Van Diemen
Encyclopedia
Van Diemen International, Ltd. is a British race car manufacturer based in Snetterton
, Norfolk
, England.
The company has 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.
Van Diemen was founded in 1973 by Ross Ambrose and Ralph Firman Sr., 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
, Australia, which was formerly known as Van Diemen's Land
and is where Ambrose was born and lived before moving to the UK to co-found the company.
As well as Formula Ford, Van Diemen builds cars for Formula Ford 2000
, Sports 2000 and Formula Mazda
series. The company's purpose-built manufacturing facility is located on the grounds of Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
, allowing racing teams to test the cars literally right off the production line.
In 2002, Van Diemen International was bought by Don Panoz
and is now part of his Élan Motorsport Technologies
group.
Snetterton
Snetterton is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is located some north-east of the town of Thetford and south-west of the city of Norwich....
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
, England.
The company has a reputation for high-volume production runs of its cars, the most well-known of which is its series of Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
chassis, which have been at the forefront of that class of motorsport for over 20 years.
Van Diemen was founded in 1973 by Ross Ambrose and Ralph Firman Sr., whose children Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
, Ralph Firman Jr.
Ralph Firman
Ralph David Firman Jr. is an English-born racing driver who races under Irish citizenship and an Irish-issued racing licence. Earlier in his career he raced under a British licence...
and Natasha Firman
Natasha Firman
Natasha Firman is an English racing driver and was the winner of the inaugural Formula Woman championship in 2004. On the way to that victory, she achieved two wins and four third places out of seven races...
have since gone on to have successful racing careers. The company's name comes from the island of Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Australia, which was formerly known as Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
and is where Ambrose was born and lived before moving to the UK to co-found the company.
As well as Formula Ford, Van Diemen builds cars for Formula Ford 2000
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....
, Sports 2000 and Formula Mazda
Formula Mazda
Formula Mazda is a class of relatively affordable open wheel formula racing.Formula Mazda has its own class in SCCA club racing, and there is a North American professional series named Star Mazda Championship that is part of IndyCar's Road to Indy ladder system. The cars are very popular; seeing a...
series. The company's purpose-built manufacturing facility is located on the grounds of Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit
Snetterton Motor Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Norfolk, England. Owned by MotorSport Vision, it is situated on the A11 road some 20 km north-east of the town of Thetford and 30 km south-west of the city of Norwich...
, allowing racing teams to test the cars literally right off the production line.
In 2002, Van Diemen International was bought by Don Panoz
Don Panoz
Dr. h.c. Donald Panoz is an American entrepreneur who made his name in pharmaceuticals and has since become a successful owner of various motorsport ventures.- Early life :...
and is now part of his Élan Motorsport Technologies
Élan Motorsport Technologies
Élan Motorsport Technologies is an umbrella company containing the race car manufacturing companies owned by the Panoz Motor Sports Group. Élan designs and builds Panoz-branded race cars, and have also acquired other manufacturers, including famous Formula Ford builders Van Diemen and IndyCar...
group.