→ Historical Research, in memory of David McKinney
Formula Racing Association
Started by Allen Brown , Nov 20 2011 22:53
#1 Allen Brown
Allen Brown
Posted 20 November 2011 - 22:53
Can anyone educate me on the FRA? As Don Capps points out in a RVM, the F.R.A. Bulletin Board appeared in Sports Car Graphic every month from 1961 until the April 1966 issue but after that it's harder to find out about their activities.
I was talking to Victory Lane publisher Dan Davis the other day and he told me there was a FRA Pro series for several more seasons including classes for FB and FC.
Does anyone have information on the FRA either before or after 1966 that might fill out the story?
#2 David Birchall
David Birchall
Joined: March 03
Allen, Some information here:
http://www.500race.o...th America.html
if you can get hold of a small, softbound book called "Formula Junior Guide" by Harry Morrow it will give you some insight. On page 18 Morrow states: "Into the void left by the lack of concern for the future of road racing [for formula cars] came the Formula Racing Association (FRA), which, because it did believe int he new formula [the FIA Formula Junior rules], had agreed to abandon their old title (500cc Club of America) and concentrate on open-wheeled formula racing of all varieties."
On page 17 he states: "Sports Car Club of America was stroking its national beard pretending to be wise, and saying that SCCA was only interested in sports car racing--though it had acknowledged (or tolerated) Formula III racing for the past 10 years. In the West, the California Sports Car Club displayed the same lack of foresight and was still more than a year away from working up any enthusiasm for formula car racing, though it too had provided racing for Formula III. United States Auto Club (USAC), carely on the fringes of road racing anyway, came up with a reaction that might have been predicted--they didn't even know there was such a thing as Formula Junior, or, for that matter, Formula I, II or III."
This was reporting on the situation in 1959--a year before the first Formula Junior race in the USA at the Sebring event in March 1960. The SCCA having announced the adoption of FIA FJ rules for the 1960 season.
Morrow was the founder of the Formula Racing Association.
This book was published in 1961 by Sports Car Press with the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 60-16542
http://www.amazon.co...w/dp/B0007EL8PA
This post has been edited so many times now I am not sure it makes sense anymore...
Edited by David Birchall, 21 November 2011 - 04:00.
#3 David McKinney
David McKinney
I always assumed that, having succeeded in their aim of getting single-seater races organised (mainly AFAIK on the west coast and Mexico), they packed their tents and left the scene once bigger organisers began running FJ races, and certainly by the time FA/FB/FC was established
That was what I thought too David, but it seems I must have been wrong. As well as Dan's testimony, I spotted a comment on an old biography of Skeeter McKitterick that he was FRA F3 champion in 1968, the same year he was running in SCCA FC.
We live and learn
Still made sense to me!
Thanks for the info. I've ordered the Formula III book.
Now can anyone take the story beyond 1965?
#7 HiRich
HiRich
Joined: May 06
Going back to the start, the 500cc Club of North America (sic) was formed 17th December 1951 in LA (right from the start it was based around Harry Morrow, although Bill Black was first to bring cars to the West Coast). 500s had arrived on the East Coast at the beginning of the year. The "North" was quickly dropped.
The Club took a partial ownership of 500s/Formula III, most notably with the technical regulations - an allowance for the use of some US pushrod engines, mandating lap belt, roll hoops and even crack testing of some critical components. The SCCA accepted these revisions and (generally) enabled Regional and National Championships. In South California, races were held with both the SCCA and CSCC, but there were other strongholds for F-III in North California across the North-Eastern seaboard. It's worth noting that the 500s were the first road-racing single-seaters to appear in the USA (at least in European terms). Reaction was mixed - some elements were very interested in European-style racing, others (unfortunately, often the race organisers) dismissive.
As well as their own news letter, an occasional piece appeared in the SoCal magazine MotoRacing until 1958. The Club did a lot to encourage the clubs to organise races and resolve organisational issues. It really operated as a club, with drop-in sessions at Harry's Autobooks shop, and a club atmosphere. They were particularly taken with the amateur element - as in the early years of the British club, there were many homebuilt specials racing (and just as many not quite making the track). The East coast never got so organised.
Come 1959, and FJunior was coming. It immediately triggered more interest than the 500s had, and it shouldn't have taken a genius to realise what was coming. The 500CA board adopted FJ as a sister formula 17/03/1959. The 500CA was by now organising one or two events of their own at small circuits (or with motorcycle clubs). The first planned FJ race was due to be at a Willow Springs meet, 26/04/1959, organised by the 500CA - though I'm not sure it actually happened. By May, Juniors were appearing on the West Coast in FLibre races with the 500s and a smattering of F1, F2 and specials.
Come 1960 and FJ took off. As David says, the SCCA sanctioned Juniors and very rapidly filled the grids (pushing out the 500s and Libres to their own race) with professional-style outfits. This turned out to be a bubble as costs shot through the roof, but that's another story for a Junior expert.
Back in Burbank, the 500CA had also seen the future. They changed to the FRA in March 1960 and sought to become the focus for FJ as well as 500s. It should also be remembered that the war between the CalClub (CSCC) and SCCA in SoCal was just coming to the boil (CalCLub was by far the larger club locally), and neither club had previously shown much interest or sensitivity to single-seater racing. My belief is that the FRA made a bit of a power-play at this time:
- As with F-III they proposed some changes from the FIA rules. Although (as I recall) they were well-founded, the SCCA rejected them.
- The FRA started organising a few more events, dedicated to all forms of single-seater racing.
With the SCCA now at least making an effort with single-seaters, it was a bit of a David & Goliath affair. There wasn't even a home in California, as the CalClub flipped and became a semi-independent part of the SCCA. The FRA was more of an enthusiasts club - active and keen, but lacking the fire power to take on the SCCA. Now, its newsletter appeared in Sports Car Graphic. Formula Vee had also arrived in 1963, but I'm not clear what interest the FRA took in this. The FRA continued organising meetings on the West Coast, and as far as I can make out was being just a bit of a thorn in the SCCA's side. They created a "continental" championship, but it didn't actually bring cars together from the opposite coasts, but just allowed points to be scored in local races.
The SCCA was now trying to take single-seaters seriously - in the wake of the bursting of the FJ bubble. Several ideas were discussed, eventually settling on Formulae A, B & C (though I'm a bit flaky on this). What I have been told is that about this time the SCCA decided to deal with the FRA. At a board meeting, it was made clear that the FRA would stop organising events immediately, unless they wanted all members to be banned from SCCA events (this was a trick they had pulled before). This was about 1966, when the FRA bulletin disappeared from the Sports Car Graphic magazine. What happens next goes beyond my knowledge, but I can see how the FRA would seem to no longer serve a purpose - no longer controlling the regulations, organisation or spirit of a series, there was no real reason to be a member. I don't know when it finally folded.
It's worth noting that the 500s were the first road-racing single-seaters to appear in the USA (at least in European terms).
Not strictly true, though probably fair to say the first with their own class. A number of GP cars had raced in pre-war libre races on the other coast
Great stuff HiRich. I found the reference to Cal Club pulling the plug on the FRA's races at the end of 1965.
So I'm still perplexed about what happened to the FRA after April 1966.
#10 Jim Thurman
Jim Thurman
They continued...
The FRA Bulletins moved to a Motor Classics, a newspaper published by Frank Alter in Los Angeles. Motor Classics covered national pro and international road racing (in brief), NASCAR and USAC, along with southern California short oval racing. For a comparison, think of Competition Press & Autoweek of the era, just replace CP&A's SCCA amateur coverage with the southern California short track racing. And, not in as much depth, because it was a smaller paper than CP&A. But, a good, well rounded U.S. and local publication.
I know the FRA sanctioned a race at Orange County International Raceway, which was much better known as a dragstrip, yet had a road course. I believe in 1967 or 1968.
The FRA also held at least one race at Ascot Park. Yes, the dirt oval. They managed to create a road course using portions of the 1/4 and 1/2 mile dirt ovals. Again, I believe in 1967 or 1968. IIRC, Johnnie Parsons was the promoter.
And, the FRA held a race on an abandoned airfield at Vina, California (in the northern Sacramento Valley) in 1968 as well.
I have published race reports of these events, but they are not handy at the moment.
#11 Allen Brown
Thanks very much for this info Jim.
So the FRA definitely continued until at least 1968. I will keep digging.
Anyone else have any recollections?
#12 HiRich
Jim, the Ascot Park meeting was June 1965
Thanks Rich. Did "Foreign Stocks" run as a support class? I recall one where they shared the bill. They might have had more than one. I need to dig out the old papers.
Allen, sorry I don't have more specific details. I will get you the race reports or results ASAP (which could be a bit )
I do not recall any mention of the FRA after 1968. Perhaps the race at Vina was their last?
Did "Foreign Stocks" run as a support class?
Sorry, Jim, I only have the date, courtesy of this mechanic's armband:
http://www.ahrf.com/...-in-everything/
Thanks for the link. I am not so certain about the "only time" Firstly, the writer seems to recall or believe it was held solely on an oval, while the race I am aware of used an impromptu "road course" made up of portions of the 1/2 mile and 1/4 mile ovals.
"Foreign Stocks", basically small sedans, did not really catch on in southern California until about 1967, when races for the cars were popping up around the area.
I'd already stuck a note in my files that there may be another, later event. Your recollections just don't stack up with the other stories we have for the mid- to late-1960s. Another obvious question would be how Skeeter McKitterick could be an F3 champion when there doesn't seem to have been a Formula 3 in America. My instinct is that the FRA was more active in those years than we have assumed.
I had thought that the FRA might have moved to the new 1000cc Formula 3, roughly equivalent to SCCA FC, which would explain McKitterick winning a F3 title the same year he was running FC with the SCCA. I've just skimmed through the Harry C. Reynolds F3 book - which is concerned just with 500cc F/III - and he makes no mention of any FRA activity after Cal Club withdrew its support for FRA races in October 1965.
So where do we stand? We have two or three snippets saying there was FRA racing in 1966 and afterwards but remarkably little evidence to support them.
Trust me on this one Allen, my recall isn't faulty on this. The OCIR and Vina races were definitely afterwards (I even found a date for Vina, June 2, 1968). It's a matter of finding time and a way to scan in the reports for you to see. What with everything still packed or difficult to get to after a chaotic move, that isn't as easy as it was. OCIR didn't even open until some time in 1967.
FC was more what they were doing.
What's odd, is the race reports I recall seeing were from 1966-68, with bulletins continuing in Motor Classics from 1966. The reason I recall an Ascot Park race from 1966 or 1967 is the "Foreign Stocks" on the bill and the fact that I have more Motor Classics from that period. Yet, despite the bulletins I don't recall any races aside from the three I mentioned. They obviously didn't race much.
Thanks Jim. I didn't mean to suggest that I distrusted your recollection - just the difference between those few races you know of and the championships that Dan remembers.
No problem Allen, motorsports is like music...the more you think you know, the more you discover.
With motorsports, much of what is "known" winds up being inaccurate. Which is understandable with all the nooks and crannies to look in.
Despite being away almost all day yesterday, I did manage a quick search of newspaper archives I have access to, and turned up a few bits of relevant info.
The FRA's Northern California chapter is the one that put on the race at Vina on June 2, 1968. They also sanctioned a race April 14, 1968 at Vaca Valley. A racing column featuring a passage previewing the Vina race mentioned Jon Milledge as the winner of the Vaca Valley event.
And since these were in general newspapers, there is no mention of make of chassis, or engine, or anything of that sort.
It appears between their 1965 races and these 1968 events, the only racing the FRA Northern California chapter might have sanctioned were autocrosses in the parking lot of the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.
Edited by Jim Thurman, 29 November 2011 - 19:38.
And another piece of the puzzle.
excerpted from the Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1966:
"...formula cars will return to the 5/8 mile Ascot Park road course Saturday night." It goes on mention they will be sharing the bill with a "foreign sedan program in a twin-bill being staged by former Indianapolis winner Johnnie Parsons..."
I was off by a year. The date would have been August 13, 1966. This will make it easy to look that one up (well, when I get to my papers).
Unfortunately, I cannot narrow down the date of the Orange County race other than sometime between late 1967 and Spring 1968.
Another snippet here, from the Merced Sun-Star 9 May 1968, talks of a planned race at Los Banos. Again it was the Northern Chapter and the only named official was Byron Snow, a San Jose attorney. The articles mentions that the FRA season had started at Vacaville on 14 April and will continue at Chico on 1 June.
Vina and Chico are the same place according to an article Chico Auxiliary Army Airfield #3 / Deer Creek Ranch Airport (CA60), Vina, CA on the wonderfully illuminating Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields website. For a while Bob Foor and Mike Pelak ran Vina Raceway on the airfield.
Vina is 20 miles northwest of Chico, so the communities are different, but the U.S. media practice of rounding it to the nearest large city places the race as "Chico". I wonder if Los Banos was to be an autocross, or a layout using streets and roads in and around the fairgrounds (which are a rather small fairground).
The airfield site is wonderful isn't it? Especially considering the number of racing connections to abandoned airfields.
Posted 02 December 2011 - 18:59
I found a few more newspaper items on the FRA.
The race at Ascot Park on June 26, 1965 confirmed, though it took place on the "road course", not the oval. Cecil Wells did win. At the moment, I do not have time to post what results I found.
Another item mentioned a scheduled race at Stardust Raceway in Las Vegas in 1969 that was "postponed" due to a change of ownership of the raceway (which would soon see its closure).
And the FRA Northern California chapter was around at least into 1971.
Edited by Jim Thurman, 02 December 2011 - 19:06.
#26 Michael Ferner
Oakland Tribune, Thurs., Oct. 17, 1968:
Formula Racing Assn. wraps up its '68 season Sunday at Vina Raceway near Chico, with a series of races starting at 12:30 p.m. for all classes of open wheel formula cars. The West Coast entries are headed by Mt. View's Jon Milledge, Nick Reynolds now from Oregon, Berkeley's Steve Griswold and Lafayette's Jack Franck.
The Vina 2 mile ten turn circuit is 18 miles from Chico towards Red Bluff on Highway 99E.
#27 raceannouncer2003
raceannouncer2003
This link has contact info for Jon Milledge:
http://www.pca-ggr.o.../pdf/2009bw.pdf
Vince H.
#28 RonPohl
RonPohl
Posted 05 January 2012 - 18:53
I attended an FRA race as a spectator at Willow Springs in 1967 (I think). It was a wonderfully relaxed club type event. about 25to 30 cars. As a 17 year old, I was very impressed that I could view the cars up close and talk to the drivers. I have some pictures which I will post eventually. In 1969 or 1970 there was a "pro" formula car race at orange county raceway, a dragstrip with return road made into a road course. I think it was a financial bust and no one got any prize money. It was a non-scca race, so probably one of the last FRA events.
Jon has great recall:
The first FRA race was at VacaValley Raceway where I won overall. The second was at a WWII airport in Chico, CA where I learned about Hewland gearboxes in practice and couldn't start the race. The third FRA race was at the Santa Ana drag strip using the drag strip and surrounding roads. I won that race but the $1000 check bounced. I also won a Premier helmet that I wore for a couple of years. Small consolation. I didn't run anymore FRA races that year as the SCCA FB championship was starting at Riverside.
I am reading " Formula III Racing in North America" by Harry C. Reynolds . The book has a fairly extensive history of the FRA. Yes, it was formed as the successor to the to the 500 cc Club of America. The book is a good read.
#31 DCapps
DCapps
Posted 06 August 2016 - 01:50
It was my impression from the mists of time and a few vaguely recalled conversations with several FB racers circa 1970/1971 that the FRA either finally folded or took an even lower profile after the 1968 season. For various reasons, thanks to MotoRacing and the SCG column, I always had an interest in the FRA. I did have at least a conversation or two with Harry Morrow about the 500cc club and the FRA as he relieved me of my hard-earned dollars at Autobooks on one of my West Coast trips.
#32 Michael Oliver
Joined: January 03
There seems to have been a second FRA race at Vina Raceway in 1968 as part of its 'Championship'. I've just found an article from the Red Bluff Tehama County Daily News of 8th October 1968, which previews the forthcoming Western Grand Prix Series race on 20th October 1968 at Vina Raceway. It quotes Jon Milledge as being "tied for points in the Formula 2 class" and installing a new, experimental engine in his Brabham for the event. It goes on to say that "Formula Racing Association, Nor-Cal Chapter, presenting the Western GP Series at the 10-turn Vina road course, will be assisted by the Chico Junior Chamber of Commerce as race sponsors...Milledge won the first race of the series, at Vacavalley [sic] Raceway. He was unable to make the grid at the previous Vina race when his transmission broke [MO: as per his recollection above]...Single-seat, grand prix cars in four classes will race starting at noon October 20." I also have a photo from that meeting - I don't recall where it came from but it looks like a cutting from Competition Press - of a Bob Hogan in a Lotus 27-Ford, saying that he is being challenged by Charlie Adams, Brabham BT21C-Ford, Peter Darr's Lotus-Ford [MO: a Type 44, possibly 44-F-2] and Mike Brodie's Lotus 35-Ford [MO: reportedly ex-Gerry Kinnane/Damien Magee] and that "Brodie finished highest in the FRA's F/2 (F/B) feature, capturing fifth place." It describes the event as the 'series finale'.
Thank you, Michael. You've reminded me of more that I need to look into.
An item in the Red Bluff Tehama County Daily News of 21 October 1968 has Jerry Bruihl (sic) of Portland, Oregon winning the featured F2 race at Vina in a Brabham BT18. It also mentions Mike Chase wininng the F3 race in a Brabham BT18 and Bob Klingler, of Livermore, California, winning the Formula Vee race.
Clearly, Vina Raceway was around for those two events, with the airfield used earlier and later for drag racing. Unfortunately, during the June 2, 1968 event, a wheel thrown by a car knocked a woman and her young son off the bleachers, which led to a lawsuit over their injuries. The raceway, FRA, the sponsoring Chico Jaycees, Bob Foor and Lyle Forsgren were named as defendants. The lawsuit was reported on October 30, 1968, so that would likely spell the end of the road racing at Vina.
I have run across some more on this fascinating group, but will save that for a following post.
This is an attempt at trying to organize FRA information from various past threads into a post or two, as convoluted and gap-filled as it is. I am not sure I will succeed, but hopefully, I at least smooth the road for anyone following.
The roots of the FRA were covered well above. They apparently had at least three chapters, So Cal, Nor Cal and Rocky Mountain. There was an earlier thread here on the Rocky Mountain chapter co-sanctioned races at Juarez, Mexico in 1965 and 1966. There also has been a thread with mention of the same chapter co-sanctioning the Colorado Grand Prix with the SCCA (which also touched upon the Juarez races).
The relationship between the FRA and the SCCA seemed somewhat symbiotic at times, and fractious at others. I've run across items where the Cal Club invited or "extended invites" to FRA members to compete at Santa Barbara.
My research this go 'round has been limited to online newspapers, so it comes with that caveat. I have yet to dig out, let alone go through my collection of Motor Classics newspaper for info from the FRA Bulletins that appeared in that publication from 1966 on. A correction on my above post, the publisher of Motor Classics was Frank Alten, not Alter. Alten was a veteran character actor. He also hosted a radio program in the Los Angeles area giving news and results on the latest from the motorsport world. The radio show, also called Motor Classics, aired on radio station KTYM in Inglewood. If someone wishes to buy me a scanner, I would consider scanning the newspapers, but I'm getting to the age, stage and situation where my time is far more valuable, such as it is.
The last mention of the FRA in newspapers was an item that appeared in the Hayward Daily Review on December 29, 1971, announcing that Dan Davis (see post #1 to this thread) had been elected president.
In my next post, I shall make the foolish endeavor of trying to compile or list race info. Again, such as it is.
July 01-02 - Hanford, CA; Marchbanks Stadium/Hanford Motor Speedway :
Nov. 02-03 - Willow Springs, CA; Willow Springs Intl. Raceway :
Dec. 01 - Willow Springs, CA; Willow Springs Intl. Raceway :
May 16 - Castle Rock, CO; Continental Divide Raceway - "Colorado Grand Prix" : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site
June 26 - Los Angeles, CA; Ascot Park, 5/8 mile dirt road course, 25 laps : Cecil Wells (Lotus 20); Gene Levin (Lotus 18); Byron Quivey (BMW Spl.); Johnnie Parsons (EMPI-BMW*); Bob Chamberlain (Formcar). *even though listed as a BMW, this must be a VW, which EMPI was known for
Aug. 28 - Los Angeles, CA; Ascot Park, 5/8 mile dirt road course, 30 laps : Bud Smith (Lotus); Johnnie Parsons (EMPI-V); Barry Blackmore (Lotus); Cecil Wells (Lotus); Digger Helm (Lotus) note: these are the only details listed in general newspaper account as far as cars
Sep. 19 - Hanford, CA; Hanford Motor Speedway, ("third in series of races at Hanford") : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site
Nov. 07 - Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; 3 mile circuit : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site
Apr. 23 - Las Vegas, NV; Stardust Raceway : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site note: April 23 was the scheduled date
June 04 - Castle Rock, CO; Continental Divide Raceway - "2nd Colorado Grand Prix" : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site
July 17 - Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; 1.4 mile "short course" : results at Allen Brown's great OldRacingCars.com site
Aug. 13 - Los Angeles, CA; Ascot Park, 5/8 mile dirt road course :
1968 "Western Grand Prix" series
Apr. 14 - Vacaville, CA; Vaca Valley Raceway - "Easter Grand Prix" : Jon Milledge (Brabham-Ford); Dick Smothers (Brabham-Ford); Dan Davis; Wes McNay (LeGrand-Ford)
June 02 - Vina, CA; Vina Raceway : Nick Reynolds (? perhaps just class winner)
Sep. 15 - East Irvine, CA; Orange County Intl. Raceway : conflicting info (3 different winners have been listed in various newspapers)
Oct. 20 - Vina, CA; Vina Raceway : Gerry Bruihl (Brabham BT18-Ford); F3/FC: Mike Chase (Brabham BT18)
1969 "Western Grand Prix" series (proposed as eight race series)
Mar. 15-16 - Las Vegas, NV; Stardust Raceway : postponed
Apr. 09 - Vacaville, CA; Vaca Valley Raceway :
May 17-18 - Willow Springs, CA; Willow Springs Intl. Raceway :
I know,they had at least one race at WillowSprings in 1967 (I think, as I was there). Also, SCG had, for a period of time, a page dedicated to the FRA.
The list is by no means complete. Clearly they had races in 1964 and 1967. I've left it open to add in more dates/races as they turn up. This list is only what I've found, so far.
As mentioned up thread, after SCG, the FRA Bulletin moved to Motor Classics newspaper, and I haven't been through either of those yet.
But, thanks for noticing Ron, I appreciate it I thought my post would be a crickets and tumbleweeds situation
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