Bowman Automotive is a former racecar constructor and current racing

kart Kart racing or karting is a road racing variant of motorsport with open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on ...

producer. Bowman produced cars for

Formula Ford Formula Ford, also known as F1600 and Formula F, is an entry-level class of single seater, open-wheel formula racing. The various championships held across the world form an important step for many prospective Formula One drivers. Formula For ...

, Formula 3,

USF2000 The USF2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires is an American racing series using the American variation of the Formula Ford formula, "F2000", that resumed operation for the 2010 season. As of 2022, it is sanctioned by the United States Auto ...

and other racing series.

History

Steve Hollman built up experience building PRS

cars with his brother Vic and designer

Sergio Rinland Sergio Rinland (born 17 March 1952) is an Argentine engineer best known for his work in Formula One. He is currently owner and managing director of the automotive engineering and management consulting company Astauto Ltd. Career Born in Bueno ...

. After working at

Ralt Ralt was a manufacturer of single-seater racing cars, founded by ex-Jack Brabham associate Ron Tauranac after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia in the 1950s und ...

in 1987, running

Eddie Jordan Racing Eddie Jordan Racing was a British racing stable founded by Irish racing driver Eddie Jordan in 1980. The team won Formula 3000 the drivers' championship in 1989 with Jean Alesi. The team competed in Formula 3 and Formula 3000. After great success ...

, Hollman formed his own racing team: Bowman Racing. The team fielded a

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...

powered

RT32 for

Gary Brabham Gary Thomas Brabham (born 29 March 1961) is a former professional racing driver and a convicted child sex offender from Australia. He is the son of three-time World Formula One Champion Sir Jack Brabham and the brother of Le Mans winners Geof ...

in the 1988 British Formula Three season. Brabham won four races and was placed second in the championship standings. The second driver of the team,

Ross Hockenhull Ross Edwin Hockenhull (born 29 September 1961) is a British former racing driver. He is from Buxton, Derbyshire. He has three sons. A well liked and respected personality. Ross took part in three races of the 1989 International Formula 3000 season ...

, finished seventh in the championship standings. In

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

Bowman Racing won the drivers' championship with

David Brabham David Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian professional racing driver and one of the most successful and experienced specialists in sports car racing. He has won three international Sports Car series and is one of four Australians t ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

was the last season Bowman Racing entered Ralt cars. Steve Robertson and

Peter Kox Peter Kox (born 23 February 1964 in Eindhoven) is a racing driver from the Netherlands. Kox began racing in karts in 1978, winning five titles until 1982. In 1983 he moved to automobiles, winning the Marlboro Formula Ford Challenge and was sec ...

finished third and fifth in the series standings. For the

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

season Steve Hollman built his first Bowman racing car, the BC1. The car was designed by Bruce Cary (BC). Robertson was again the lead driver for the team in the

British Formula Three Championship British Formula Three Championship may refer to: *British Formula 3 International Series The British Formula Three Championship was an international motor racing series that took place primarily in the United Kingdom with a small number of ev ...

. The team struggled with their alternatively designed car and an engine which was less competitive. Roberston won two races at

Thruxton Circuit The Thruxton Circuit is a motor-racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, about 30 miles north of Southampton. It has hosted motorsport events including the British Touring Car Championship, B ...

. For 1992 Bowman built the BC2. Two cars went to race in the

French Formula Three Championship The French Formula Three Championship was a motor racing series for Formula Three cars held in France between 1964 and 2002. The series was merged with the German Formula Three Championship in 2003 to form the Formula 3 Euro Series The Formula 3 ...

Jean-Christophe Boullion Jean-Christophe "Jules" Boullion (born 27 December 1969) is a French professional racing driver who raced in Formula One for the Sauber team. Career Born in Saint-Brieuc, near Côtes d'Armor, Boullion started karting in 1982 and moved to c ...

won three races in the championship with the BC2. For 1993 the Bowman chassis were outclassed by

Dallara Dallara is an Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Gian Paolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' Melegari (Parma), Italy he created ...

in the French and Japanese Formula 3 championships. Near the end of the season the BC4 emerged. The BC4 was technically identical to the BC3. The aerodynamics were very similar to that of a Dallara of that era. In 1998 Bowman entered the American

championship.

Highcroft Racing Highcroft Racing was an American auto racing team based out of Danbury, Connecticut and founded by driver Duncan Dayton in 1989. Initially founded for Dayton's involvement in historic motorsport, specifically the restoration and preparation of cla ...

entered the BC5 for

Andy Lally Andrew J. Lally (born February 11, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving the Audi R8 for Magnus Racing and previously part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, dr ...

, Jeff Shafer and Duncan Dayton. Lally was the most successful driver finishing fourth in the series standings. In the manufacturer's standings Bowman finished third, behind

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

and

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 ...

. In 1999 Bowman only appeared in the first and second rounds of the championship. In the second round, in the second race, Lally finished third but pulled out of the championship. In the late 1990s Hollman entered Bowman Racing team in the National Saloon Car Championship building

Peugeot 306 The Peugeot 306 is a small family car built by the French car manufacturer Peugeot from 1993 to 2002. It replaced the 309. Peugeot gave the 306 many updates and aesthetic changes to keep up with the competition, and it was replaced by the 307 in ...

cars for the series.

Dan Eaves Dan Eaves (born 3 June 1975 in Worcestershire) is a British auto racing driver. He competed in the British Touring Car Championship between 2000 and 2005, and again in 2009, winning a total of six races (including a triple-race clean sweep at ...

finished fourth in the series in 1999 and 2000. The operation was taken over by Vic Lee. Currently the company makes karts for indoor and outdoor competition.

Racing cars

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of the United Kingdom Kart manufacturers British racecar constructors British auto racing teams Automotive motorsports and performance companies British Formula Three teams