We love the minimalist nature of the 1960s Formula One cars. Sure, they were dangerous as hell and could not survive a rough contact with curbing let alone a shunt with a fixed object but they sure are sexy to look at, right? Well imagine a car that made an F1 machine look flabby and over complicated. Those would have been the Formula Juniors. These were cars that weighed about 900lbs and had to run engine that were production based and right around one liter in displacement. Yeah, literally mosquitos with wheels!
The class was basically designed as a cheap way for people to go open wheel racing and emulate the big boys. Well, since Formula Junior was about the only step in open wheel racing before F1, the ranks quickly swelled with money and hopefuls who were trying to advance their careers. There was no F2 or F3 at this time and sadly because of that the class really didn’t turn out to be the everyman’s deal that it was originally intended.
This is a period Formula Junior car from the early 1960s and it is pretty amazing to see it from the perspective we do. It is minimalist to the core. The driver is effectively a stressed member of the chassis in this thing! You’ll watch this car be driven hard. Look at how close the guy is to the chicane barriers! You can hear a lot of wind but you can also hear the little engine screaming away as the driver winds it up hard and sends it as best he can.
This is a fun video with a tiny little car that’s as dangerous as anything we have ever seen anyone race before. Awesome!
