Don’t Call Me Junior

This month’s Racecar Profile is really interesting to me because I think it typifies the diversity and general accessibility of motorsport to the “average Joe” in the ’50s and ’60s. In this case, the car in question is one of only three Formula Juniors built by an enterprising enthusiast in Australia.

I can think of very few race series that provided more entry-level opportunities for both driver and constructor than Formula Junior. Conceived by Count Johnny Lurani in 1958, Formula Junior became one of the most successful, entry-level, international “Ladder Series.” Founded around the concept of creating relatively inexpensive, open-wheeled racecars that utilized running gear from existing mass-produced touring cars, Formula Junior quickly became the launching pad for not only Grand Prix-aspiring drivers, but manufacturers as well. Major names like Lotus, Cooper, Elva, Brabham, and even Cosworth can all trace their early roots to successes in Formula Junior. One prime example of the accessibility of this category of racing could be found in the fact that, in the short time from its inaugural season (1959) until it was transformed into Formula 3 (in 1964), no fewer than 70 distinct Formula Junior marques had cropped up in over eight different countries.