Historic Formula Ford 2000 Association

Thanks Steven, it's really useful to understand why you've chosen not to race your cars with URS in the past few years

Are you more likely to bring your cars now we have races under HSCC? I know we came very close to getting Dan out for the Brands GP race.

Do you think you have managed to convert any of the track day drivers to single seaters?

Are you going to Oulton Marc?

Unfortunately I agreed to go to a wedding on the Monday before the timetable was released, so I can't make it

Snetterton clashes with Spa in the Mustang, but I plan to be out for Silverstone.

I doubt I would have tried to get Dan out for that event if it hadn't been HSCC... that said, he is a race winner and wants to test himself against similar cars so if he weren't doing so many Caterham races he would probably come out and do a combined race with you.

The earlier point about availability of cars for sale is a valid one. I field about 2-3 serious enquiries each month from people thinking of racing in Mono and many of those are looking to buy cars. I have provided tickets for several to come along and view mono in action. We have a wider spread of cars - introducing someone to our reigning champion who has just spent in excess of £60K on building a new Mono spec Dallara isn't quite the way to impress everyone! ... further down the classes we sold two cars off our stand at Race Retro - a Vaux Lotus for £6k and an ex F4 VD99 for £11.5K. Availability of cars like this lets people join Mono and maybe move up the classes if they choose to change car.

For 2015 we have 11 'X plate' drivers who are starting their circuit racing exploits with Mono (and are eligible for our Nova award scheme)

Most enquirers seem to have found what they want from my Mono prospectus http://www.monoposto.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Monoposto_2015_Yearbook-V2_lo.pdf (well I had to stick and RF82 on the front cover didn't I !) and it is interesting how everyone sees combined weights as 'the norm' ... they just assume that is how everyone does it in racing. This is a bit like the issue in BRDC F4 where we get Mummy and Daddy who think only a carbon tub can be safe for 'little Johnny' even though the space frame cars pass the same type of crash test. ... it is perception and for new people coming in the perception is that combined weights is fair.

The chap who thought he might buy an ex BRDC F4 car and run it in Mono next year needed quite a bit of explaining why that wouldn't happen (I know a fair bit about these - Palmer buying them back, the engines being on lease etc) and we ended up concluding that FF1600 probably matched his aspirations more reasonably.

My growing Australian interest (two guys shipped their cars over this year) have gone back recommending to their friends my idea that they buy cars here instead (cheaper and easier in the long run) and HFF2000 stands out as good for their aspirations.... so I try to give honest advice.

OOps, fallen off my soap box again.

Ive done the mono round at snett for the past few years, good fun, but ideally I want to race with equal cars on a level playing field, if I were 80kg id be in formula ford 1600

I'll probably get shot down in flames but the logical way forward would be to amalgamate URS and HFF2k. Historic grids aren't exactly busting at the seams and the difference in performance between the two grids is minimal. Provided there's a cup for both series what's the problem?

Personally that would be my preference too. Big grids of such similar cars always make for excellent racing. The combined races we've had have been fantastic with up to 40 FF2000s on the grid and superb racing for everyone from both classes. Both times this year I've had great dices with various historic cars - and the same seemed to have been repeated throughout the field.

When I was originally considering both HSCC FF2000 and URS I remember thinking what a shame it was that the series had split. My main consideration when deciding what to race has always been close competitive racing and that's what a big grid guarantees for everyone.

I know that one or two HSCC drivers are very against the URS cars joining them. I can understand their concerns about the relative values of the cars, but ultimately I think a bigger stronger series overall will in the long run push the value of their cars up even more. Although I have an RF82, my father now has an older Reynard so I have no vested interest in changing the relative values, I just want good close racing with lots of other drivers!
Even the performance differences between the cars could be dealt with in a number of ways (retain separate points, handicap, etc).

That's just my personal take on it though - I don't know how the rest of the Classic car owners would feel about merging

Regardless, URS can certainly be strong on it's own so until such a time that Ken and Alan decide it's time to bring the series back together anything we can do to work out how to get more cars back out can only be a positive.

I have a car which would be a class B URS car, and considered doing a round or two if it fitted in with my other commitments. When I saw the entry fees I ruled it out, I know they tend to be double headers but for me it was too much to spend on one meeting.

I had a long chat with Ken on Monday on this and related subjects, and he made a very valid point regarding allowing newer cars into the URS Series. He said, and he is correct, that there isn't a shortage of cars, there isn't even a shortage of owners, there is a shortage of owners who are prepared to race the cars, in some cases, at all, in others more than a couple of rounds.
This situation all ties into the question of where are we hoping to go with the formula, once that has been established then all efforts must be thrown at that route. To me, there are only two alternatives, BARC as a stand alone formula and HSCC with the Historic FF2000's. Running with anything else is damaging our chances of survival, doing the odd race with Mono, CF3 or DBT then thinking that used this months supply of racing money and I can't do the meeting of the chosen route is simply hammering another nail into the coffin of this series and contributing to a further fall in the value of our cars.
So what will be the chosen route? The idea of being with what used to be the B class of URS again is attractive, but let's be realistic, why would they want us, they don't need us, they aren't short of entries, they may have experienced a drop, but Alan M is more than dynamic enough to counter that over a period of time. They left us for a reason when we parted ways some years ago, and I'm sure that reason is still valid to them. It leaves the BARC route as the obvious and maybe only choice. It is the only route which, if we focus our efforts and money, can give us a stand alone formula.
It will mean Alan M being asked to not include us in the GP circuit Brands and Silverstone events, which is a shame, and I am the first to admit I will miss them, but surely......the future of the series and its chances of return to a formula must be seen as more important than our enjoyment on a couple of single days.
I know Ken doesn't read this forum, so I will e mail this tirade to him, and offer my support with a meeting with BARC, which, as a pair we have done in the past. Given how this year has gone, it may be debatable whether the BARC will want us next year, our strongest point is that, as far as I know they only have one single seater formula left at the moment, which will help our position, although some kind of a new plan on our part will be needed.
In summary, and I apologize to Steve Connor, but I have known him for years and I'm sure he understands my logic, anyone who runs in Mono, CF3 or DBT in preference to the chosen route ( be it begging to the HSCC or URS with BARC) is cutting all our throats including their own. Harsh words I'm afraid, but I think we are well past the point of tarting up a web-site or producing spread sheets, something positive must take place or we are finished.

I agree entirely with most of what you say here Bob. In particular that once we've established the best direction for the formula then all efforts should be thrown at that route. I'll support any plan that gives a future of good close racing for the cars. I'd also hate to see the cars spread across several unrelated series.

A couple of questions however:

Are we certain that rejoining the HSCC FF2000 cars is closed off to us? Perhaps the reasons that split the series originally can be resolved in a mutually beneficial way? Perhaps it is unrealistic, but it has to be worth exploring alongside the other options.

Either way, would it be necessary to throw out the concept of a combined event once or twice a year? Plenty of different series successfully come together for blue riband events to ensure big and economically viable grids. I don't think it damages either series to do that. After all, previously the HSCC cars had to combine with CF3 to race on Silverstone GP and URS simply didn't race on the GP circuits. Win, win and it raises the profile of FF2000 cars generally.

It's good to hear though that behind the scenes there are plenty of people keen and willing to take action to ensure we are all out racing next year.