2019 HALL OF FAME CLASS
Butch Deer
In 1959, Butch Deer took his drivers school at State Fair Park in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Four years later he bought his first Formula Vee, a Formcar and debuted it at Meadowdale International Raceway in Carpentersville, Illinois. After joining the Sports Car Club of America he drove in the first of 30 June Sprints races at Road America. In 1969 he drove in the World Championship of Formula Vees in Daytona Beach, Florida. 1970 marked a staple year for Butch. Butch and his business partner Ron Ruttenberg started Deer Ruttenberg Enterprises (DRE). DRE 1969 began prepping Formula Vees, provided parts, supplies, tires, advice for others to support their racing habit. They soon expanded their business add began selling safety equipment. Butch was an advisor on the Formula Vee Birthday Party Race for the 20th25th,30th,35th,40th and the 45th anniversaries. Through his extensive career in Formula Vee many awards came along. In, 1990-1991 he received Jerry Knapp award and Pete Sharland award for service to FV. In 2000, Deer and Ruttenberg received the Governor’s Cup at the June Sprints presented by former Wisconsin Governor, Tommy Thompson, for contributing to Wisconsin tourism by promoting FV events at Road America. In 2017, he was inducted into the Central Division SCCA Hall of Fame. After fifty-eight consecutive years Formula Vee racing he retired in 2018.
Bob Lybarger
Bob Lybarger started off as a corner worker in Cedar Rapids Iowa, but he would soon start Lybarger Racing Enterprises in the mid 1960’s. LRE created racing parts for Formula Vee’s and specialized in transmissions. He ran a multiple of different cars starting off in Formula Vee in 1967. He then continued to race in a Formula Ford, Super Vee, and Formula Atlantic. Lybarger served Central Division licensing board and the SCCA Competition Board. In 1998, he joined the stewards program in his home division of the Central Division. Moving towards SCCA Board of Directors Bob served two terms in the 2000’s. Lybarger had his parts win many championships, but a more important race to him was the June Sprints at Road America in the Central Division. As it was his home division he wanted to protect his home field and he racked up many wins at that event becoming the man to beat at Road America. Bob had always considered SCCA his family and best friends, he would go out of his way to help fellow racers and workers and many can attest to this as he was a mentor and source of knowledge for everything FV. A Lybarger transmission was considered a must-have if you wanted to be a top contender. He was a catalyst for the class and got fellow inductee Fred Clark involved in Formula Vee racing. The LRE logo can still be seen on many Formula Vee’s today.
Bill Noble
The saga of legendary FV business Noble Racing began in 1968 when Bill Noble, a car mechanic in Manhattan, Kansas, accepted a Formula Vee (FV) Form Car for a $500 debt.
Since then, Noble's customers have won 25 SCCA National Championships and Series Championships, including the Valvoline ProVee Series. Countless drivers past and present described Bill as both their fiercest competitor and most encouraging mentor. His at-track services were legendary, and he insured a level playing field with the standing offer to let customers have the engine out of his car anytime. This resulted in him winning the the Road Racing Drivers Club Mark Donohue Award when, after qualifying first at the Championship Runoffs, he took the engine out of his car, gave it to a customer, put a back up engine in and went out and won his third championship.
As for his personal on-track successes, Noble was a five-time national champion in Formula Vee; he was the first Vee driver to ever win that many golds. Noble’s trademark #00 red, white and blue Vee, sponsored by Valvoline Oil racked up 13 podium finishes in 35 years of Runoffs participation. He also won the IMSA Pro Vee Series championship in 1976 and the Valvoline ProVee Series championship in 1994. He raced abroad in South Africa as an ambassador of American FV racing. Bill’s peers have recognized his incredible contribution to the class, the club and the sport with honors including induction in the SCCA Hall of Fame. His fellow competitors gave him the Jerry Knapp award in recognition of his competitiveness, sportsmanship and contribution to the FV class and the Formula Vee Drivers Association’s highest honor, the Sharland Memorial Trophy, for outstanding contribution to FV. In 2019 the State of Kansas Senate introduced a resolution honoring Bill’s many achievements. The Kansas Region voted into existence the Bill Noble Award to recognize his life-long impact on SCCA. The award goes to drivers who show superior driving skills and mechanical ability. After selling the engine company to his chief mechanic Chris Cox, customers still compete in Vintage, Regional, National and Club series across the United States with the name Noble Engines by Cox.
Fred Clark
Fred Clark got his first Formula Vee from Bob Lybarger a new Caldwell D-13. The Iowa native had many successes behind the wheel in the Central Division including a win at the prestigious June Sprints. After this he moved to Florida to become a crew chief on Brumos’ IMSA Porsche Team, but he kept racing Formula Vee’s on his off days. Clark purchased Lynx/Caracal in 1982 and this started a new chapter in his life. To date he has built 153 Caracal Cars not including the original Lynx. The Lynx/Caracal name boasts the most SCCA National Championships over any other chassis. His cars have also won many regional championships. With his work in IMSA and SCCA Clark was asked to join the Road Racers Drivers Club (RRDC) where he is still an active member. He served on the SCCA’s rules making Board, the CRB, as well as many years on the Board of Directors for Buccaneer Region SCCA where he was instrumental in organizing Formula Vee Anniversary races at Roebling Road. Clark describes one of the greatest highlights has been all of the wonderful people he has gotten to know racing here and around the world with cars and parts in Australia, Europe, Mexico and Colombia.