Van Diemen

Van Diemen International, Ltd. was a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton, Norfolk, United Kingdom.

South African Kenny Gray won the Scottish Formula Ford Championship in 1974 in a Van Diemen RF74.

[2] 1977 marked the start of a long time relationship with Duckhams Oil which sponsored the factory team until 2002.

[3] Moreno went on to win the Formula Ford Festival followed by Tommy Byrne, also driving a Van Diemen.

Ayrton Senna made his European racing debut in 1981 in the BRSCC and RAC Formula Ford 1600 championships, driving Van Diemen chassis.

[4] The following year fellow Brazilian Maurício Gugelmin finished second in the British Formula Ford 2000 driving a Van Diemen.

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

Bobby Verdon-Roe won the British Formula Renault in 1991 in a customer entered Van Diemen.

With the demise of Formula Ford 2000, Van Diemen began to export its cars to the United States.

Back in Europe James Matthews, driving for Manor Motorsport, 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 and Steve Knapp.

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.

[11] As of 1998 Van Diemen was contracted to build all the cars for the Formula Palmer Audi championship which ran until 2010.

Factory drivers Robert Dahlgren, James Courtney and Westley Barber won the British Formula Ford championship in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

In 2002, Van Diemen International was bought by Don Panoz and became part of his Élan Motorsport Technologies group out of Braselton, Georgia.

Tom Kimber-Smith and Valle Mäkelä won the British Formula Ford title, in customer entries, in 2002 and 2003.

Every new car will bear the Élan name instead of Van Diemen, so the highly successful marque will gradually disappear.