There has been a recent focus on some of the classes available to the vintage or historic racer. It is called BOSS, which stands for Big Openwheel Single Seater. This concept originated in England as a venue where the older large bore formula cars could continue a competitive life. The British rules are, in some ways, less restrictive than ours and, in other ways, more restrictive.
The British rules allow for two classes, or levels, of BOSS. The top level allows for very liberal car preparation, with the only major restriction being that turbocharged engines are not allowed. Basically anything else goes, such as a late model Tyrrell with a 4.0 liter Judd sports car engine installed. There are no year restrictions.
The second level is called the BOSS Masters which is comprised of Formula 3000 cars and 3 liter Formula 1 cars. These cars are limited to their original engines and preparation rules. (Britain, with its plethora of active racers and a relatively small area in which to race, is able to support even another race series/class known as Force. This contains earlier models of Formula 1 and Formula 5000 cars.)
In the United States this genre of racing is still in its infancy. HSR (Historic Sports Car Racing, Ltd.) has established the "BOSS" Formula Super Cup Series, including this Series at four of its venues in 2002. These events are the Mitty at Atlanta, the HSR Watkins Glen, the SVRA Mid-Ohio, and the finale at the Atlanta Historics. The Mid-Ohio venue also marks the return of the Formula 5000 Reunion which has proven so successful in the past. It is planned that the combination of a BOSS Series race and the Formula 5000 Reunion will be an annual happening at Mid-Ohio, affording the Formula 5000 drivers an opportunity to race in the BOSS Series as well as their own Formula 5000 race. (However, just because the Series is not represented at a particular event doesn’t mean the BOSS cars cannot run at that event.)
The cars included in this series are more varied than their European brethren. Basically these cars are divided into five specific groupings as follows:
F6. Formula Atlantic, Formula 2, Super-Vee.
F7. Tube frame construction: Formula 1, Formula 5000, Indy Car.
F8. Monocoque construction: Formula 1 & Indy Car without ground effects, American Indy Car (AIS), Formula 5000.
F9. Formula 1 & Indy Car with ground effects, Formula 3000, to 1989.
F10. Formula 1, Indy Car, Formula 3000, 1990 and later.
At the Series events points will be awarded both in class and on an overall basis.
So, what cars are we likely to see competing in this series? There are obviously several Atlantic, Formula 2 and Super-Vees active now. As for the faster cars, several Indy cars, Formula 1 cars, and an F-3000 or two are currently active, with more on the horizon. These three groups represent three levels of speed, cost and ease of maintenance. All of these areas need to be considered before one decides to leap into the series. Also, as these cars are extremely fast, a driver must accurately assess his or her abilities, experience, and currency. HSR/SVRA do not allow a driver to compete in these cars without checking the experience level of the competitor carefully.
Formula 3000
This class came into being after the FIA decided to replace Formula 2 with another series providing a stepping stone from Formula 3 to Formula 1. Begun in 1985, the rules specified normally aspirated 3 liter engines with a maximum of 12 cylinders. Engine speed was limited to 9,000 rpm by an FIA approved electronic limiter common to all cars. Cars were flat bottomed. Choice of tires was free in 1985 but in 1986 control AVON tires were specified. The chassis were varied, although all built to specifications provided. Throughout the years the rules have been changed to provide for a current series that specifies chassis, engine and tires.
The pre-1990 cars are likely to include Lola, March and Reynard, with Ralt and Reynard for the later cars. The engines include Cosworth DFV, Mugen Honda, Engine Developments (Judd) BV series, and Cosworth AC. All obviously 3 liter displacement. Horsepower output will range around 475-500, depending on the year’s specifications. This assumes the engine is per the appropriate specifications.
Indy Cars
These have become more widely available recently, with many providing good value for money. The main problem with these cars is the engine. It may be allowable to purchase a rolling chassis and stuff a V8 into it as the rules were somewhat flexible for certain periods of competition. It is recommended that careful research be done to insure any choice of chassis-engine combination is acceptable to the powers that be. Horsepower? That depends on engine choice, but a standard Cosworth DFX easily provides 840+ which is more than most of us need to have on tap. Reliability? Right!
Formula 1
Recently many of the 1980s and 1990s Formula 1 cars have hit the market. Up to 1985 F 1 cars were either 1.5 liter turbocharged or 3 liter normally aspirated. Turbos give a real bang for buck? Very loud bang for very big bucks! In 1986 only turbocharged cars were allowed. In 1987 the alternative to turbocharging was 3.5 liter normally aspirated engines. These cars ran in the FIA Jim Clark Cup until the turbos were banned for the 1989 season and are now hitting the market with regularity. They will run either the Cosworth DFZ/DFR or Engine Developments (Judd) CV series engines with horsepower in the 560-600 range.
The care and feeding of the Cosworth/Judd/Mugen series engines is fairly straightforward. Most require preheating for longevity, and some demand it. They may be mechanically injected (early F1 cars) or electronically injected (later F1 and F-3000), with the injection controlled by an ECU (electronic control unit) or brain. These are programmed by the engine builders and are usually extremely reliable.
This brings up one area where some competitors may baulk. These engines are such that the use of a professional engine builder is virtually required. Not that a skilled amateur does not possess the talent to rebuild one of these engines. Rather, the detailed knowledge and experience needed to deal with these power plants, as well as the professional contacts for parts and facilities to do a proper job, dictate the use of someone who does this sort of thing for a living. This is especially true when the cost of a new engine is considered. A rebuild will range from around $8,000 to $15,000, depending on what is needed. The average life of the engine prior to rebuild if cared for, will easily reach two years. A freshly built F-3000 engine, run with the factory ECU and 9,000 rpm rev limit, should easily be good for 2,000 miles. New, these engines will range from $20,000 to $40,000. Turbo engines may, at times, be found for less money, but consider the rebuild frequencies and costs. There are several engine builders in the U.S. with excellent reputations regarding these engines. (Bob Slade, Ted Wentz and Phil Reilly are among them.)
The gearboxes normally use Hewland internals. Many of the earlier cars even use the standard Hewland cases. The later cars will tend to use a proprietary case with Hewland internals. Therefore, all gearbox internal parts should be readily available. However, some rare cars (i.e. the very late Marches) used not only a proprietary case but they designed their own internals as well. This is always a very important area to explore well when buying a car.
Wheels are usually type specific with most cars having a couple of sets of spares. Tire choice will depend on the specific car. The F-3000 cars are designed to use spec radial tires. These are easily available through Charlie Gibson at SASCO. The Indy cars and Formula 1 can usually use biased ply tires that are readily available as long as you stick to a rear tire that is a maximum of 16 inches in width. Some of the Formula 1 cars may have been designed with wider wheel/tire combinations, but can all be converted to available sizes easily.
Spare parts for the F-3000 and Indy cars are available as there are several concerns that have purchased factory inventories and will provide this service. Spares for Formula 1 will be harder to find, often necessitating fabrication. Bodywork is probably the most difficult to replace, usually requiring moulds be made.
Prices? This really can vary. The F-3000 cars are available as rolling chassis from the $20,000 area and as running cars from the $50,000 range. Obviously this depends on the year car chosen. A very early rolling chassis (1986) might be had for $15,000. A later (1992) Reynard or Ralt will be closer to $40,000 for a rolling chassis. Indy Cars are a bit higher. Formula 1 cars will usually start in the $65,000 range for an early rolling chassis to $100,000 for a later one. Of course, if you want a Michael Schumacher car you better get out the platinum card. Most of these cars are still in Europe, although some are beginning to filter into the country.
There is one other group of cars that is beginning to surface. These are ex-F-3000 Reynards that made their way to Australia. They were run in the Holden Series. F-3000 chassis were fitted with Holden engines for a down-under series. These engines are built to specifications and produce 350 horsepower. While somewhat less powerful than their full-blown European counterparts, they will make fantastic entry level machines.
It should be noted this is not a "run what you brung" series. The cars are to be prepared to the rules under which they originally competed.
This series will continue to grow. It is a fun and potentially marketable race group that will soon be able to take its rightful place among the major event attractions. The cars, while not exactly inexpensive, are no more costly or difficult to maintain than many of the GTP, big sports cars, or TransAm cars.
Charlie Warner
Fatto Gatto Racing
Administrator