Bobsy Formula Fords

The Bobsy Formula Fords

Constructed By Jerry Mong

Only four Bobsy Formula Fords were known to be made.

NEWS FLASH. As of February 2024 the "Third Bobsy FF" has been found.
Story Below

This website is primarily devoted to the Bobsy Sports Racers. However, in 2018 webmaster, Bob Alder, acquired one of the rare Formula Fords made by Jerry Mong (also badged as a "Bobsy"), information on those few Formula Ford (FF) cars is being included on this site. Vanguard Formula Vee folks, I refer you to David Fillman's new fledging Vanguard FV registry.

The three FFs featured here are the only FF cars confirmed to currently exist. We're still looking for evidence of the existence (past or present) of the fourth car. In the "Formula Ford Bible" (i.e. "The Anatomy & Development of the Formula Ford Race Car" by Steve Nickless), he said four were produced. (P.S. That cool book now brings $140 plus on Amazon. Yikes!) This May 10, 1969 article in Competition Press interviews Gerry Mong about his latest car, the Formula Ford. In the article Gerry confirms he only made four FFs.

Scroll down for the stories of the three known Bobsy FFs:

	First is coverage of the Alder's 2018 rescue and restoration of a Bobsy FF
	Then Mr. Roger Pujol's very nice Bobsy FF which he's raced on the West Coast for years.
	And lastly, the recently discovered (Feb. 2024) "Third Bobsy FF".

Bob Alder's Bobsy Formula Ford

(The Little Caesars "Pizza! Pizza!" Car)

July 2021 --- The car has been sold.

The Bobsy "Pizza-Pizza" Formula Ford has been sold. It went to Steve Kupferman of Bakersfield, California. So, it's no longer in the Team Terrific Racing stable. It was wonderful journey rescuing, researching, and restoring the the car to get it back on track. Kinda' sad to see it go, but . . . it has a good new home with Steve. And, it will get to race with the other known Bobsy FF out on the West Coast.

The "Last" drive as a "Team Terrific" car. The picture, July 2021, as the car is leaving the shop to be put in Steve Kupferman's trailer for the trip to California.

Steve took delivery of the car in July, 2021. now in residence at its new home in Bakersfield, CA

Kupferman_nov2021_Crop.jpg (228401 bytes)

Steve Enjoying the car at the VARA "Big Bore Bash" at Willow Springs in November of 2021.

June 2022 Update

Steve has sold the car. It was purchased by John Polhemus who lives in Grand Junction, CO.

July of 2022 Steve sold the car to John Polhemus who lives in Grand Junction, Colorado. John will be running the car with RMVR. Picture at left is John and the car in 2023

Back to the Story of Bob Alder's Bobsy FF's
It's rescue, restoration and complete ownership History

January 2018

January 2018: A new chapter begins for Team Terrific Racing. Another race car was purchased. It's a "project car" which is complete but not assembled (now in many boxes) and will need everything - a ground up total restoration. It is a Formula Ford manufactured by the same fabricator (Elite in Ohio) who made all the Bobsy Sports Racers. Only two Bobsy FFs are known to still exist -- this one and another on the West Coast. This car hasn't been on track since probably 1984 having been "project car" for the last two owners who never got it finished.

The full detailed restoration photos and its complete ownership history follow:

This Bobsy FF came to the attention of this registry when offered for sale in January of 2018 by Gene Leasure in AZ. It is a "project car" not having been raced since probably before 1984. Your humble and obedient servant (and keeper of the Bobsy Registry) decided it was only right that he should purchase the car to bring it more directly into the Bobsy fold. So it has been added to the Team Terrific Racing fleet of race cars.

It will be a total restoration project. While some period pictures of the car will be featured here, in conjunction with its ownership history, complete pictorial coverage of its 2018 restoration can be seen here, in a separate SmugMug Photo Gallery.

As it turns out, I was able to track this car's ownership back to new! And a most amazing fact was revealed. This car was raced (or tested) when new by none other than Jim Trueman. Jim was a very successful racer in the '70s who went on to race a Bobsy SR-5 to a couple of national championships (see the History Page). He also campaigned a Jerry Mong built IMSA race car in 1976. He won 125 races in his 23 years as a driver. At one time he owned the Mid-Ohio race track. And he even owned the team in which Bobby Rahal won the Indy 500 in 1986. There is an interesting article on Jim and Rahal's close relationship. Jim died later that year at the much too young age of 51. Jim may not have owned the car, but it seems certain he sat in the car, maybe testing or setting up for a friend up may have been the first owner. Another documented association of Jim and this particular Bobsy Formula Ford was that he was Mike Velten's (the second owner of this car) instructor when Mike went to driving school at Nelson Ledges back in 1971.

Being able to document all this history on this car is pretty amazing considering there have been over a dozen changes in ownership over the years. Equally remarkable is that several of the past owners have generously provided a fairly complete reconstruction of the car's history, complete with some great period photos. Our very special thanks to everyone who has contributed to this story, namely Ken Goodman, Craig Butt, Mike Velten, Roger Schroer, John Myer II, and Thomas Acker/Stu Barnette, all past owners of the car. Thanks also to Gene Leasure who faithfully kept and passed along a lot of key historical documents.

I'd also like to thank Roger Pujol for sharing detailed pictures of his well-restored car greatly aiding me in the restoration of the "Pizza-Pizza" car.

The car's complete restoration is covered by 89 photos on a SmugMug site

The "Pizza! Pizza!" Bobsy Formula Ford, back on track and racing after all these years!

Bobsy FF at PPIR in April of 2019

The Ownership History Of The "Pizza! Pizza!" Bobsy FF

Ken Goodman supplied this amazing picture of the car when new, circa 1969 (click to enlarge)

From New (circa 1969) – 1971:	A new Bobsy FF was raced (or at least tested) by Jim Trueman and crewed by Ken Goodman who worked for Trueman. According to Ken (in conversations in 2018), Jim gave the car to him in 1970 and Ken then raced it “in about six races, including entering as FF in a Formula Atlantic race Mid-Ohio” in which he did reasonably well. At right is Ken racing the car at a Michigan Speedway SCCA race in 1970. Ken has passed along a neat anecdote. The car was used in some Burger King advertising. He drove it to the shootings at a local stock car circle track. The TV ads appeared all over central Ohio. How cool would it be to have a copy of one of those old ads! Ken then sold it “to a new driver for his first driver’s school and lost touch with him.” Ken couldn’t remember his name. See below how we figured out who it was.
1971 to 1974:	The Mike Velten Era: There was this A 1972 receipt for an engine re-build (by Jerry Mong, no less!) in the car’s documents. It had “Mike Velton” [sic] on that receipt. A 2018 internet research found and contacted “Mike Velten” and he confirmed that he purchased the car “from a kid who worked for Jim Truman.“ That “kid” was Ken Goodman. It turns out Mike raced the car more actively than any of the other many owners of the car. He's been most generous in sharing his well-documented history of the car when he owned it. At left, beaming like a Cheshire Cat, is Mike when he purchased the car in 1971. Picture on right was provided by Mike of the car and his family. All their attire doesn't look toooo '70s, does it? The picture at right is further proof of the "Ghost of Jim Trueman" being associated with this car. Mike indicates this picture was taken at Mid Ohio where he attended his first school. Jim Trueman was his instructor and is shown here walking behind Mike's parents. At left, also provided by Mike, is the car at some car show. It's true "Ford Blue" color is much better rendered at left. He said "Dad owned part of a company that remanufactured Ford parts. They used the blue paint on Ford tractor generators." Wonder where that paint came from? In 2019 Mike V. found and provided the following picture and feels quite certain it was Rocky Smith who purchased the car from him in the spring of 1974. Rocky apparently sent Mike the picture after buying the car.
1974 to 19??	Most likely sold to "Rapid Rocky Smith" (the name on side of cockpit.). The picture is Mike Velten's car for sure (mirrors, upswept exhaust, windscreen, etc.).
19?? to 19??	Ralph Denney of Columbus. Talked with Ralph in early 2018. Apparently Ralph did not race the car.
?? to 1980:	Roger Schroer purchased the car from Ralph Denny (year?). The picture is from the logbook. However, clearly it's the Mike Velten car (note the mirrors, headrest, and the unique upswept exhaust are all identical.). Roger confirms it was taken while he was racing at Nelson Ledges, but not 100% sure it is him sitting on the trailer. The logbook entries reveal Schroer raced the car at Nelson Ledges in ‘79 and Roger says "I raced the car 4 times in ’79 at Mid Ohio, Nelson, and Waterford, suffering repeated mechanicals." The picture at right was recently supplied by Roger. It's a print from a slide, c.'79. Roger is on the left and his friend Nick Miller is on the right. Not sure what track.. Interestingly, Roger went on to become highly involved, as driver and developer, with an electric powered Bonneville record holding "Buckeye Bullet" streamliner. 300+ MPH is a long way from a Formula Ford! The logbook indicated he sold the car in 1980 to Craig Butts.
1980-1981:	Craig Butt owned the car for a year, auto-crossing the car. Sold to Larry Green.
1981:	Per the logbook, Larry Green did the Nelson Ledges Driver School in Aug. of ’81. He then sold it back to Craig in ’81.
1981 to ~1984:	Yes, Craig bought it back, owing it for a second time. He continued to auto-cross the car, not road race. According to conversation with Craig in 2018, “One ‘rumor’ I heard years after owning the car was that Jim Trueman once owned the car. . . .but that was never confirmed.” Well, Craig, the rumor has now been confirmed (kinda' sorta') by the Mike Velten's engine rebuild receipt (dated 1972) and him remembering he "purchased it from a kid who worked for Jim Trueman" which would have been Ken Goodman. But. . . .that doesn't confirm Jim was actually the first owner of the car. Craig sold the car to John Myer. John Myer indicated it was apx. 1984.
~1984 to 1987:	John D Myer II. A trailer registration (OH) in the car’s documents was issued to Myer in 1985 which indicated he owned the car at least during that time frame. A Feb. 2018 internet search for Myer resulted phone/email conversations with him and confirmed he did indeed purchase the car from Craig Butt in OH. However, John realized even before actually racing the car that open wheel racing wasn't his cup of tea. Thus, he never raced it while he owned it. He said he moved to Ashville, NC and repainted the car (from the black #7) and added the Little Caesars livery because he had a couple of franchise stores there. (Those graphics were hand painted by his wife and are still perfect today!) The 241 car number was chosen because Little Caesars' tag was "Buy one get one free" or "Two for the price of one." Thus the "241." He only used the car for store promotional purposes. He thought about auto-crossing the car, but never did. Sold the car to Tom Acker (& Stu Barnette?) in '87.
1987 to 1989:	Thomas Acker & Stu Barnette owned for a couple of years. Per a Bill of Sale they sold the car to Don Schlueter 9-11-1989. The Little Caesars "Pizza! Pizza!" livery was on the car when they owned it and when they sold it to Don Schlueter. Picture at right dated May of 1989. Not sure if they ever ran the car.
1989 to 1993:	While Donald Schlueter purchased the car from Acker & Barnette, a friend of his, Gene Leasure, had encouraged him to buy it. The picture at left was provided by Acker and Gene Leasure. It is Gene Leisure standing next to the trailer. He was there to close the deal on behalf of his friend, Don Schlueter, and then he arranged to have the car shipped from Florida to Don in California. But for some reason Donald never raced it in the four years he owned it, rather totally disassembling the car.
1993 to 2018:	Gene Leasure then purchased all the disassembled bits from Donald in 1993, but he never got around to completing the car or racing it. (Gene had way too many other neat cars to mess with the FF!). Gene sold to Bob Alder Jan. 2018, still disassembled.
2018 to 2021:	Jan. 2018 -- The picture at left is the the car when it was offered for sale in early 2018 by Gene Leasure. A neighbor friend of Gene's and car nut, Franklin "Rudy" Randolph, assembled all the boxes of bits into a complete display car to help sell it. Easier to sell a complete car than a pile of boxes, huh? And, it worked! I took the bait. It has not been on track probably dating back to 1984. It's been a "project" car for the last two prior owners (Schlueter, and Leasure) who never raced the car. Don't know if Acker ever raced it but his partner Stu Barnette said he never did. And John Myer for sure never raced it. So, the last owner to run the car for sure was Craig Butts in 1984! Alder will be restoring the car over the summer of 2018 retaining the Little Caesars livery. To follow the details of the restoration, please visit the SmugMug site devoted to that continued history of the "Pizza! Pizza!" Bobsy Formula Ford.
2021 to 2022	Steve Kupferman purchased the Bobsy "Pizza! Pizza!" Formula Ford in July of 2021
2022 to Present	After running it at several events, Steve decided open wheel was getting to be a reach. He sold the Pizza-Pizza car to John Polhemu who lives in Grand Junction, CO. So, the car will be returning "home" and will be racing with RMVR next season.

Mr. Roger Pujol's Bobsy Formula Ford For years it has been the only Bobsy FF still racing. This author thought it to be one-of-one. This Bobsy FF has been raced on the West Coast by Roger Pujol since about 2000! Talking to Doug Ravizza in Jan. of 2018 (Doug had owned Pujol's car in the past), he confirmed the complete ownership history of Roger's car back to new. It was sold new to Glen Biren, then to John Hutchinson, then to Doug Ravizza. It then it went to a Bob Poli. In about 2000 to Roger Pujol bought the car and restored it, actively racing it since with the West Coast vintage organizations. (Click on any images to enlarge)
	The picture at left was provided by Doug Ravizza. Taken at Laguna Seca in apx. 1981. You have to love the matching "Bobsy" T-shirt.	The picture at right was captured from an internet search. At the time it was owned by Doug Ravizza. Circa 1979, it is shown at a regional race at Sears Point. According a recent conversation with Doug, "The 1969 FF was running at least the 3rd or 4th weekend on the same set of tires." Doug was very frugal (read "broke") back then.
			The pictures at left are contemporary pictures of Roger's car. Looks like he's got a great crew member, huh? A word of thanks to Roger who has been very generous in sharing many detailed photos of his extremely well-restored and prepared car. The pictures have been invaluable in restoring the "Pizza-Pizza" car.

The Newly Discovered, February 2024, "Third Bobsy FF" Now owned by Norm Fox in Ohio
How this car was discovered was a neat bit of luck. In February Don Anderson and Bob Alder were contacted by John Sunderland alerting us that he'd found a "Barn Find" Bobsy FF. Indeed he had stumbled across an auction site, KIKO Auctions, which was really a business broker and liquidator. The Bobsy FF was just one of the lots in a business liquidation sale. Not a site you'd ever expect fo find a 1968 missing race car! As we understand it, a fellow by the name of Dick Fuller was the founder of Standards Testing Labs business back in 1971. He was also a racer back in the day. Dick died in 2003. The family or subsequent owners have continued to run STI in the years after Dick's death. This KIKO auction appears (We're guessing.) to be the auctioning off of some old stuff or surplus items left over from Dick Fuller's STI business. And the Bobsy FF was just something gathering dust in a corner. About the same time that John S. brought the auction to our attention, another Ohioan, Lee Spuhler, also discovered the auction of the Bobsy FF. He recognized the rarity of the car, contact Bob Alder, and we conspired to not let it get purchased by anyone who would maybe not realize how unique the car was and just cut it up or turn it in to a go-cart. GAK! We didn't want that to happen. Another bidder, Norm Fox, came to the rescue! He purchased the Bobsy FF at the auction. Somehow, Lee Schuler got wind that Norm was the actual buyer and that he was a racer (Running FA and FC with the SCCA). Norm also recognized the car needed to be preserved. We're in contact with Norm and it is his intention to do just that. He will be a good custodian of the car and will be restoring it. Yeah! We'd love to know more about Dick Fuller's history with the car and wonder if any of his family or at the STI company is around to shed some light on his racing days. Exactly when did he buy the Bobsy FF? When new? When/where did he race it? There is a number painted on the nose so we suspect it was raced. Why was was it retired to a corner of Dick's business property and how long had it sat there? Anyone with knowledge of Dick Fuller in the day would be encourage to contact us. So, three down and one to go. Ya' think the forth car will ever be discovered???? Here are a few pics we have of the car at the auction. Norm has said he'll be sending others and we'll try to keep up with the restoration process.

As was the car represented on the KIKO auction site. Who would have guessed a long-lost Bobsy FF as just one lot in the auction.

	Another lot was Dick Fuller's old race suits.	And yet another lot were his helmets.