NA-F2000: Andersen Racing chosen by Van Diemen

Andersen Racing Is Named Van Diemen's F2000 Factory Team

PALMETTO, Fla., Dec. 21 - Andersen Racing has been chosen as Van Diemen's factory team for the 2008 F2000 Championship Series presented by Hoosier Racing Tire.

The arrangement was announced jointly today by David Bowes, chief executive officer of Elan Motorsports Technologies (EMT), which owns Van Diemen, and Dan Andersen, co-owner of Andersen Racing.

"Van Diemen and its owner, Elan Motorsports, needed to select a team which was technically world class, had a big vision for the future, and was managed to professional business standards. Andersen Racing meets and exceeds all of those criteria," Bowes said. "Elan has already placed its Indy 500-winning design team at the disposal of Van Diemen and Andersen Racing, and we have a plethora of prototype parts being designed and built in Braselton, Ga. which are due to be tested in January.

"This new partnership is an exciting move for Van Diemen and for Andersen Racing and forms the central strategy of Van Diemen's continued growth in North America over the next three to five years," Bowes continued. "I firmly believe that results will speak for themselves throughout 2008."

Andersen Racing, long a powerhouse in F2000 racing, strives to provide the best training possible for future open-wheel stars. It fields multiple entries in three different series: F2000, Star Mazda and the Indy Pro Series. It is the official development team of Rahal Letterman Racing. The team is headquartered at Andersen RacePark, an 18-acre facility in Palmetto, Fla. that includes a 1-mile test track.

"Andersen Racing is delighted to be working closely with Van Diemen, which has long been the car to beat in F2000 racing," Andersen said.

"Our agreement means that we'll be the one and only designated factory or 'works' team for Van Diemen's F2000 program," he explained. "We'll work with Van Diemen to test its new cars and components, and we'll help Van Diemen develop updates. We'll work closely with their engineering department, and we'll be on the cutting edge of their new F2000 car."

Elan Motorsports Technologies has built a worldwide reputation in race car chassis development, composite manufacturing, superior engines, and fabricating and machining services. Well-versed in working with teams around the world for series such as the Champ Car World Series, Star Mazda, American Le Mans Series and the Indy Racing League, the EMT division designed and built the winning chassis of the Indianapolis 500 in 2003-2004 as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring LMGT2 class winners in 2006.

Dan Andersen and Andersen Racing's current F2000 team manager, Mike Foschi, founded the U.S. F2000 series in 1991 and guided it for 10 years, turning it into one of the top open-wheel development formulas in the world. After stepping out of series administration they stepped back into team operations. Today Andersen Racing is one of the premier formula car teams in North America and one of the most comprehensive in the world, fielding multiple entries in three different series.

Three Andersen Racing drivers - Terrick Mansur, Noah Bystrom and Ricardo Vassmer - finished in the top five in the F2000 series this year. The team is already hard at work shaking out the new 2008 Van Diemen F2000 car. Vassmer began that testing at Andersen RacePark two weeks ago.

For more information on Andersen Racing and its test track, Andersen RacePark, see andersenracingteam.com and andersenracepark.com. More information on Van Diemen can be found at elanmotorsports.com. The F2000 series' Web site is at f2000championshipseries.com. The season-opening event for the seven weekend/14-race series is slated for April 18-20 at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Va.

-credit: ar