Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in

Snetterton Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 201 people living in 74 h ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, United Kingdom. The company had a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula Ford chassis, which have been at the forefront of that class of motorsport for over 20 years and led it to becoming the largest manufacturer of bespoke racing cars in the world. As well as Formula Ford, Van Diemen built cars for Formula Ford 2000, Sports 2000 and Star Mazda series. The company's purpose-built manufacturing facility was located on the grounds of

Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit Snetterton Circuit is a motor racing course in Norfolk, England, originally opened in 1953. Owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, it is situated on the A11 road north-east of the town of Thetford and south-west of the ...

, allowing racing teams to test the cars right off the production line.

History

Van Diemen was founded in 1973 by Ross Ambrose and

Ralph Firman Sr Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

., whose children Marcos Ambrose, Ralph Firman Jr. and Natasha Firman have since gone on to have successful racing careers. The company's name comes from the island of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia, which was formerly known as

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sep ...

and is where Ambrose was born and lived before moving to the UK to co-found the company.

1970s

The first car produced was the Van Diemen FA73. In 1973 Derek Lawrence won the BRDC Formula Ford 1600 championship in a FA73. The BRSCC Formula Ford was also won by a FA73. This car was driven by Donald MacLeod. South African Kenny Gray won the Scottish Formula Ford Championship in 1974 in a Van Diemen RF74. Chico Serra won the BRSCC championship in 1977 driving a Van Diemen. Serra went on to win the

Formula Ford Festival The Formula Ford Festival is an annual meeting of Ford-powered single-seat racing cars which is held at the end of the British racing season, at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit in the county of Kent, in Southern England. The events are hel ...

that season, beating two Royale's. The British car maker took over

Group Racing Developments Group Racing Developments, known more simply as GRD, was a short-lived British constructor of racing cars. It was formed in 1971 with a large percentage of staff coming from those made redundant from the closure of Lotus Cars customer car manufac ...

, a producer of

Formula 3 Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier class of open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held in Europe, Australia, South America and Asia form an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

chassis, at the end of 1975. A Van Diemen VG376 was entered in the

British Formula 3 The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of events in mainland Europe. It was a junior-level feeder formula that used small single se ...

in 1976 and 1977. The car was a GRD 375 with updated aerodynamics.

Jac Nellemann Jacob "Jac" NellemannSources disagree regarding the spelling of this person's surnameChicaneF1StatsF1 Circuit Zolder The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlamen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. History Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, ...

scoring a fourth-place finish. The car manufacturer would return to Formula 3 in 1992. 1977 marked the start of a long time relationship with Duckhams Oil which sponsored the factory team until 2002.

1980s

Haynes International Motor Museum - IMG 1495 - Flickr - Adam Woodford

Van Diemen swept the BRSCC Formula Ford 1600 championship in 1980. Brazilian drivers Roberto Moreno and Raul Boesel won 13 out of 14 races and finished one and two in the standings. Jonathan Palmer, also driving Van Diemen, was third in the standings. Moreno went on to win the Formula Ford Festival followed by Tommy Byrne, also driving a Van Diemen. Byrne had a very successful 1981 season winning the Festival, European and British Formula Ford 2000 championships, all driving cars made by the British car maker. Ayrton Senna made his European racing debut in 1981 in the BRSCC and RAC Formula Ford 1600 championships, driving Van Diemen chassis. After winning these two championships he graduated into Formula Ford 2000, again driving Van Diemens. In 1982 Senna won both the British and European Formula Ford 2000 championships. The following year fellow Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin finished second in the British Formula Ford 2000 driving a Van Diemen. In the same year Maurizio Sandro Sala won the BRDC Formula Ford 1600. In 1985 eight Van Diemens filled the top ten at the Formula Ford Festival. Jonathan Bancroft was the best placed driver finishing second. The race was won by

Johnny Herbert John Paul "Johnny" Herbert (born 25 June 1964) is a British former racing driver and current television announcer for Sky Sports F1. He raced in Formula One from 1989 to 2000, for seven different teams, winning three races and placing 4th in ...

driving a Quest-Ivey FF85. Halfway through the eighties Reynard chassis started to dominate the Formula Ford 2000. Van Diemen shifted its focust toward

Formula Renault Formula Renault are classes of formula racing popular in Europe and elsewhere. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it was founded in 1971, and was a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to hig ...

, also a 2-litre engine formula. The Formula Ford Festival was won four consecutive times from 1986 thru 1989 by Van Diemen chassis. Roland Ratzenberger (1986) and Vincenzo Sospiri (1988) won the race in customer entries. The factory team won the race in 1987 and 1989 with

Eddie Irvine Edmund Irvine Jr. (; born 10 November 1965) is a former racing driver from Northern Ireland. He competed in Formula One between 1993 and 2002, and finished runner-up in the 1999 World Drivers' Championship, driving for Scuderia Ferrari. He b ...

and Niko Palhares. The British constructor made its debut in the Formula Renault in 1989. Neil Riddiford won the first

British Formula Renault British Formula Renault Championship referred to one of two Formula Renault championships that were held in the United Kingdom. The main series was Renault Sport, Renault Sport UK's Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship which ...

championship in 1989, driving a Van Diemen.

1990s

Throughout the 1990s Van Diemen began to dominate the Formula Ford market. Throughout the decade the constructor won the British Formula Ford championship five times and the Festival seven times.

Jason Plato Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He ...

won the first Formula Renault Eurocup driving for the Duckhams Van Diemen factory team.

Bobby Verdon-Roe Robert Geoffrey Verdon-Roe (born 21 November 1965 in Winchester, Hampshire) is a British professional racing driver who has raced in various formats of motor sport throughout his career. He has won Formula Renault, TVR Tuscan and Historic Form ...

won the British Formula Renault in 1991 in a customer entered Van Diemen. The 1991 season marked the debut of the Formula Vauxhall Junior spec racing series. Because of Van Diemens success in the Formula Ford, the marque was contracted to build all Formula Vauxhall Junior cars for the 1991 season. This racing car did not use aerodynamic features like wings, but used slick tires. The first championship was won by future

IndyCar INDYCAR, LLC, is an American-based auto racing sanctioning body for Indy car racing and other disciplines of open wheel car racing. The organization sanctions five racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with its centerpiece the Indianapoli ...

driver

Dario Franchitti George Dario Marino Franchitti, MBE (born 19 May 1973) is a British former racing driver and current motorsport commentator from Scotland. He is a four time IndyCar Series champion (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), a three-time winner of the Indian ...

. For 1992 Van Diemen re-entered the Formula 3 market. This was the first composite chassis baring the Van Diemen name, it was built by Precision Composites. The car raced in the Japanese F3, German F3 and the French F3 championships. Franc ten Wolde raced in five races of the German F3 in a Mugen powered RF92 entered by Dutch racing team Nomag Racing. Ten Wolde finished once, in eleventh place. Nomag entered Ten Wolde in the

1992 Masters of Formula 3 The 1992 Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 was the second Masters of Formula 3 race held at Circuit Park Zandvoort on 2 August 1992. It was won by Pedro Lamy José Pedro Mourão Lamy Viçoso, OIH, known as Pedro Lamy (; born 20 March 1972) is a ...

where he finished thirteenth. The

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

powered cars entered in the Japanese F3 and French F3 had little success entering only a few races. After this disappointing season Van Diemen did not return to Formula 3. With the demise of Formula Ford 2000, Van Diemen began to export its cars to the United States. 1992 was a successful year for Van Diemen in the American F2000 series. Greg Ray won the SCCA F2000 championship. Back in Europe James Matthews, driving for

Manor Motorsport Manor Motorsport Ltd, currently trading as Manor Endurance Racing Ltd is a British motor racing company that was formed in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth. Manor has participated as a team in many motorsport disciplines since ...

, won the 1994 Formula Renault Eurocup in a Van Diemen. Van Diemen cars won the first two official USF2000 championships in 1995 and 1996 with

Jeret Schroeder Jeret Schroeder (born November 13, 1969, Vineland, New Jersey, United States), is a former driver in the Indy Racing League. He raced in the 1997 and 1999-2002 seasons with 20 career starts, including the 1999-2001 Indianapolis 500. His best care ...

and

Steve Knapp Steve Knapp (born April 17, 1964, Minneapolis, Minnesota), is a former driver in IndyCar. He raced in the 1998–2000 seasons with 13 career starts, including 3 at the Indianapolis 500. His best career finish was in his first race, a third pla ...

. Van Diemen dominated the series winning all drivers and constructors titles until the series folded after the 2006 season. Many aspiring drivers won races with the British brand like

Buddy Rice Buddy Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing. Career Early years ...

and Dan Wheldon. The constructor continued to win in the British Formula Renault winning the title again in 1995 with Guy Smith. The following seasons the Van Diemen chassis became less successful in Formula Renault. Competition from Mygale,

Tatuus Tatuus is an Italian chassis manufacturer for a series of formula racing series, being first founded in 1980. The company is known for its association with Renault Sport for its production of the Formula Renault chassis. History The Tatuus c ...

and other smaller chassis manufacturers prevented Van Diemen from being competitive in the Eurocup. The cars remained competitive in the British championship fighting for the title against factory entered Tatuus chassis. 1998 marked the final year for Van Diemen in Formula Renault with Tim Mullen and Vítor Meira finishing third and fourth in customer entered cars. As of 1998 Van Diemen was contracted to build all the cars for the Formula Palmer Audi championship which ran until 2010.

2000s

Factory drivers Robert Dahlgren, James Courtney and

Westley Barber Westley Barber (born 19 January 1982) is a British racing driver who was the 2002 British Formula Ford and 1998 French Formula Renault Campus champion. Career Barber began racing in the Formula Renault Campus series in France. He won the title ...

won the British Formula Ford championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002. In 2002, Van Diemen International was bought by

Don Panoz Donald Panoz ( or ; February 13, 1935 – September 11, 2018) was an American entrepreneur who founded various pharmaceutical companies. Early life Panoz was an Italian-American. His father, Eugene Panunzio, immigrated to the United States f ...

and became part of his Élan Motorsport Technologies group out of Braselton, Georgia. As of 2002 the factory team ceased to exist. Tom Kimber-Smith and

Valle Mäkelä Valle Mäkelä (born 2 February 1986, Laitila, Finland) is a Finnish motor racing driver. Career Mäkelä began his kart racing career at the age of five. In 2000 he became Finnish Champion in the ICA-J class. In 2002, he began racing in Form ...

won the British Formula Ford title, in customer entries, in 2002 and 2003. 2003 would be the last time a Van Diemen chassis would win the overall British Formula Ford title. With the takeover by Élan, Van Diemen became more active in the United States. The Van Diemen FR02 used in Formula Ireland and Formula X between 2001 and 2004 was introduced in the United States. The SCCA formed the

Formula SCCA Formula SCCA or Formula Enterprises is a class of open wheel race car sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. A spec racing class, all chassis are produced by SCCA Enterprises in association with Van Diemen and include a sealed Mazda MZ ...

class which solely uses this chassis. This later developed in the Formula Enterprises. Van Diemen also built a sports racer version of this car, the DP04. When the Star Mazda championship announced a new car they contracted Élan Van Diemen to design and built it, the car was introduced in 2004. The

IMSA Lites IMSA Prototype Challenge (formerly IMSA Prototype Lites) is a racing series featuring two classes of single-seat prototype cars racing simultaneously. The series is sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). Most races are ...

championship started in 2006, this class comprised three subclasses, L1, L2 and L3. The L1 class uses a Élan Van Diemen built DP02 with a

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one ...

engine. Short lived L3 class used the DP04 Van Diemen designed before. The cars for the L2 class were not Van Diemen built but a

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

WX10 and later WR1000. Van Diemen designed its last Formula Ford car in 2008. Some teams updated the chassis to make their own Formula Ford cars like

Fluid Motorsport Fluid Motorsport Development constructs the Sinter Formula Ford car. The company also fielded a racing team in British Formula Ford between 2002 and 2012. Fluid Motorsport was also active in British Formula 3 as a team between 2005 and 2008. H ...

2010s

The USF2000 was revived for the 2010 season as spec racing series. Élan Van Diemen was contracted to build all the cars for the Mazda powered championship. But by now the Van Diemen activities have been fully incorporated into Élan Motorsport Technologies. Every new car will bear the Élan name instead of Van Diemen, so the highly successful marque will gradually disappear. After the demise of Van Diemen Ralph Firman Sr. founded a new race car constructor:

Ralph Firman Racing Ralph Firman Racing is a British racecar constructor. The company was founded in 2008 by Ralph Firman, Sr. History Ralph Firman, Sr. was one of the founders of Van Diemen in 1973 which went on to become one of the leading formula car constructo ...

Gallery

File:Van Diemen RF86 of Pat Mullins.JPG, Van Diemen RF86 Formula Ford File:FFEA VDRF01 100413 WP.jpg, Van Diemen RF01 Formula Ford File:StarMazdaChampionshipCarMilwaukee2009.jpg, Star Mazda File:FormulaPalmer Audi Blah!.jpg, Formula Palmer Audi File:Scott Rettich wins 2013 SCCA National Championship Runoffs.jpg,

File:Van Diemen RF88 front-left 2019 Michael Schumacher Private Collection.jpg, Van Diemen RF88 of Michael Schumacher ( Formula Ford)

References

External links

* {{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom Automotive motorsports and performance companies Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England British racecar constructors Panoz Auto Development Sports car manufacturers British auto racing teams Companies based in Norfolk Formula Renault Eurocup teams British Formula Renault teams Auto racing teams established in 1977 Auto racing teams disestablished in 2002