November 4, 2026
Written by Bill Snow
This year marked Brian Farnham’s tenth appearance in Formula Vee at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, and his fourth time taking on the turns of Road America. But no amount of experience could have prepared him for the emotional rollercoaster that awaited him at the 2026 Runoffs.
Brian’s path to victory lane began with a crisis just three weeks before the event. During a summer test session at Nelson Ledges Road Course, his primary car suffered significant on-track damage, leaving it beyond repair in time for the championship. With the clock ticking, Brian and his dad turned to a backup chassis that had been sitting somewhat idle for nearly 16 years. Working around the clock, father and son transferred every good part over to prepare the chassis for a battle for the championship.
When they arrived at Road America, the struggle wasn’t over. Testing week became a game of troubleshooting a frustrating electrical gremlin. Once that was finally sorted, Brian put together a strong qualifying effort, only to hit another major roadblock at tech inspection.
The tech inspectors determined his exhaust length fell outside the ruleset. Though competitors had used the same setup in the past and it had passed inspection in previous years, it was deemed non-compliant this time. He protested, lost, and made the decision to not continue the protest fight, but rather focus on getting to the grid. Demonstrating the true spirit of the SCCA paddock, a fellow competitor loaned Brian a different collector so he could race. However, the tech penalty wiped out his qualifying times, putting him to the very back of the field, in the 35th starting spot.
How does a driver mentally reset after a blow like that?
“Control what you can control, do your best, and lean on your dad over the radio,” was Brian’s mindset.
When the green flag dropped, Brian put on a driving clinic, carving through traffic to overtake 14 cars in the first five corners alone. But the drama was far from over. A hit from behind caused him to spin and sent him right back toward the tail end of the field before a black flag halted the race on lap two for track cleanup.
When the field re-formed for the restart, Brian found himself lining up 19th. His revised strategy was simple: stop looking at all the cars and just hunt down one car at a time. Brian worked his way through the field. When he finally caught the lead pack, a fellow competitor even gave him a quick wave, a silent “welcome back to the front”.
With his car hooked up and draft tactics in full effect, Brian set his sights on positioning himself in the top three for the final lap. Instead, he took charge early, leading the pack across the start/finish line for the final three laps. In a heartstopping run up the front stretch to the checkered flag, the top five cars crossed the finish line separated by just fourtenths of a second.
When the dust settled, Brian had captured the national championship victory by a razor-thin 0.089 seconds.
Reflecting on the weekend, Brian admitted the emotional swing was overwhelming. The night before the race was a low point, he was so disappointed he couldn’t even bring himself to go to dinner with his family. Less than 24 hours later, he was standing atop the Runoffs podium on an absolute high.
Brian’s incredible drive from P35 to a National Championship serves as a testament to perseverance: we all dream about winning from the back of the grid, but Brian Farnham proved that it is truly possible.
