Bowman Automotive is a former racecar constructor and current racing

kart A go-kart, also written as go-cart (often referred to as simply a kart), is a type of small sports car, close wheeled car, open-wheel car or quadracycle. Go-karts come in all shapes and forms, from non-motorised models to high-performance ...

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 have historically been an important step for many prospective Formula One dri ...

Formula 3 Formula Three (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 drivers. History Formula Three (adop ...

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

and other racing series.

History

Steve Hollman built up experience building PRS

cars with his brother Vic and designer Sergio Rinland. 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 under ...

in 1987, running

Eddie Jordan Racing Eddie Jordan Racing was a British racing team founded by Irish racing driver Eddie Jordan in 1980. The team competed in Formula 3 and Formula 3000, winning the 1989 International Formula 3000 Drivers' Championship with Jean Alesi. After success ...

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

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

powered

RT32 for

Gary Brabham Gary Thomas Brabham (born 29 March 1961) is an Australian former professional racing driver. He is the son of three-time World Formula One Champion Sir Jack Brabham and the brother of Le Mans winners Geoff and David Brabham. His solitary F1 ...

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, finished seventh in the championship standings. In

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

Bowman Racing won the drivers' championship with

David Brabham David Philip Brabham (born 5 September 1965) is an Australian 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 to have ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

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

Peter Kox Petrus Dionysius Lambertus Theodorus 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 For ...

finished third and fifth in the series standings. For the

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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, a class of auto racing for Formula 3 open wheeled single seater racing cars, which took place from 1951 to 2014 *BRDC British Formula 3 Championship The ...

. 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, Hampshire, Thruxton in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, about north of Southampton. It has hosted motorsport events including the British Touring Car Ch ...

. 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 Joël Louis "Jules" Boullion (born 27 December 1969) is a French former racing driver. He won the 1994 International Formula 3000 Championship with DAMS, took two Le Mans Series titles with the Pescarolo Sport outfit in 2005 and ...

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

Dallara Dallara Group S.r.l. is the largest multi-national Italian race car manufacturer, founded by its current President, Giampaolo Dallara. After working for Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and De Tomaso, in 1972 in his native village of Varano de' M ...

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 cl ...

entered the BC5 for

Andy Lally Andrew Joseph Lally (born February 11, 1975) is an American former professional auto racing driver who currently serves as the president for the Trans Am Series. He competed full-time in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving the Audi R ...

, Jeff Shafer and

Duncan Dayton Duncan Dayton (born April 28, 1959 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an entrepreneur, former racing driver and racing team owner. Dayton raced in various formula racing and sportscar racing series. Currently, Dayton is the owner of Highcroft Racing. R ...

. 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 For ...

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. Company history Tatuu ...

. 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 National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

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 i ...

cars for the series.

Dan Eaves Daniel John 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 s ...

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

karts Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using 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 full-size moto ...

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