Basil van Rooyen Biography: Basil van Rooyen is a former race car driver, developer of race cars, inventor, and engineer. He raced a motorcycle, an Anglia, a Lotus Cortina, a Mustang, an Alfa Romeo, a Capri Perana Chevy Can-am, a Fiat/Ferrari saloon, sports cars, single-seaters, and an F1.
Basil van Rooyen Biography
Basil van Rooyen Biography: Basil van Rooyen was born on 19 April 1939 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He developed a passion for racing from a young age. With unwavering dedication and natural talent, he quickly rose through the ranks of motorsports. Overcoming numerous challenges, he caught the attention of F1 teams, ultimately earning his spot in the prestigious racing world. His journey to success is a testament to his exceptional skills and perseverance.
Basil van Rooyen Wiki
| Name | Basil van Rooyen |
| Date Of Birth | 19 April 1939 |
| Birth Place | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Height | N/A |
| Weight | N/A |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Profession | Racing Driver |
| Net Worth | N/A |
| Car Collection | N/A |
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Basil van Rooyen Career
In 1964, Ford Motor Company SA presented the most successful SA Ford racers with two Lotus Cortinas. (1 to BvR and Superformance, where he was Managing Director, to participate in the new countrywide SA Saloon Car Championship and 1 to Willie Meissner, talented ex-GSM Dart engineer of Meissner Motors and driver Koos Swanepoel, who raced an Anglia 1500). Swanepoel won the 1964 South African Saloon Car Championship as the BvR car struggled to keep up.
In 1965, BvR’s development abilities surpassed those of Meissner, his rival, and he won all or nearly all of the races. SA Saloon Car Championship racing became so popular among race fans in 1966 that Ford South Africa donated two brand-new Ford Mustang V8s to the winning duo. The BvR car was consistently quicker, and he won every race to become the SA Saloon car champion in 1966 and 1967.
1968 Alfa Romeo imported an Auto Delta Alfa GTA, but it was too slow, so they convinced BvR to develop a faster model. Since 1966, he had raced Alfa GTVs in the Onyx Production Car Series, with supplementary events held at the Kyalami venue. BvR developed a 2000cc short-stroke engine that quickly lapped faster than his Mustang and began competing against Meissner’s and Ford SA’s new Escorts with 1800cc and 2000cc 4v engines with great success.
Later, when BvR became involved in Single Seater Racing, Arnold Chatz took over. In the 1968 South African Grand Prix, he was convinced to race the old ex-John Love Cooper Climax against world champions. He enjoyed his single-seaters debut so much that he imported a newer Brabham to compete in the remaining 1968 SA events and a 1968 MacLaren for the 1969 season. By the time he participated in the 1969 South African Grand Prix, he had won three F1 races. Later in the year, the car collapsed during tire testing on the Kyalami straight, and time was needed to recover.
1979 saw the introduction of a new racing formula that allowed any engine/chassis combination from a single manufacturer. Fiat SA was curious. This required building a space frame vehicle with fiberglass cladding to resemble a Fiat 131, coupled with a turbocharged 2.5-liter, 600-horsepower Ferrari v6 engine. This vehicle soon proved to be one of the fastest saloon cars in this type of racing, but shortly after its debut, under pressure from sanctions against South Africa, Fiat decided to withdraw from the country. The car was sold, but other drivers continued to race it.
