TOPEKA, Kan. (May 23, 2014) – A steering committee of movers and shakers in the motorsports industry have assembled to promote the Formula F 45th anniversary celebration at the SCCA Summer SpeedFest, running on the 15-turn, 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Park, August 9-10.

Formula F launched in 1969, with Skip Barber taking the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® win in what was then known as Formula Ford. Since the beginning, the class served as a proving ground for open wheel racers, including national champions Barber, Dennis Firestone, Dave Weitzenhof, Bob Lobenberg, Jimmy Vasser and more. To this day, Formula F remains one of the most popular classes in the top level of Sports Car Club of America’s SafeRacer Club Racing program.

Among the industry insiders helping the SCCA staff promote the event are RACER Magazine founder and publisher Paul Pfanner, Formula car stalwart and promoter Mike Rand, and SCCA President/CEO Lisa Noble.

Pfanner, a Formula F racer himself in his spare time, led the charge at the 20th anniversary festival in 1989. Pfanner’s contacts within the industry, his media reach, and his passion for the sport drive his membership on the committee.

"Formula F racing gave me a place to start my publishing career and allowed me to experience the best of SCCA competition,” Pfanner said. “It remains a true challenge for serious racers wanting to climb racing's ladder to the top. The 45th Anniversary Formula F Festival will celebrate the heroes who came from our ranks and showcase the best of today's Formula F racers. Our staff at RACER.com, RACER Magazine and SPORTSCAR Magazine are very excited to be involved with Lisa Noble and her team at SCCA as well as my old friend Mike Rand who has done so much to promote the class."

Rand has had a hand in racing, promoting, and organizing Formula F events for over 40 years in the professional, club and vintage ranks. Rand promoted the strong 40th celebration at Road America five years ago, and has contacts and relationships with drivers, constructors, and key players in the ranks.

“When [SCCA Director of Club Racing] Butch Kummer called initially, I tried to beg off, claiming I was still recovering from the exertion of the 40th,” Rand said. “He, quite rightly, called me out since that was five years ago! While I may not be in any condition to attend in person due to a medical issue, I will bang the drum loudly and help in any other way I can to see the event be the success I know it will be.”

Noble was named the Sports Car Club of America President in March of 2014, but her experience with the Club and, specifically, the small formula cars stretches many years. Noble has been a fixture in the Formula Vee community with forays into the FF world both as a driver and through her renowned “Engines by Noble” business.

“Throughout the 45-year heritage of FF, many of our racing heroes have come from this great open-wheel formula,” Noble said. “Famous names like Andretti, Herta and Lauda, and great Club racers such as David Loring and Scott Atchison, whose talents were just as impressive, are a part of this dynasty. This event is SCCA’s opportunity to recognize and celebrate the incredible world-wide FF legacy that permeates to the core of motorsports today.”

The Formula F 45th anniversary event is the focal point of the SCCA Summer SpeedFest at Barber Motorsports Park. Run groups will feature cars from each era of the Formula F timeline, ranging from vintage racers to what are now known as “Club Ford” through the current National Championship-eligible specs. Each class will race both on Saturday and Sunday, with a 45th celebration planned at the track for Saturday night featuring industry celebrities and legendary racers.

Event registration will open in June.

Founded in 1944, Sports Car Club of America, Inc. is a 60,000-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both amateur and professional levels. It annually sanctions more than 2,000 events through its 115 regions and professional subsidiary. Landmark events and series for the Club include the SafeRacer SCCA Club Racing program, which includes the U.S. Majors Tour and BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Super Tour; the Club Racing National Championship Runoffs® at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca; the Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships and ProSolo Championship at Lincoln, Neb.; the annual SCCA National Convention and Hall of Fame Induction and MSX – North American Motorsports Expo.

More information can be found at www.SCCA.com.

Summer Speedfest, Featuring FF 45th Anniversary