Ralt
Encyclopedia
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 the RALT name (standing for Ron and Austin Lewis Tauranac). Tauranac won the 1954 NSW Hillclimb Championship
in the RALT 500.
As a constructor, Tauranac acquired a reputation for building safe, simple, strong cars that were manufactured to very high standards -- he tended to invest his firm's profits in high-quality machine tools and Ralts acquired an enviable reputation as the best-built "customer" cars of their era.
. Ron made his own flywheel, rod, barrel and so on, until the engine was as special as the chassis. Mk2 A sports car built by and for Austin, with a Ford 10 engine, standard 10 gearbox, and Morris 8 rear axle. Mk3 Purchased from the Hooper brothers when they retired. Ron designed a new chassis for it, and the car was primarily driven by Austin. Mk4 Began as a special, using a Vincent-HRD 1,000 and a de Dion rear suspension. The car took two years to develop in Ron’s spare time. After just two events, somebody insisted on buying it, so plans were made for a production run of five replicas. Mk5 planned by Austin as a Peugeot-engined car, but abandoned so he could assist Ron with the production Mk 4s.
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Tauranac founded Ralt in 1974 and the first product was the RT1, a simple and versatile car used in Formula Two
, Formula Three
and Formula Atlantic
racing between 1975 and 1978. The RT2 was a Formula Two
car for 1979 with three cars being built for the Toleman
team. Later three more cars were built for private owners including one exclusively for the revival of the CanAm
series. The Toleman Group built their own (TG280) cars for 1980 based somewhat on the RT2 design and later licensed Lola to build it as the T850. Further-modified Tolemans appeared in F2 as Docking-Spitzleys. Two of the original Toleman
RT2 team cars ended up in the Can-Am series. The third one ended up in South Africa where copies called Lants were made. Related cars have appeared in hillclimb and sprint events in the UK as Romans and SPAs. RT3 was a Formula 3 car derived from the RT2. RT4 was a Formula Atlantic car based on the RT2. Some RT4s did occasionally appear in F2. RT5 was a Formula Super Vee
car derived from the RT2 and very similar to the RT3. The RT4 was the choice of car in Australian Formula 1
and Formula Mondial
, winning the Australian Grand Prix
from 1981-84 and the Australian Drivers' Championship
in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
in Formula Two
(but not Ron Tauranac's - he had been Jack Brabham
's partner when Brabham introduced Honda to F2 in the 1960s). The RH6 designation was used for works cars between 1980 and 1984, with the 1980 and 81 cars being a development of the RT2 theme and 1982-4 cars being further developed around a new honeycomb tub.
car, and in keeping with most of the Formula 3000 grid in 1985, it was essentially a further development of the last generation of the RH6, fitted with a Cosworth
DFV engine. (The 'B' was for Bridgestone, Ralt's main sponsor)
RT20 was a cheaper, more economical Formula 3000 for 1986, with a traditional aluminium tub - easier to maintain. The works team used John Judd/Honda
V8s, but customers used Cosworths. RT21 was a further development for 1987, this time again incorporating honeycomb elements in the monocoque. RT22 (1988) was Ralt's last season as an independent constructor in Formula 3000. The RT22 was its first carbon-fibre Formula 3000, but little success was achieved. RT23 (1991) was designed partly by Tauranac but manufactured under the auspices of the March Group who had bought out the team; there were major chassis problems with this and it was not at all successful. A couple of cars were developed for 1992 as the RT24 (by Simtek
), to no avail.
RT3 has a long history - a 1979 ground effect
Formula Three
car which was enhanced every year until 1984, becoming the dominant car in the formula. RT30 was introduced for the flat-bottom rules coming into effect in 1985. This was notable mainly for being very asymmetric - it had only one sidepod containing a radiator, and a deformable structure panel on the other side. The RT30 was, like many Ralts, developed over several seasons, evolving by the 1985-6 seasons into a highly competitive car, although some teams converted their old RT30s into flat-bottom cars and enjoyed a measure of success with these.
RT31, the 1987 car, applied some of the honeycomb ideas from the RT21 F3000 car; it was fairly competitive but Gary Brabham
's experiments with lowering the engine showed the way ahead. RT32: for the 1988 season, Gary Brabham's modifications were incorporated and a honeycomb/carbon tub was adopted. The RT32 theme saw Ralt through to the end of Ron's time with them, subsequent RT33 (1989)-RT35 (1991) cars essentially being developments of this basic model. The 1992 RT36 was designed by Andy Thorby and lightly revised by Tauranac for 1993 as the RT37. These cars were not particularly successful in Formula Three (in part because many teams switched to Dallara
chassis and therefore did not develop them) but the basic monocoque continues to be extremely successful as a hillclimb car nearly fifteen years later. The Ralt 94C was designed by Chris Radage and was not a success.
Originally equipped for Pro Atlantic racing with a highly tuned variant of Toyota 4AGE twin cam engine displacing 1.6 litres and developing approximately 250 bhp; several of these chassis have been converted both with bodywork to compete in C Sports Racer (CSR) and with other engine packages such as the twin rotor 13b Mazda, Honda and Cosworth 1600.
The subsequent history of Ralt as part of March is complex, but can be summarised as - operated as March's customer car division for a couple of years, was part of a management buyout when the March Group board decided to divest itself of all its motor racing interests; bought by enthusiasts Andrew Fitton and Steve Ward in 1993. Ron Tauranac left from the firm soon after. Fitton and Ward wound March up, but Ward continued operating Ralt independently - the Ralt name continues, and Ralt F3 cars have occasionally appeared.
, a Formula Renault
car, consulting work for the Arrows
formula one team, and continuing his relationship with Honda
that goes back to their early Formula Two
days as engine supplier to Brabham in the 1960s.
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
associate Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac
Ron Tauranac is the former Australian designer for Formula One driver Jack Brabham from 1962 until Brabham's retirement as a driver at the end of the 1970 season. Tauranac briefly owned and managed the Brabham team in 1971, but he sold the team to Bernie Ecclestone in late 1971...
after he sold out his interest in Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
. Ron and his brother had built some specials in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the 1950s under the RALT name (standing for Ron and Austin Lewis Tauranac). Tauranac won the 1954 NSW Hillclimb Championship
CAMS NSW Hillclimb Championship - Australia
The CAMS NSW Hillclimb Championship is a "Speed Hillclimb" Championship run in the state of New South Wales Australia & boasts a diverse array of Racecars & Drivers.....
in the RALT 500.
As a constructor, Tauranac acquired a reputation for building safe, simple, strong cars that were manufactured to very high standards -- he tended to invest his firm's profits in high-quality machine tools and Ralts acquired an enviable reputation as the best-built "customer" cars of their era.
The early Ralts
Built with the assistance of Ron's younger brother Austin Lewis in Australia. Mk1 Powered by a 1932 pushrod Norton ES2Norton ES2
The ES2 was a Norton motorcycle first produced in 1927. It was a long stroke single originally launched as a sports motorcycle but throughout its long life it was gradually overtaken by more powerful models...
. Ron made his own flywheel, rod, barrel and so on, until the engine was as special as the chassis. Mk2 A sports car built by and for Austin, with a Ford 10 engine, standard 10 gearbox, and Morris 8 rear axle. Mk3 Purchased from the Hooper brothers when they retired. Ron designed a new chassis for it, and the car was primarily driven by Austin. Mk4 Began as a special, using a Vincent-HRD 1,000 and a de Dion rear suspension. The car took two years to develop in Ron’s spare time. After just two events, somebody insisted on buying it, so plans were made for a production run of five replicas. Mk5 planned by Austin as a Peugeot-engined car, but abandoned so he could assist Ron with the production Mk 4s.
The modern RALTS
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
, Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a 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...
and Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic
Formula Atlantic is a specification of open wheel racing car developed in the 1970s. It was used in professional racing through the IMSA Atlantic Championship until 2009 and is currently primarily used in amateur racing through Sports Car Club of America Formula Atlantic.-History:The history of...
racing between 1975 and 1978. The RT2 was a Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
car for 1979 with three cars being built for the Toleman
Toleman
Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted...
team. Later three more cars were built for private owners including one exclusively for the revival of the CanAm
CanAm
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup or Can-Am, was an SCCA/CASC sports car racing series from 1966 to 1986.-History:Can-Am started out as a race series for Group 7 sports racers with two races in Canada and four races in the United States of America . The series was initially sponsored by Johnson...
series. The Toleman Group built their own (TG280) cars for 1980 based somewhat on the RT2 design and later licensed Lola to build it as the T850. Further-modified Tolemans appeared in F2 as Docking-Spitzleys. Two of the original Toleman
Toleman
Toleman Motosport was a Formula One constructor based in the UK. It was active between 1981 and 1985 and attended 70 Grands Prix.-Origins:In the 1970s, businessmen and motorsport fans Ted Toleman and Alex Hawkridge began their involvement in various car racing formulae in the UK. Ted was also noted...
RT2 team cars ended up in the Can-Am series. The third one ended up in South Africa where copies called Lants were made. Related cars have appeared in hillclimb and sprint events in the UK as Romans and SPAs. RT3 was a Formula 3 car derived from the RT2. RT4 was a Formula Atlantic car based on the RT2. Some RT4s did occasionally appear in F2. RT5 was a Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee was a type of open-wheel motor created to act as a platform for the promotion of VW products, playing much the same role in the 1970s as formulae such as Formula Renault play today. The idea for Formula Super Vee is generally attributed to Josef Hopen, who worked as the Special...
car derived from the RT2 and very similar to the RT3. The RT4 was the choice of car in Australian Formula 1
Australian Formula 1
Australian Formula 1 was a motor sport category for open-wheeler racing cars which was current in Australia from 1970 to 1983.AF1 was introduced by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport in 1970, initially restricting cars to unsupercharged engines of no greater than 2.5-litre capacity,...
and Formula Mondial
Formula Mondial
Formula Mondial was an international motor racing category which was introduced to replace both Formula Atlantic and the similar Formula Pacific in 1983....
, winning the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...
from 1981-84 and the Australian Drivers' Championship
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship which has been contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category as determined by the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport. Since 2005 this category has been Formula...
in 1984, 1985 and 1986.
Works F2 cars
RH6 was the start of Ralt's association with HondaHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
in Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
(but not Ron Tauranac's - he had been Jack Brabham
Jack Brabham
Sir John Arthur "Jack" Brabham, AO, OBE is an Australian former racing driver who was Formula One champion in , and . He was a founder of the Brabham racing team and race car constructor that bore his name....
's partner when Brabham introduced Honda to F2 in the 1960s). The RH6 designation was used for works cars between 1980 and 1984, with the 1980 and 81 cars being a development of the RT2 theme and 1982-4 cars being further developed around a new honeycomb tub.
Formula 3000 cars
RB20 was the marque's first Formula 3000Formula 3000
The Formula 3000 International Championship was a motor racing series created by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile in 1985 to become the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the Formula One championship...
car, and in keeping with most of the Formula 3000 grid in 1985, it was essentially a further development of the last generation of the RH6, fitted with a Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
DFV engine. (The 'B' was for Bridgestone, Ralt's main sponsor)
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
V8s, but customers used Cosworths. RT21 was a further development for 1987, this time again incorporating honeycomb elements in the monocoque. RT22 (1988) was Ralt's last season as an independent constructor in Formula 3000. The RT22 was its first carbon-fibre Formula 3000, but little success was achieved. RT23 (1991) was designed partly by Tauranac but manufactured under the auspices of the March Group who had bought out the team; there were major chassis problems with this and it was not at all successful. A couple of cars were developed for 1992 as the RT24 (by Simtek
Simtek
Simtek was an engineering consultancy firm and Formula One racing team. The F1 engineering consultancy arm, Simtek Research, was founded in 1989 by Max Mosley and Nick Wirth. It originally was involved in many areas of Formula One, including wind tunnel construction and chassis building for third...
), to no avail.
Formula Three Cars
Ground effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
Formula Three
Formula Three
Formula Three, also called Formula 3 or F3, is a 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...
car which was enhanced every year until 1984, becoming the dominant car in the formula. RT30 was introduced for the flat-bottom rules coming into effect in 1985. This was notable mainly for being very asymmetric - it had only one sidepod containing a radiator, and a deformable structure panel on the other side. The RT30 was, like many Ralts, developed over several seasons, evolving by the 1985-6 seasons into a highly competitive car, although some teams converted their old RT30s into flat-bottom cars and enjoyed a measure of success with these.
Gary Brabham
Gary Brabham is a former professional racing driver from Australia and a British Formula 3000 champion.-Racing career:...
's experiments with lowering the engine showed the way ahead. RT32: for the 1988 season, Gary Brabham's modifications were incorporated and a honeycomb/carbon tub was adopted. The RT32 theme saw Ralt through to the end of Ron's time with them, subsequent RT33 (1989)-RT35 (1991) cars essentially being developments of this basic model. The 1992 RT36 was designed by Andy Thorby and lightly revised by Tauranac for 1993 as the RT37. These cars were not particularly successful in Formula Three (in part because many teams switched to Dallara
Dallara
Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993...
chassis and therefore did not develop them) but the basic monocoque continues to be extremely successful as a hillclimb car nearly fifteen years later. The Ralt 94C was designed by Chris Radage and was not a success.
Later Formula Atlantic variants
RT40 and RT41 were FAtlantic derivatives of the later Formula Three cars; RT40 was the last Ralt with which Ron was involved. Many Champcar World Series and Indy Racing League drivers past and present, honed their skills in these cars, including Jacques Villeneuve the 1995 Indy 500 winner and 1997 F-1 World Champion. After being phased out of the Pro Atlantic series in 1998 in favor of the Swift 008a, the Ralt RT40 and 41s are still being raced competitively (2007) in the Sports Car Club of America, some 13-14 years after the RT40's debut, winning the SCCA Championship as recently as 2003.Originally equipped for Pro Atlantic racing with a highly tuned variant of Toyota 4AGE twin cam engine displacing 1.6 litres and developing approximately 250 bhp; several of these chassis have been converted both with bodywork to compete in C Sports Racer (CSR) and with other engine packages such as the twin rotor 13b Mazda, Honda and Cosworth 1600.
Ralt in other hands
Ralt's 1988 Formula 3000 car was proving a challenge to develop; the works drivers' backers (for the first time, Ron was running paying drivers rather than paying his own!) encouraged them to leave the team and not pay up; the company was also suffering from loss of its American markets for RT4s (Swift were upping the stakes dramatically) and RT5s (SuperVee was on its last legs in the USA as a major category). Reynard's aggressive marketing was cutting into the F3000 and F3 markets. Tauranac was looking to sell the company and ultimately ended up selling out to March for just over a million pounds; they had concentrated on high-value bespoke racing cars and allowed their customer cars to atrophy so the merger appeared to be a good move.The subsequent history of Ralt as part of March is complex, but can be summarised as - operated as March's customer car division for a couple of years, was part of a management buyout when the March Group board decided to divest itself of all its motor racing interests; bought by enthusiasts Andrew Fitton and Steve Ward in 1993. Ron Tauranac left from the firm soon after. Fitton and Ward wound March up, but Ward continued operating Ralt independently - the Ralt name continues, and Ralt F3 cars have occasionally appeared.
Ron Tauranac post-Ralt
Ron has remained involved with various aspects of the sport since departing from Ralt, including racing-school cars for HondaHonda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
, a Formula Renault
Formula Renault
Formula Renault is a class of formula racing founded in 1971. It is popular in Europe and other countries. Regarded as an entry-level series to motor racing, it is a respected series where drivers can learn advanced racecraft before moving on to Formula Three, World Series by Renault, GP2 or...
car, consulting work for the Arrows
Arrows
Arrows Grand Prix International was a British Formula One team active from to . For a period of time, it was also known as Footwork.-Origins :...
formula one team, and continuing his relationship with Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
that goes back to their early Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
days as engine supplier to Brabham in the 1960s.