Brad Brickel
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Forest Hill, MD – “If you look hard enough, you can still find a bargain, even in auto racing. The Formula Race Car Club of America (FRCCA) is an organization dedicated to providing the thrill of racing without the agony of expense”, said past president and CEO for The Formula Race Car Club of America AJ "Buddy" Pugliese.
The type of car which forms the backbone of the FRCCA called “Club Fords,” are older Formula Ford racecars that are no longer competitive against newer machines – except under the special rules of the FRCCA. “There are two aspects of racing: speed and competition,” said Pugliese, “and somewhere along the line the search for speed was given a higher priority than the search for competition.”
This sort of thinking by a sanctioning body can very quickly sideline all but the wealthiest competitors. Back in 1979, Pugliese was growing frustrated with the Formula Ford rules. “The whole concept of Formula Ford was getting out of hand,” he said. “Formula Ford was supposed to be a beginning series in Formula car racing. That idea was being forgotten by the people who set the rules, and it has gotten worse since then. Today a competitive new chassis costs more than $20,000. By the time you get it ready to race and add other necessary equipment, like a trailer and some spare parts, you’re looking at a $30,000 investment.
With the idea of Club Ford as his only resource, Pugliese and five interested friends decided to try to create a set of Club Ford rules that would enable older formula Fords to race competitively. And, to make sure they had a place to race, they formed the FRCCA in 1980 and established their own race schedule. The whole object of the FRCCA is to minimize the effect of the car in the racing equation. Driving ability is what the group tries to cultivate.
“Even though a Formula Ford is a true race car in the sense that it was designed as a single-seat racing machine,” said Pugliese, “the cars themselves are mechanically quite simple. Believe me; a person with very little mechanical aptitude can easily do the routine maintenance on a Formula Ford.” Perhaps the most unique facet of the FRCCA is the fact that it has a class of racing strictly for beginners which allows new drivers to concentrate on developing driving skills rather than watching their rearview mirrors.
Since holding its first race in 1980, the FRCCA now has a division for every style of Formula car including the newer versions of Formula race cars. “The concept of affordable, safe and competitive Formula car racing has universal appeal,” Pugliese said. At the end of the 2008 season AJ Pugliese decided to retire as the club president. The honor has been passed on to John Heckman who took over in 2009.
In 2011 while attending the Len Sammons Promotions “Motorsports 2011 Show” John Heckman was introduced to The RAACE Foundation by TeamRAACE driver Mike Sweeney. “After speaking with Executive Director Brad Brickel about the epidemic of child sexual abuse and how important awareness is in the first step to prevention I knew that our club could be a great way to get the word out. With the strong presence that RAACE has in many areas of motorsports I thought it would be a great way to also build pride and enthusiasm for our brand and its member racers.”
As a result of those conversations titling the clubs yearlong point’s battle The RAACE Championship Series came about. So at the club’s annual awards banquet and new member meeting in Allentown, PA the announcement was made. And with a twist of fate TeamRAACE father and son drivers Chris and CJ Rachuba where in attendance to learn more about the club and the new “Formula” car they would be racing in 2011 after moving up from the world of racing go-karts as part of TeamRAACE!
After a great summer of racing, only one event remains on the 2011 RAACE Championship series schedule and many championships are coming down to the race weekend on the Shendandoah circuit at Summit Point, WV, October 15th & 16th. F/T, F1600, F/C and F/PA all have tight top 3 position races going on for the 2011 RAACE Championship.
For more information on The Formula Race Car Club of America, please visit their website at: http://www.formularacecarclubofamerica.com/. The RAACE Foundation would like to thank The FRCCA for being advocates in the fight against child sexual abuse. What every member racer needs to know is that you have the power to make the difference in the life of a child and their family. To learn more about The RAACE Foundation please visit www.raace.org.
