zach and I experienced. There are also options to lease a race car through Sabre Motorsport with ‘arrive and drive’ deals. Plus there’s an annual opportunity for a talented up-and-coming racer to win the Speedsport Motor Racing Scholarship valued at $50,000 which covers a complete season of racing. Previous winners include Nick Cassidy and Richie Stanaway.”

Anyone wanting to find out more can visit the Formula First site at CRC Speedshow 2013.