Nowadays when watching F1 we always seem to hear some sort of complaint regarding overtaking. Back before DRS, people complained of it happening too infrequently. We appreciated the work that went into making a successful pass and enjoyed the pursuit. These days, with the active rear wings, you get far more passes taking place over the course of a race, but you’ll often hear the purists complaining of the overtaking being “artificial”. Frankly, we think it’s made the spectacle a bit better and you have to appreciate that not everyone understands how challenging it is to make a pass among equally-matched cars, especially when they’ve got so much horsepower to play with. If you’re a member of either camp that bemoans the current state of affairs in F1, rest assured because Formula Vee provides plenty of passing action for a fraction of the price.

Doesn’t get much closer.

The beauty of single-seater racing at the very lowest levels is seen in the close racing. Chock-full of over-under passes, late-braking maneuvers, slipstreaming and plain ol’ wheel banging, Formula Ford, Formula Vee and Formula Barber are all accessible formats of single-seater racing that will develop your racecraft skills very quickly. In this video we’re given the chance to witness some very skilled drivers competing wheel-to-wheel, dicing and throwing in plenty of passes – many of which don’t quite work out, but provide lots of entertainment nonetheless.

Without the handicap of wings, which disrupt the air for the following driver and make high-speed chases difficult, you’re given plenty of opportunity to stick right to your opponent’s gearbox at speed. Without huge amounts of power, maintaining momentum becomes all the more important and the gap between cars is usually smaller. Essentially, a lack of big power and aerodynamic grip makes the racing closer and rewards a bit of ingenuity when it comes to staging a pass. Watch and learn how some of the best grassroots racers make it stick!