A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.

In British usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (such as pick-up trucks). There are vans in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the classic van version of the tiny Mini to the five metre long (LWB) variants of the Mercedes Sprinter van. Vehicles larger than this are classified as lorries (trucks).

Word usage and etymology

The word ''van'' is a shortened version of the word ''caravan,'' which originally meant a covered vehicle.

The word ''van'' has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word always applies to boxy cargo vans, the most major differences in usage are found between the different English-speaking countries.

United Kingdom

British English speakers will generally refer to a passenger minivan as a ''people-carrier'' or ''MPV'', or multi-purpose vehicle, and a larger passenger van as a minibus. Ford makes a distinct line of vans with short bonnets (hoods) and varying body sizes. Minivans are the same vans but smaller. The driver's mate of a delivery van was sometimes referred to as a "vanguard." ''The Sun'' newspaper introduced the idea of "White Van Man", a typical working class man or small business owner who would have a white Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter or similar panel van. The ''Top Gear'' TV programme did a piece where the presenters had to buy a cheap panel van and then perform a series of tests. In reference to the reputation of van drivers' style of driving on British roads, one of the tests was to tailgate a car travelling at 60 mph as closely as possible.

United States

In the United States, a ''van'' can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer used to carry goods. In this case there is a differentiation between a "dry van", used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated van, or ''reefer'', used for cold goods. A railway car used to carry baggage is also called a ''van''.

A vehicle referred to as a full size van is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a platform and powertrain similar to their light truck counterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting of goods (cargo van), or furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (Wagon) or another company for more personal comforts, such as entertainment systems (Conversion van). Full size vans often have a very short hood (bonnet), with the engine block moved to within the passenger cabin.

A cutaway van chassis is a variation of the full size van which was developed for use by many second stage manufacturers. Such a unit generally has a van front end, and driver controls in a cab body which extends only to a point aft of the driver and passenger seats, where the rest of the van body is cutoff (leading to the terminology "cutaway"). From that point aft, usually only the chassis frame rails and running gear extend to the rear when the unit is shipped as an "incomplete vehicle". A second stage manufacturer, commonly known as a bodybuilder, will complete the vehicle for uses such as recreational vehicles, small school buses, minibuses, type III ambulances, and delivery trucks. A large portion of cutaway van chassis are equipped with dual rear wheels. Some second stage manufacturers also add a third weight-bearing single wheel "tag axle" for larger minibus models.

The term ''van'' may also refer to a Minivan. However, minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size and traditionally front wheel drive powertrain, although many now are being equipped with four wheel drive. Minivans offer similar seating capacity (traditionally seven to eight passengers), and better fuel economy than full-size vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. In addition, many new minivans have dual side sliding doors.

Japan

Early Japanese vans include the Mazda Bongo and the Subaru 360 van. The Japanese also produced many vans based on the American flat nose model, but also mini-vans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front wheel drive form factor first pioneered by the Nissan Prairie and Mitsubishi Chariot. Microvans, vans that fulfill kei car regulations, are very popular for small business. The term is also used to describe full-fledged station wagons (passenger car front sheetmetal, back seats, windows all around) and even hatchbacks with a basic trim package intended for commercial use.

Australia

In Australian English, the term ''van'' is commonly used to describe a minivan, a passenger minibus, or an Australian panel van as manufactured by companies such as Holden and Ford at various times.

India

In India, van is one of the most common modes of transport and is often used for commuting school children to and from schools as parents, especially working parents are too busy to themselves pick their children from school and when school buses are full and unable to accommodate other children.

A full size van used for commercial purposes is also known as a ''van''; however, a passenger vehicle with more than 7 or 8 seats is more likely to be called a ''minibus''.

Finally, the term ''van'' can sometimes be used interchangeably with ''caravan'', which in the U.S. is referred to as a travel trailer.

The British term ''people mover'' is also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of ''van'' to mean a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

Examples

The precursor to American Vans would be the Sedan Delivery's of the 1930's to late 1950's. The first generation of American vans were the 1960s compact vans, which were patterned in size after the Volkswagen Bus. The Corvair-based entry even aped the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine design. The Ford Falcon had a flat nose, with the engine mounted between and behind the front seats. The Dodge A100 had a similar layout and could accommodate a V-8. Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The Ford, Dodge and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

The ''standard'' or ''full size'' vans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components and taillights. The engine cockpit housing is often called a ''dog house''. Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes. The Dodge Sportsman added a plug to the rear of a long wheelbase to create the 15 passenger van. They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as cutaway van chassis versions for second stage manufacturers to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public.

In the 1970s, songs like "Chevy Van", written and performed by Sammy Johns, and nicknames like "sin bin" or "screw canoe" became part of the culture as owners transformed them into rolling bedrooms and lounges. Conversion vans became a large market with plusher accommodations than factory seats.

Dodge ended production of their full-size vans in June 2002 (as 2003 models), and replaced it with the German originated Dodge Sprinter, which is based on a narrower, more fuel-efficient European design pattern with a diesel turbo I5. Typical versions of the Sprinter are taller than other unmodified vans (tall enough to stand in), with a more slanted (aerodynamic) profile in front. They have been adopted primarily for delivery and lightweight Class-C van cab motor home applications.

Usage

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as ''commuter vans'' since 1971, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Commuter vans are used as an alternative to carpooling and other ride sharing arrangements.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances. Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibuses. Vans are also used to transport elderly and mobility-impaired worshipers to and from church services or to transport youth groups for outings to amusement parks, picnics, and visiting other churches. Vans are also used by schools to drive sports teams to intermural games. Vans have been used by touring music groups to haul equipment and people to music venues around the country; for example, the Portland band AgesandAges converted a 12-seat passenger van into a 15-seater to take the seven-member singing group on tour around the United States.

Step Van

Another type of van, peculiar to North America, is the ''step van,'' so called because of the ease with which one can step in and out of it. Widely used by delivery services, courier companies and the parcel division of the US Postal Service and Canada Post, they are often seen driven with the door open, especially in big cities. Step vans have more obviously boxy shapes and higher rooftops than other vans, and they are rarely employed for carrying passengers.

Rollover safety

Recently, the larger passenger versions have appeared in news stories for having a tendency to roll over, particularly in the case of inexperienced operators. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and powertrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The suspension is also higher because of the extreme weight capacity of 15 passengers of between and each which may be over one ton of passengers alone. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further raising the center of gravity (and often shifting it rearward). The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used. In the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts, perhaps because belted passengers feel they can still lean and shift a large amount. However, the NHTSA, cited below, has determined that belted passengers are about four times more likely to survive in rollover crashes.

Safety can be greatly improved by understanding the unique characteristics of 12- & 15-passenger vans and by following a special set of guidelines developed for drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A summary of this information is available at "Reducing The Risk of Rollover Crashes in 15-Passenger Vans". Among other things, this document advises that carrying 10 or fewer passengers (preferably towards the front of the van) greatly reduces the risk of rollover crashes, and it suggests that repeated operation by the same drivers tends to increase their ability to handle these vehicles more safely over time. Car rental companies have also started adding stickers to warn renters about the difference in handling while compared to standard cars. Items should not be added to a roof rack of an already top-heavy vehicle.

Models of vans by manufacturer

Austin

Austin Mini

Austin A35

Austin A55

Asia

Asia Topic

Asia Towner

BMC Commercial Vehicles

Buick

Buick Terraza

Chery Automobile

V5 (codename B14) minivan

Karry a small panel van.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet Astro

Chevrolet Beauville

Chevrolet Corvair 95 Greenbriar

Chevrolet Express

Chevrolet G10/G20/G30

Chevrolet Lumina APV

Chevrolet Nomad

Chevrolet Supercarry

Chevrolet Uplander

Chevrolet Venture

Chrysler

Chrysler Town & Country

Chrysler Voyager

Citroën

Citroën H Van

Citroën 2CV

Citroën Berlingo

Citroën C15

Citroën Jumpy

Citroën Jumper / Relay

Commer

Dacia

Dacia Logan VAN

Daewoo

Daewoo Damas

Daewoo Rezzo/Tacuma

Daihatsu

Daihatsu Atrai

Daihatsu Hijet

Dodge

Dodge A100

Dodge B Series B100, B150, B200, B250, B350

Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan

Dodge Coachman

Dodge MB Series MB-250, MB-350

Dodge Ram Van

Dodge Ram Wagon

Dodge Sportsman

Dodge Sprinter

Dodge Tradesman

Fiat

Fiat 238

Fiat 242

Fiat 600 T

Fiat 850 T

Fiat Panda van

Fiat Doblò

Fiat Ducato

Fiat Fiorino

Fiat Scudo

Ford

Ford Model T

Ford Aerostar

Ford Econoline

Ford E100 (Falcon) 1961-1967

Ford Econovan

Ford Freestar

Ford Club Wagon

Ford Transit, FK 1000

Ford Transit Connect

Ford Windstar

Freight Rover

Freight Rover Sherpa

Freight Rover 200 Series

Freight Rover 300 Series

Freightliner LLC

Freightliner Sprinter

FSC

FSC Żuk A 03, A 05, A 14, A 09, A 11, A 15, A 07, A 18, R, M, A 151 C, A 16 B

FSC Lublin 33, II, 3, 3Mi

FSO/ZSD

ZSD Nysa N57, N58, N59, N60, N61, N63, 501, 503, 521/522

GAZ

GAZelle

GMC

GMC Gaucho

GMC Gypsy

GMC Rally STX, Wagon

GMC Safari

GMC Savana

GMC Vandura 1500, 2500, 3500

Glas

Goggomobil TL

Grumman Olson

UPS P-600 - chassis only

UPS P-800 - chassis only

Hanomag

Hanomag L28

Hanomag Kurier

Hanomag-Henschel F20

Honda

Honda Acty

Honda Elysion

Honda Life

Honda Mobilio

Honda Odyssey

Honda Pertner

Honda Stepwgn

Honda Vamos

Hyundai

Hyundai Entourage

Hyundai Grace

Hyundai Lavita/Matrix

Hyundai Starex

Hyundai Trajet XG

Isuzu

Isuzu Oasis

Isuzu Como

Isuzu Filly

Iveco

Iveco Daily

Jowett

Jowett Bradford

Kia

Kia Bongo

Kia Carens/Rondo

Kia Carnival/Sedona

Kia Carstar/Joice

Kia Pregio

LDV

LDV Pilot

LDV Convoy

LDV Cub

LDV Maxus

Leyland

Leyland Sherpa

Lloyd

Lloyd LT 400, 600

Mazda

Mazda Bongo/Bongo Brawny

Mazda MPV

Mahindra- Xylo

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz L319

Mercedes-Benz T1

Mercedes-Benz T2

Mercedes-Benz Vaneo

Mercedes-Benz Vario

Mercedes-Benz Vito

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Mercedes-Benz V-Class

Mercury

Mercury Villager

Mercury Monterey

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi Expo

Mitsubishi Minica

Mitsubishi Town Box

Mitsubishi L300

Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa

Morris

Morris Minor

Morris J4

Nissan

Datsun Cablight

Datsun Litevan

Nissan AD

Nissan Atlas/Atlas Walkthrue/Atlas Loco/Atlas MAX

Nissan Bluebird van

Datsun/Nissan Cabstar

Nissan Cedric van

Prince Gloria van/Nissan Gloria van

Nissan Caravan

Nissan Cherry van

Nissan Interstar

Nissan Kubistar

Nissan NV200

Nissan Prairie

Nissan Primastar

Nissan Quest

Nissan S-Cargo

Nissan Silkroad

Nissan Skyline van

Nissan Sunny van

Nissan Vanette

Oldsmobile

Oldsmobile Silhouette

Opel / Vauxhall

Opel Blitz

Opel Combo

Opel Corsavan

Opel Astravan

Opel Movano

Opel Sintra

Opel Vivaro

Peugeot

Peugeot J 7, J 9

Peugeot J5

Peugeot Boxer

Peugeot Expert

Peugeot Partner

Plymouth

Plymouth Voyager

Pontiac

Pontiac Montana

Pontiac Trans Sport

Renault

Renault Estafette

Renault 4 F4 and F6

Renault Kangoo

Renault Trafic

Renault Master

Rīgas Autobusu Fabrika

RAF-251

RAF-08

RAF-10

RAF-2203

RAF-22031

RAF-3311

RAF-33111

RAF-977

Saturn

Saturn Relay

SEAT

SEAT Inca

SsangYong

Istana

Rodius/Stavic

Subaru

Subaru 360 Comercial/Van

Subaru Domingo

Subaru Reone van

Subaru Sambar

Suzuki

Suzuki Alto

Suzuki Carry

Suzuki Supercarry

Suzuki Every

Autozam Scrum

Bedford Rascal

Holden Scurry

Maruti Versa

Tatra

Tatra 12

Tatra Beta

Tempo

Tempo Rapid

Tempo Wiking

Tempo Matador

Toyota

Tyopet Coronaline/Corona van/Toyota Corona van

Toyopet/Toyota Crown van

Toyopet Masteline

Toyota Carina van

Toyota Corolla van

Toyota Dyna

Toyota Granvia

Toyota Hiace

Toyota Hiace Regius

Toyota Regius Ace

Toyota Liteace

Toyota Mark II van

Toyota Noah/Voxy

Toyota Master Ace Surf Wagon / Van

Toyota Previa

Toyota Probox

Toyota Publica van

Toyota Quick Delivery / Urban Supporter

Toyota Sienna

Toyota Succeed

Toyota Toyoace

Toyota TownAce

Toyota Coaster

Vauxhall and Bedford

Bedford Beagle

Bedford CA

Bedford CF

Bedford Chevanne

Vauxhall Combo see Opel

Vauxhall Corsavan

Vauxhall Astravan

Vauxhall Rascal

Vauxhall Vivaro

Vauxhall Movano

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles

Volkswagen Caddy

Volkswagen Routan

(T4) Transporter / Kombi / Caravelle / Eurovan / Mutlivan

(T5) Transporter / Eurovan / Kombi / Caravelle / Mutlivan

Volkswagen California

Volkswagen LT

Volkswagen Crafter

Volkswagen Type 2 ("VW Bus")

Alternative propulsion

Since light trucks are often operated in city traffic, hybrid electric models are very useful: Dual-Drive Sprinter - Mercedes Van equipped with hybrid drive systems Electric 35-50 q Micro-Vett Hybrid Daily

Modec Van

Smith Electric Vehicles Edison Van

Wheelchair accessible

Some vans can be converted into wheelchair accessible vans for mobility impaired people: Wheelchair Van Information

The following vehicles may be used in yards or in historic city centres: Aixam Mega Alke' ATX Graf Carello Transporter Tasso Domino

See also

Ambulance

Campervan

Conversion van

Cutaway van chassis

Minivan

Panel van

Public light bus

Sedan Delivery

References

External links

Category:Car body styles Category:Car classifications

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name	Armin Van Buuren
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Armin van Buuren
alias	Amsterdance, Armania, Darkstar, Emc2, El Guitaro, Elect of DJ-RA, Gaia, Gig, Gimmick, Hyperdrive Inc., Misteri A, Perpetuous Dreamer, Problem Boy, Rising Star, The Shoeshine Factory
born	December 25, 1976Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
origin	Koudekerk aan den Rijn, South Holland, Netherlands
instrument	Synthesizer, drum machine, equalizer, personal computer
genre	Trance, Progressive Trance, Vocal Trance, Uplifting Trance, Electro House, House Music
occupation	Remixer, Producer & DJ Composer
years active	1995–present
label	Armada Music (2003–present)
associated acts	Alibi, Dark Matter, Electrix, Lilmotion, Major League, Monsieur Basculant, Red & White, Technology, Triple A, Wodka Wasters
website	arminvanbuuren.com }}

Armin van Buuren (), (born in Leiden, Netherlands on 25 December 1976) is a Dutch trance producer and DJ. In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 he was voted number one in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 list of the most popular DJs. Since 2001 van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called ''A State of Trance'' and claims to have over 30 million weekly listeners in more than 40 countries, which would make it the most listened radio show in the world. His 2008 studio album, ''Imagine'', entered the Dutch album chart at #1, a first for a dance artist in Dutch music history.

Armin van Buuren has always had his own studio and worked alone in the beginning of his career. Since the release of his third studio album ''Imagine'' from 2008 he has been working with Benno de Goeij and DJ-RA of Rank 1 on all solo productions and remixes. He is well known for his annual "Year Mix" which incorporates clips and custom mashups from the year's most popular trance tracks. Each year-mix consists of about 85 individual releases, edited into a 2 hour mix which is released on double CD as well as aired on his weekly radio show at the end of each year. According to van Buuren, each year-mix takes several months to make, including thousands of digital audio edits and hundreds of audio plugins.

Personal life

Armin Van Buuren was born in Leiden, the Netherlands on 25 December 1976, but grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. He finished high school at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and left for college to study law at Leiden University. While studying law, van Buuren's interest for making music blossomed, and he began working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus. As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, although he did return to finish law school in 2003. Armin Van Buuren started making music when he was 14 and he often listened to music using the headphones that his father had given to him. He was inspired by French electronic music composer, Jean Michel Jarre, and wished to become a great electronic music composer like Jarre; finally meeting Jarre when van Buuren was the number 1 DJ of the world, along with DJ-RA (2009), in Amsterdam after Jarre's concert.

On 18 September 2009 Armin married Erika van Thiel in Wassenaar, Netherlands. They met during a vacation on Crete, and had been together for 9 years prior to the marriage.

On 12 January 2011, Armin announced the pregnancy of his wife Erika on Twitter. He hoped the baby, due this summer, will be his "best production ever." Their daughter, Fenna, was born on 24 July 2011.

Career

1995–1999: Early career and success

Since 1995, van Buuren has released many tracks on different labels with increasing success. His first big success was "Blue Fear" which was on Cyber Records at the age of 19. This 'Euro Trance blueprint' made it into the UK Chart. "Communication" was released on the same label, and had a huge impact on Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 1999. After being signed to AM PM Records, this track entered the UK Chart at #18 in 2000.

Van Buuren began his DJ career at club Nexus in Leiden, where he learned to play long DJ sets, which were regularly six to seven hours per set. During school holidays he played more than four times a week. In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him as a DJ in England and the United States. His career accelerated, entering the DJ magazine Top-100 in November 2001 at Number 27. He has played in more than 25 different countries and can often be found on the main stage at big summer festivals. Van Buuren played a record-breaking twelve and a half hour set for Dancetheater in The Hague (the Netherlands). In the United Kingdom he performs regularly at Passion (resident 2002), Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Slinky, Ministry of Sound, Peach and Golden.

In the beginning of 1999, van Buuren started his label Armind together with United Recordings. The first release, Gig – "One," was well received. The second release "Touch Me," under the name Rising Star was signed to Ministry of Sound in the UK, before the record was released.

By the time of his third release, Gimmick – "Free" was signed to R&S; Records, van Buuren had managed to make his label popular very quickly. Under the surname Gaia he released "4 Elements" on Captivating Sounds, a sub-label of Warner Brothers. Teaming up with Tiësto, two new projects were born: Major League – "Wonder Where You Are?" was released on Black Hole Recordings and Alibi – "Eternity" was released on Armind. "Eternity" received club and chart success and was signed to Paul van Dyk's imprint Vandit Records. Another major collaboration followed this. Together with Ferry Corsten, van Buuren recorded a riff-classic titled "Exhale" for the System F. album. Released as a single, this track reached gold status in less than a month.

2000–2004: ''A State of Trance'' and ''76''

In 2000, van Buuren started his own Armin van Buuren compilation series. He managed to find a balance between progressive house,and vocal trance music styles. His first compilation album, ''A State of Trance'' (not to be confused with his weekly A State of Trance radio shows), sold more than 10,000 copies and contains van Buuren's well known remix of Moogwai, "Viola." His second album, ''Basic Instinct'' featured a new track: "Perpetuous Dreamer" – "The Sound of Goodbye." This track entered the Dutch charts in June 2001 at number 26. Later in the year, the track hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The third album, ''In Motion'' was released 6 August 2001. This album contained the real trance sound and was very popular in the United States. A fourth album, ''Transparence'', followed in 2002. In 2003, he worked with such artists such as DJ Seth Alan Fannin throughout a global tour on Dance Revolution in Europe, selling out to crowds of 20,000 people in Armin's home country of the Netherlands.

In March 2001, van Buuren started his own radio show on ID&T; Radio (traditionally broadcast in Dutch and later English since ASOT 183). In this weekly two-hour show, entitled ''A State of Trance'', he plays the latest popular trance music tracks. His show and the artists he features are popularized by publishing the artists and track titles on his website. This radio-show/website combination has proven popular internationally. When ID&T; Radio changed genres in 2004, van Buuren left and took ''A State of Trance'' with him. The show then moved to Fresh FM, a Dutch radio station. It is now a weekly feature on SLAM!FM, another Dutch radio station, DI.FM, an online radio station, and on XM Satellite Radio, channel 80 in the United States and Canada. A complete list of stations that broadcast ''A State of Trance'' can be found at the ASOT section of Armin's website. Also in 2004, van Buuren remixed the 24 theme song into a trance hit. In June 2005, the 200th episode was celebrated in Amsterdam and subsequently aired on radio. The 250th (8 hour) anniversary episode was celebrated in Club Asta in The Hague, Netherlands, featuring van Buuren, Jonas Steur, M.I.K.E., John Askew, Rank 1 and Menno de Jong.

In 2002, he had a residency at Glow in Washington D.C., and he has played in San Francisco, Houston, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Atlanta, Austin, Denver, New York City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Seattle. He has also regularly appeared at Amnesia on the island of Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain. In October that year, van Buuren was voted Number 5 in the DJ Magazine 100 top DJ's. The following year, he jumped up to the #3 spot, and held 3rd place for the next 3 years. His work left him at the #2 spot, just below Paul van Dyk in the 2006 polls, and, in 2007, Armin reached #1, heading the 2007 DJ Mag Top 100. He was voted #1 again in 2008, 2009 and again in 2010.

In June 2003 van Buuren released his debut studio album, ''76'', named after his year of birth, 1976.

2005–present: ''Shivers'', ''Imagine'' and ''Mirage''

On 8 August 2005 van Buuren released his second studio album, ''Shivers''. On the album van Buuren worked with artists such as Pakistani American singer Nadia Ali, English singer Justine Suissa and American trance duo Gabriel & Dresden.

On 11 November 2006, he had a live performance called Armin Only in Ahoy Rotterdam for the second time (after 12 November 2005) with a 9 hour solo set, where he performed to over 11,000 fans.

In the summer of 2007, van Buuren recorded and released a live set at Amnesia, Ibiza. ''Universal Religion Chapter 3, Live from Amnesia at Ibiza'' was released on 28 September 2007 as a mix compilation on Armada Records and in the US as "Universal Religion 2008" on Ultra Records on 4 December 2007.

On 17 April 2008 van Buuren released his third studio album, ''Imagine''. It features collaboration with singers such as Sharon den Adel of Within Temptation and Jacqueline Govaert of Krezip. The album debuted at number one on the Dutch Albums Chart.

19 April 2008 saw the 3rd edition of Armin Only, this time in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, Netherlands. The event was attended by 16,000 fans and (partly) broadcast live on Dutch National TV. During the second half of 2008, van Buuren took this show abroad, with visits to Australia, Romania, Poland, Belgium, and a special New Years Eve 2008 show at Together As One in Los Angeles, U.S.

On 29 September 2008, Armin won the DJ Award for "Best Trance DJ" at Ibiza along with other nominees, that of Tiësto, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk.

On 12 January 2008, van Buuren was given the "Buma Cultuur Pop Award," the most prestigious Dutch music award.

In 2009, Foreign Media Games announced the production of ''In The Mix: Featuring Armin van Buuren'', a music game being produced in collaboration with Cloud 9 Music and van Buuren's Armada Music label. The title is scheduled to be released sometime in 2010 exclusively for the Wii console.

He has collaborated with his brother, guitarist Eller van Buuren, in such venues as ''Together As One'' in Los Angeles, U.S., on New Year's Eve 2009, as well as on Armin's 2008 album ''Imagine''.

On 3 March 2010 van Buuren was awarded with the prestigious Golden Harp, for his musical work and contribution to Dutch music, by the music collecting society BUMA/STEMRA at the 2010 Buma Harpen Gala in Hilversum, the Netherlands.

On 23 June 2010 it was announced that Armin Van Buuren's fourth studio album, ''Mirage'' was due to be released on 10 September. The first single "Full Focus", was released through iTunes Store on 24 June at midnight. The song peaked at number sixty in the Netherlands. One of the confirmed tracks from the album is a collaboration with English singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor called ''Not Giving Up On Love'', which was released as a single from Bextor's fourth studio album, ''Make a Scene''. Armin also wrote a song for English singer Seal, but due to the release of his greatest hits album, ''Hits'', the collaboration never came together.

September 12, 2010, Armin van Buuren launched "A State of Sundays", a new weekly 24-hour radio show aired on Sirius XM Radio.

October 20, 2010, Armin van Buuren won the award for Most Popular International DJ presented by The Golden Gnomes.

On October 27, 2010, Armin van Buuren was announced, for the 4th year running, as the number 1 DJ, and thus prolonging his title as 'Most Popular DJ in the World'.

The 2010 edition of ''Armin Only: Mirage'' kicked off on November 13, 2010, in Utrecht, Netherlands, with more shows coming in Kiev, Buenos Aires, Melbourne, Beirut, Poznań, Moscow and Bratislava .

On November 27, 2010, Armin Van Buuren made his third appearance in Shanghai, China. On his yearly Asia Tour, he always stops by at M2 for an unforgettable night with his Chinese fans.

A State of Trance 500 (ASOT 500)

To mark the 10 year anniversary and 500^th episode of his weekly radio show ''A State of Trance'', Armin performed at five shows across five continents over five consecutive weeks along with various artists. The first show was held on 19 March 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa at the MTN Expo Center. In addition to Armin - Blake Jarrell, Protoculture, Lange, Leon Bolier, and Jorn van Deynhoven were performers. Super8 and TAB were to be part of the South African show, however a flight cancellation caused them to be absent for the event. The event was attended by over 20,000 people. Miami's show was performed at the Ultra Music Festival on 27 March, and part of the show were Marcus Schossow, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, ATB, and Sander van Doorn. Argentina held the third celebration of ASOT 500 in club G.E.B.A Buenos Aires, where Heatbeat (Argentina's Trance music icons at the time), Jochen Miller, Dash Berlin, Marcus Schultz, AVB, John O'Callaghan and W & W. It was the only of the 5 ASOT 500 celebrations that was held roofless, where AVB recorded a live video with his cell phone and uploaded it to Twitter while playing his live set, showing Argentinean's passion for Trance. Den Bosch in The Netherlands followed with the biggest event of 2011. Accompanied by more than 30 DJ's from countries all over the world, Armin brought together over 30,000 people in one long night's worth of trance music. DJ friends present were Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold and Sean Tyas. The event was radio broadcasted live from Den Bosch by Armin himself to over 30 countries as well as many of the DJ's using their sets as their live weekly or monthly podcast. The final show was held in Sydney, Australia marking the 5th show of the ASOT 500 tour. It was held on 16 April at Acer Arena in Olympic Park and was a sold out event weeks before the night. Shogun, Australia's own tyDi, Menno de Jong, Aly & Fila, Alex M.O.R.P.H. and of course Armin Van Buuren were the lineup where Armin played for a 3 hour set in celebration of this epic 5 week tour.

Discography

''76'' (2003)

''Shivers'' (2005)

''Imagine'' (2008)

''Mirage'' (2010)

References

External links

Armin van Buuren's profile on Trancepedia

Armada Music – the record label of Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren - A State of Trance episodes

Category:1976 births Category:Living people Category:Ableton Live users Category:Armada Music artists Category:Club DJs Category:Dutch DJs Category:Dutch electronic musicians Category:Dutch record producers Category:Dutch trance musicians Category:Eurodance musicians Category:People from Leiden Category:People from Rijnwoude Category:Remixers

ar:أرمين فان بيورن bg:Армин ван Бюрен ca:Armin van Buuren cs:Armin van Buuren da:Armin van Buuren de:Armin van Buuren el:Άρμιν βαν Μπιούρεν es:Armin van Buuren eo:Armin van Buuren fa:آرمین ون بورن fr:Armin van Buuren gl:Armin van Buuren ko:아르민 판 뷔런 hr:Armin van Buuren it:Armin van Buuren he:ארמין ואן ביורן ka:არმინ ვან ბიურენი lv:Armins van Bīrens lt:Armin van Buuren hu:Armin van Buuren mk:Армин Ван Бурен nl:Armin van Buuren ja:アーミン・ヴァン・ブーレン no:Armin van Buuren uz:Armin van Buuren pl:Armin van Buuren pt:Armin van Buuren ro:Armin van Buuren ru:Бюрен, Армин ван sk:Armin van Buuren sl:Armin van Buuren sr:Армин ван Бјурен fi:Armin van Buuren sv:Armin van Buuren tr:Armin van Buuren uk:Армін ван Бюрен zh:阿明·范·比伦

name	Sabine Schmitz
birth date	May 14, 1969
birth place	Adenau, Germany
occupation	Racing driver,Television personality
othername	Sabine Reck, SpeedBee, Queen of the Ring
website	http://www.speedbee.de }}

Sabine Schmitz (Sabine Reck while married; born 14 May 1969), is a German former professional motor racing driver for BMW, now known for driving the BMW "Ring taxi" around the Nürburgring race track as well as being a television personality.

Biography

Born to the local hotel and restaurant owning Schmitz family, Sabine and her two elder sisters grew up in the "Hotel am Tiergarten" (in the basement of which is the ''Pistenklause'' restaurant) in Nürburg within the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Schmitz trained as ''Hotelfachfrau'' and Sommelière. During her marriage to a hotelier she lived in Pulheim, but after her divorce in 2000, up until 2003, she owned a bar-restaurant in Nürburg named the ''Fuchsröhre'' (Foxhole) after a track section. In 2004 she qualified as a helicopter pilot.

Following occasional drives with the family car on the Nordschleife, all three sisters started racing, but only Schmitz continued and collected victories. Schmitz won in CHC and VLN race events, the VLN endurance racing championship in 1998, and is the first woman to win a major 24h race, the 24 Hours Nürburgring, in 1996 and 1997, all with a BMW M3 entered and co-driven by local veteran Johannes Scheid. In 2006 Schmitz and Klaus Abbelen drove the #97 Porsche 997 in the Nürburgring VLN endurance racing series, entered by ''Land Motorsport''. They finished a strong third in the 24h 2008, beaten only by the factory-backed Manthey-entered winners of 2007 and 2006.

Nürburgring

Schmitz came to mass public attention driving one of the two BMW M5 "Ring taxi" around the 20.8 km long race track in an entertaining manner.

According to her own estimates, Schmitz has gone around the track more than 20,000 times, increasing by approximately 1200 per year. Her familiarity with the circuit earned her the nicknames "Queen of the Nürburgring" and "the fastest taxi driver in the world". She says her favourite parts of the track are Schwedenkreuz and Fuchsröhre.

Claudia Hürtgen is her main rival, winning the championship in 2006, and scoring pole and victory in the third VLN race of 2008, with a BMW Z4.

Her company, Nürburgring-based Sabine Schmitz Motorsport, offers advanced driver training and a "Ring Taxi" service for passengers.

Television career

As a result of her popularity as "the fastest taxi driver in the world", and charisma, Schmitz became an occasional motorsport guest commentator, known for her gleefully dry descriptions of driving incidents. Since September 2006, Schmitz has co-hosted a motoring show on German television, ''D Motor'' on the DMAX TV channel. In each show, Schmitz takes on another challenge, for example Schmitz in a Ferrari 360 vs. a 1200 hp Race Truck, or Schmitz in a Formula Renault race car vs. a race sidecar.

In December 2004, Schmitz gained recognition in the United Kingdom after appearing in the BBC television show ''Top Gear'' with presenter Jeremy Clarkson. After Clarkson (under her tutelage) set a lap time of 9 minutes 59 seconds around the Nürburgring in a Jaguar S-Type diesel (Season 5, Episode 5), she castigated his best lap with the comment ''"I tell you something, I could do that lap time in a van"''. She did a lap in the Jaguar S-Type, and set a time of 9 minutes 12 seconds, beating him by 47 seconds. When trying to film Schmitz as she drove the S-Type, the film team couldn't keep up so they used Jaguar test driver Wolfgang Schubauer to drive the Jaguar S-Type R chase car, which means that much of the lap shown on the episode was not the first lap where she set the 9 min. 12 sec. lap time.

Thus, in her second appearance on ''Top Gear'', she actually drove a Ford Transit Diesel in an attempt to beat Clarkson's time set in the Jaguar S-Type diesel. Her final time with the Transit was 10 minutes and 8 seconds (Season 6, Episode 7). For this final lap the van was stripped and streamlined at the front with gaffer tape (Schmitz's belt, hubcaps, spare wheel, toolkit and Richard Hammond were removed) and a Dodge Viper was driven in front to help keep the "air clean" by providing a good slipstream to travel through.

Her first appearance on British television, however, was on the 2002 BBC programme Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours, where she takes Jeremy around the Nürburgring in the "Ring Taxi".

Her third appearance was at the 2005 Top Gear Awards to collect the award for 'Best German' (Season 7, Episode 6).

In 2007, she appeared in Clarkson's ''Supercar Showdown'' DVD where she raced an Audi R8 against The Stig in a Porsche 911 GT3.

Schmitz also appeared in the sixth episode of the ''Top Gear'''s 11th series, in a competition between the German motoring equivalent of Top Gear, on which she features, and the British Top Gear team. Both groups engaged each other in a series of challenges, in which Schmitz raced the Top Gear team in a double decker car race, and Clarkson in a one-on-one Mini challenge. She was victorious in both her events; however, due to the timely intervention of James May (dressed suspiciously like The Stig), the overall result was a win for the ''Top Gear'' team.

It is rumoured that Schmitz has taken on the role of the Stig in BBC 2's Top Gear in place of 'outed Stig' Ben Collins.

Race results

24 Hours Nürburgring: Overall winner in 1996 and 1997 (BMW), third in 2008 (Porsche), ninth in 2011 (Porsche)

References

External links

SpeedBee (formerly Sabine Schmitz Motorsport)

BMW Ring Taxi review by Ian Bevis

2006 Team website

Report on "Ring-Taxi"

The Fastest Taxi Driver In The World

BMW Ring-Taxi

Video footage

Schmitz on the Nürburgring followed by a Porsche 996 GT3 Google video

Schmitz at the ring, tuned Porsche GT2 vs Caterham CSR260 YouTube video, German

Nordschleife Tours - Nürburgring Google video, English, Sabine Schmitz at 10:02,20:00

Part 1, Part 2 One Lap with Ford Transit (diesel) in 10:08 at TopGear

Dmotor challenge: Schmitz in a 500hp Dodge Viper vs. a 164hp race kart with a Honda CBR 1100 Blackbird engine YouTube video, German

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:German racecar drivers Category:Female racecar drivers

de:Sabine Schmitz nl:Sabine Schmitz ja:サビーネ・シュミッツ

Name	Jean-Claude Van Damme
Birth name	Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
Birth date	October 18, 1960
Birth place	Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Yearsactive	1984–present (acting)
Occupation	Actor, martial artist, director
Spouse	1 child)and (1999–present); 2 children) }}

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (born 18 October 1960), professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include ''Bloodsport'' (1988), ''Kickboxer'' (1989), ''Double Impact'' (1991), ''Universal Soldier'' (1992), ''Hard Target'' (1993), ''Timecop'' (1994), and ''JCVD'' (2008). He is known as "The Muscles from Brussels", "JCVD" and "Van Damage".

After studying martial arts intensively from the age of ten, Van Damme achieved national success in Belgium as a martial artist and bodybuilder, earning the "Mr. Belgium" bodybuilding title. He immigrated to the United States in 1982 to pursue a career in film, and achieved success with ''Bloodsport'' (1988), based on a story written by Frank Dux. He attained subsequent box office success with ''Timecop'' (1994), which grossed over $100 million worldwide and became his most financially successful film.

Early life

Van Damme was born in Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Brussels, Belgium, the son of Eliana and Eugène Van Varenberg, who was an accountant and owned a flower shop. He began martial arts at the age of ten, enrolled by his father in a Shotokan karate school. His styles consist of kickboxing, Shotokan karate, Muay Thai and Taekwondo. He eventually earned his black belt in karate. He started lifting weights to improve his physique, which eventually led to a Mr. Belgium bodybuilding title.

Career

Name	Jean-Claude Van Damme
Other names	The Muscles from Brussels JCVD Van Damage
Birth name	Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
Birth date	October 18, 1960
Birth place	Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Brussels, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Years active	1976–1982 (martial arts)
height
weight	(currently) (fighting weight)
style	Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Shotokan Karate, Taekwondo
rank	''black belt in Shotokan''
trainer	Claude Goetz Dominique Valera
kickbox win	5
kickbox kowin	5
kickbox loss	0
am win	26
am loss	4
updated	}}

Kickboxing and Full-Contact Matches

Van Damme has five matches which were fought under kickboxing or full-contact rules.

In 1976, he over-came being staggered to knockout Toon Van Oostrum in one round.

In 1979, on his second day in Tampa, Florida, Jean-Claude faced Sherman Bergman, a kickboxer from Florida, USA. Van Damme was knocked to the canvas after absorbing a powerful left hook. However, Jean-Claude climbed off the canvas and with an ax-kick, knocked Bergman out in 56 seconds of the first round.

In 1980, after knocking out Georges Verlugels in two rounds, Jean-Claude caught the attention of the European martial arts community. ''Professional Karate Magazine'' publisher and editor Mike Anderson, and multiple European champion Geet Lemmens, tabbed Jean-Claude Van Damme as an upcoming prospect. However, Jean-Claude's ambitions now focused in the direction of acting.

Van Damme made a comeback in 1981. In his first match he knocked out Henk Besselman of Holland in one round, and at the 1st Journée Des Arts Martiaux. Next, Van Damme knocked out Lenny Leikman in 3 rounds.

Van Damme will make a return to fighting and is scheduled to fight former boxing Olympic gold-medalist Somluck Kamsing in November 2011. Early reports have named Las Vegas, USA, Moscow, Russia and Macau, China as locations for the bout but it now seems that the fight will take place at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. At the prospect of being the first man over the age of 50 to kickbox professionally, Van Damme stated that "it's kind of dangerous, but life is short." The fight is postponed to 2012.

Hollywood

In 1982, Van Damme and childhood friend, Michel Qissi, moved to America in the hope of becoming action stars. They both were cast as extras in the film, ''Breakin'''. After a small part in ''Missing In Action'', Van Damme was next cast in the film ''No Retreat, No Surrender'', as the role of the villain, Ivan the Russian. Van Damme worked for director John McTiernan for the 1987 film ''Predator'' as the titular alien, before being removed and replaced by Kevin Peter Hall. His breakout film was ''Bloodsport'', based on the alleged true story of Frank Dux. Shot on a 1.5 million dollar budget, it became a U.S. box-office hit in the spring of 1988. He then starred in the smaller budgeted film ''Cyborg''. His last role for 1989 was Kurt Sloane in the successful ''Kickboxer''. In this film, his character fought to avenge his brother who had been paralyzed by a Thai kickboxing champion (Qissi).

''Double Impact'' featured Van Damme in the dual role of Alex and Chad Wagner, two brothers fighting to avenge the deaths of their parents. This film reunited him with his former ''Bloodsport'' co-star, Bolo Yeung. He then starred opposite Dolph Lundgren in the action film ''Universal Soldier''. While it grossed $36,299,898 in the U.S., it was an even bigger success overseas, making over $65 million, well over its modest $23 million budget, making it Van Damme's highest grossing film at the time.

Van Damme followed ''Nowhere To Run'' and ''Hard Target'' with ''Timecop'' in 1994. The film was a huge success, grossing over $100 million worldwide. In the film, Van Damme played a time traveling cop, who tries to prevent the death of his wife. It remains his highest grossing film to date.

After his role in the poorly received ''Street Fighter,'' his projects started to fail at the box office. ''The Quest'' (1996), which he directed; ''Maximum Risk'' (1996) and ''Double Team'' (1997) were box-office flops.

The 1999 film ''Universal Soldier: The Return'' which was also a box-office flop, and Van Damme's last theatrically released film until 2008. In 2003, Van Damme employed his dancing training in the music video for Bob Sinclar's ''Kiss My Eyes''.

He returned to mainstream with limited theatrical release of the critically acclaimed film ''JCVD'' in 2008. ''Time'' magazine named Van Damme's performance in the film the second best of the year (after Heath Ledger's The Joker in ''The Dark Knight''), having previously stated that Van Damme "deserves not a black belt, but an Oscar". Van Damme indicated while promoting the film, he experienced a period of homelessness "sleeping on the street and starving in L.A."

Van Damme reprised his role as Luc Deveraux in the 2009 film ''Universal Soldier: Regeneration''.

He was offered a lead role in Sylvester Stallone's latest film ''The Expendables''. Stallone called Van Damme personally to offer him the role, but Van Damme turned it down. He has a series of film projects scheduled for 2011, including another ''Universal Soldier'' movie which will appear between 2011 and 2012, and the role of a villain in the sequel to ''The Expendables''. On June 30, 2011, Van Damme confirmed his participation in ''The Expendables 2''.

In 2011, Van Damme participated in various commercials for Coors Light beer, in which he is located on a snow-covered mountain, wearing a sleeveless denim jacket. Also in 2011 he appears in commercials for washing powder "Dash".

Personal life

At the age of 16 he took up ballet, which he studied for five years. According to Van Damme, ballet "is an art, but it's also one of the most difficult sports. If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport." In the French-speaking world, Van Damme is well known for the picturesque aphorisms that he delivers on a wide range of topics (personal well-being, the environment, etc.) in a sort of Zen franglais. Most famous and often quoted was his repeated use of the English word ''aware'' during an interview for a French channel, to convey the notion of self-awareness as a key to success.

He is training for his upcoming fight with cage fighters Chris 'Ball-Breaker' Banister, Jules 'Crown Jewels' Fox and the champion Paul 'Pistol-Fists' Shah in his home country Belgium.

Van Damme has been married five times, including two marriages with bodybuilder and fitness competitor Gladys Portugues. Van Damme is the father of three children: Kristopher Van Varenberg (born 1987), Bianca (born 1990), and Nicholas (born 1995).

Health and addiction

Van Damme had troubles with cocaine that started during 1995. He entered a month-long rehabilitation program in 1996 but left it after only one week. In 1996, he spent up to $10,000 a week on cocaine. He is also reported to have experienced bipolar disorder. A turning point in his health issues came in late 1997, after having signed divorce papers charging him with spousal abuse, and drug addiction.

After the filming of the 1998 film ''Knock Off'', Van Damme was diagnosed with rapid cycling bipolar disorder after becoming suicidal and started treatment on the mood stabilizer, sodium valproate.

Fight Record Controversy

When Jean-Claude Van Damme became an action film star, there were many doubts as to his claims of a fight record. According to Howard Hanson, President of the World Karate Association, he found evidence of Jean-Claude Van Damme competing in only one amateur bout. Writers from Black Belt Magazine labeled him (Van Damme) a "complete fraud."

On the 12th of November, 1993, the syndicated tabloid show Inside Edition implied that the star's karate credentials were bogus. Van Damme's office supplied a list of four European karate trophies that he earned under his real name, Van Varenberg, between 1978 and 1981: the Hope Cup; the Cup of Antwerp; World Championship, WAKO; and the Gala International. George Anderson, president of the Pan-American Union of Karatedo Organizations, said, "They're all minor awards, but that Van Damme's only crime is hyping them too much. ''Nobody has really clearly proven him to be a liar,''" Anderson says.

Van Damme's lawyer, Martin Singer, made a public statement defending his client: "There are records to document his martial-arts acclaim. He's the one who does those splits on chairs. He doesn't have a stunt man do that."

However, with the internet, photos and videos disproved the view that Van Damme was a fake or fraud. Numerous photos on-line, showed his various matches with such credited fighters as Patrick Teugels, Michael J. Heming and Sherman Bergman.

With the announcement that Van Damme was going to return to fight competition after decades of retirement, and meet Thailand's Somluck Kamsing, his fight record was again attacked as being "hyped".

Van Damme's record is posted on the net as 20-2 (20 knockouts). Paul Maslak of the STAR System World Kickboxing Ratings researched this record and came up with facts that showed that most of these fights were really semi-contact matches. However, photos and newspaper reports have also supported that Van Damme indeed had full-contact/kick-boxing matches.

Semi-Contact Karate and Tournament Competition

At the age of 11, Van Damme joined the ''Centre National De Karaté'' (National Center of Karate) under the guidance of Claude Goetz in France. Van Damme trained for four years and he earned a spot on the Belgian Karate Team.

In 1976, Jean-Claude is reported to have started his competive career in Ingelmunster, Belgium in a semi-contact match which was sanctioned by the European Karate Union. He defeated fellow Belgium Roland Vedani.

The following year, Van Damme remained undefeated with victories over Maurice Devos, Andre LeMaire and fellow team-mate Patrick Teugels in non-tournament matches sanctioned by the World All-Styles Karate Organization. In his first tournament competition, Van Damme placed second at the Challenge Coupe des Espoirs Karate Tournament (1st Trials). Jean-Claude defeated 25 opponents in the three day tournament (including Eric "Bruno" Strauss, Michel Juvillier, and Orlando Lang) before losing in the finals to fellow team-mate Angelo Spataro. In 1978, Van Damme fought Patrick Teugels in a bid for the Belguim Sem-Contact Leightweight Title. However, the more experienced Teugels won the decision in 2-rounds. Next, Van Damme failed to place at the WAKO World Championships, losing in the opening match.

Van Damme travelled with the Belgium Team to Tampa, Florida in the United States in November 1979. Van Damme earned the berth on the team by defeating Andre Robaeys, Jacques Piniarski and Rolf Risberg. In Tampa, Van Damme lost his first semi-contact match and is eliminated from placing in the WAKO World Championships for the second consecutive year. Promoter Mike Anderson recalled Van Damme as a "flashy fighter" at the championships.

Upon his return to Europe, Jean-Claude was a member of the Belgium Team when it won the European Championship on the 26th of December, 1979 at La Coupe Francois Persoons Karate Tournament in Brussels, Belgium. Van Damme defeated British and European Middleweight Champion Michael J. Heming in the finals; enabling his team to take the championship.

'''Jean-Claude Van Damme'' ended his semi-contact career on the 8th of March, 1980 at the Forest National in Brussels. Van Damme knocked Patrick Teugels down and scored a first round technical knockout victory. Teugels suffered a nose injury and was unable to continue. Newspaper reports list the fight as a "light-contact" match which is awarded to Van Damme by "L'abandon" (forfeit) after Teugels is unable to continue.

Filmography

Van Damme has been cast in "dual roles" in a single film many times during his career. Most cases involve two distinct characters, but others (such as ''Timecop'') involve the same character from different periods of time-travel. These scenes often necessitate special editing or blue-screen cinematography to have two versions of the actor interacting in the same scene.

TV

Tournament Record

|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:100%;"

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Time	Event	Location	Notes
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Light-Contact (Teugels suffers a broken nose and is unable to continue.)
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Woluwe, Brussels, Belgium	Semi Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact (Dias suffers ankle injury and is unable to continue.)
style="text-align:center;" Win								Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Opprebais, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Mulhouse, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Loss								Arena Deurne, Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Loss								Brussels, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Loss								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Loss								Izegem, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Antwerp, Belgium	Semi-Contact
style="text-align:center;" Win								Ingelmunster, Belgium	Semi-Contact

Kickboxing Record

|- style="margin:0.5em auto; font-size:100%;"

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Date	Round	Time	Event	Location	Notes
								Bangkok, Thailand	Kickboxing
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing
style="text-align:center;" Win									Kickboxing (Non-Tournament match. Van Damme climbs off floor to win.)
style="text-align:center;" Win								Brussels, Belgium	Kickboxing

References

Further reading

(Wako) (PKA World Heavyweight Title) (Eku)

External links

Sites

Official Page on Facebook

Rodin Entertainment

Fansite

Interviews

Interview with Patri(c)k Teugels

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:People from Sint-Agatha-Berchem Category:Belgian expatriates in the United States Category:Belgian film actors Category:Belgian emigrants to the United States Category:Belgian karateka Category:Belgian kickboxers Category:Middleweight kickboxers Category:Belgian Muay Thai practitioners Category:People with bipolar disorder

ar:جين كلود فان دام az:Jan-Klod Van Damm be:Жан-Клод Ван Дам be-x-old:Жан-Клёд Ван Дам bg:Жан-Клод Ван Дам ca:Jean-Claude Van Damme cs:Jean-Claude van Damme da:Jean-Claude Van Damme de:Jean-Claude Van Damme et:Jean-Claude Van Damme el:Ζαν Κλοντ Βαν Νταμ es:Jean-Claude Van Damme eo:Jean-Claude Van Damme eu:Jean-Claude Van Damme fa:ژان کلود ون دم fr:Jean-Claude Van Damme ga:Jean-Claude Van Damme gd:Jean-Claude Van Damme gl:Jean Claude Van Damme ko:장클로드 반 담 hy:Ժան-Կլոդ Վան Դամ hr:Jean-Claude Van Damme id:Jean Claude Van Damme it:Jean-Claude Van Damme he:ז'אן-קלוד ואן דאם lv:Žans Klods van Damme lt:Jean-Claude Van Damme hu:Jean-Claude Van Damme ml:ജീൻ ക്ലോദ് വാൻ ഡാമെ mn:Жан-Клод Ван Дамм nl:Jean-Claude Van Damme ja:ジャン＝クロード・ヴァン・ダム no:Jean-Claude van Damme pl:Jean-Claude Van Damme pt:Jean-Claude Van Damme ro:Jean-Claude Van Damme ru:Ван Дамм, Жан-Клод sk:Jean-Claude van Damme srn:Jean-Claude Van Damme sr:Жан Клод Ван Дам fi:Jean-Claude Van Damme sv:Jean-Claude Van Damme ta:ஜான் குளோட் வான் டாம் th:ฌอง-โกล็ด วอง ดัม tr:Jean-Claude Van Damme uk:Жан Клод Ван Дам zh:尚-克勞德·范·戴姆

name	Cartel de Santa
background	group_or_band
origin	Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
genre	Hip hop, Rap
years active	1996–present
website	Official MySpace page
current members	MC BaboMC DhariusRowan Rabia, Mery Dee, DJ Agustín, }}

Cartel de Santa is a Mexican band from the "barrio de la Aurora", Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, Mexico. The band started playing in 1996 as part of the Avanzada Regia musical movement and is currently composed of Eduardo Davalos de Luna, also known as MC Babo (lead vocals), MC Dharius, Rowan Rabia (beatmaker) and DJ Agustín (only in live shows). They have been referred to as one of the most notable Mexican hip-hop artists.

History

Cartel de Santa started playing in 1996, when MC Babo and some friends began by singing improvised rap songs.

The group became famous in 2003, when the band released its first self-titled album. The album includes hits such as "Perros", "Todas mueren por mi" and "La pelotona". The album was produced by Jason Roberts who had previously worked with artists such as Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, House of Pain, Guns N' Roses, Control Machete, and Plastilina Mosh. This contributed to the fame of the band.

That same year, the group released a video clip of the song "Perros". This video was broadcast across Latin America on MTV.

A year later, in 2004, a new album was release, ''Cartel de Santa, Vol. 2'', which included hits as "Blah, blah, blah", "La llamada" and "El arte del engaño". ''Cartel de Santa Vol. 2'' counted with the collaboration of other artists, such as Tego Calderón, in "Conexión Puerto Rico", and Mr. Pomel, in "Crónica Babilonia".

In 2007, Cartel de Santa recorded its third album, named ''Cartel de Santa, Volumen Prohibido.'' It included the singles "Cheka Wey" featuring female hip-hop artist Mery Dee. A few months after the album release, the lead vocalist, Babo, was arrested for the killing of a fellow band member. During a confrontation with Juan Miguel Chávez, an old rival, on the street, Babo shot a warning shot, which instead hit former band member Ulises. Eduardo Dávalos, Babo, turned himself in to the Ministerial Police of Nuevo Leon state. He later wrote a song about the incident while in prison in which he expresses his regret over the killing of Ulises. The band released a compilation album, ''Cartel de Santa, Greatest Hits'', aimed at rising funds to be used to set the vocalist free. MC Babo was liberated from prison nine months later, with help of Sony Music, after the group paid about 130,000 pesos as bail.

In February 2008, the band released its fourth album, ''Cartel de Santa, Vol IV''. Some of the songs recount Babo's memories during the months he was in prison. The album was meant as a message to fans that "''el Cartel''" would keep making music. The first single of this album was "Hay mamita" which also has a music videoclip.

In March 2010, Babo announced on the band's Myspace the release of another album. The fifth album was released in May 2010 with the name "Vol. V: Sincopa". Like their last work, ''Volume V'' showed a better sound and beats quality. Cartel de Santa was nominated for the Latin Grammys as a result of their new release.

Controversy

In April 2007, El Babo turned himself in to Mexican police officials claiming that he accidentally shot and killed his fellow band member. While at a house in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, MC Babo learned that the group's driver was allegedly going to the home to settle a dispute, then he shot the driver, Juan Miguel Chavez Pimentel, ''El Micky'', in the leg upon his arrival. El Babo claimed that one of the shots from his .38 revolver ricocheted off of the floor and killed his friend Ulises 'Buenrostro', the matter is still under police investigation.

On January 2008, el Babo was released from Jail after 9 months of incarceration, after the group paid a bail of about 130,000 pesos.

Discography

2003: ''Cartel de Santa'' (RCA Records)

2004: ''Cartel de Santa, Vol. II'' (RCA Records)

2007: ''Cartel de Santa, Volumen ProIIIbido'' (Norte)

2007: ''Cartel de Santa, Greatest Hits''

2008: ''Cartel de Santa, Vol. IV'' (Sony BMG)

2010: ''Cartel de Santa, Vol. V'' (Sony BMG)

2011: ''Cartel de Santa, Vol. V.1''

References

External links

Official site

[ Allmusic]

Category:Living people Category:Mexican hip hop groups Category:Monterrey musical groups

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