Ralt: The Unsung Hero of Formula Racing

How Ron Tauranac’s Vision Shaped One of Motorsport’s Most Influential Constructors

Ron Tauranac came to Europe in 1960 at the invitation of his friend Jack Brabham. By that time, the Australian-born Tauranac had already spent more than ten years designing racing cars. When Jack Brabham founded Motor Racing Developments Ltd. (MRD) in 1961, Tauranac joined the company as chief designer.

From Brabham via Trojan to Ralt!

At the end of 1970, Jack Brabham retired from racing. Ron Tauranac took over MRD and the Brabham brand. However, this lasted only a year. Even then, motorsport was an expensive business. Without Jack Brabham as the driving force behind the team, sponsor money did not flow as needed. Thus, after just one year, Ron Tauranac sold MRD to Bernie Ecclestone.

The British businessman paid £100,000 for MRD and the racing team. Tauranac initially remained on board as a designer and factory manager, but the collaboration did not work out. Consequently, Tauranac left the company during the 1972 season. After a short break in Australia, he returned to Europe later that same year. He then designed two Formula 5000 chassis for Trojan.

RALT Engineering Ltd. was a fresh start!

Tauranac also derived the car that Tim Schenken used to compete in six Grands Prix in 1974 for Trojan Tauranac Racing from these chassis. However, this was only a short episode, as Trojan ran out of money. The former commercial vehicle manufacturer had been struggling since the mid-1960s as a contract manufacturer for McLaren and Elva (until 1968).

In the fall of 1974, Tauranac parted ways with Trojan and founded the design office RALT Engineering Ltd. in Woking. The abbreviation RALT was derived from the initials of Tauranac and his brother Austin: Ron + Austin + Lewis + Tauranac = RALT. However, the name was not new. As early as the early 1950s, the designer had competed in Australia with vehicles bearing the Ralt name.

The business model worked immediately!

Even these early vehicles were sold to customers by Ron and Austin Tauranac. In that sense, the start in Britain was more of a restart and a continuation of a business model the Tauranac brothers had already tested in Australia. The first car from the new design office was an immediate success. In 1975, Larry Perkins won the European Formula 3 Championship in the Ralt RT1.

Those who wished could compete with the Ralt RT1 in Formula 2, Formula 3, or Formula Atlantic. This allowed the Tauranac brothers to sell relatively large numbers of cars right from the start. In 1976, Freddy Kottulinsky took Ralt's first Formula 2 victory at the Nürburgring. That same year, Bertram Schäfer won the German Formula 3 Championship in a Ralt-BMW.

Ralt won numerous championships!

In the following years, Ralt drivers also won Formula 3 titles in Italy, Sweden, and the UK. One of the champions was Nelson Piquet, who won the British championship in 1978. These successes were possible because Ron Tauranac continuously improved the cars. It was not until 1979 that entirely new cars, the Ralt RT2 for Formula 2 and the RT3 for Formula 3, were introduced.

Even the Ralt RT1 had a version for the more powerful Formula 2. In 1977, Eddie Cheever finished second in the Formula 2 European Championship with a Ron Dennis-run RT1-BMW. Meanwhile, Tauranac also supported Theodore Racing, owned by Teddy Yip, in Formula 1. The result was the TR1, which Keke Rosberg drove to victory in the International Trophy in the rain.

Ralt became Honda's factory team!

However, in the Formula 1 World Championship, the Theodore-built Ralt was not a breakthrough. The new designs for junior formulae proved much more successful. With the Ralt RT2, Brian Henton and Toleman Group Motorsport narrowly missed the 1979 title. In 1980, Toleman dominated the Formula 2 European Championship with the TG280, derived from the RT2.

Meanwhile, Tauranac secured factory support from Honda. This allowed RALT to enter the Formula 2 European Championship with a works team. The Ralt RH6 was designed exclusively for the factory team. Private teams such as Bertram Schäfer Racing, where Manfred Winkelhock competed, had to make do with the updated RT2.

In Formula 2, Ralt became almost unbeatable!

Tauranac continued his evolutionary approach with new models. The cars were now designated by the year, which is why Ayrton Senna won the 1983 British Formula 3 Championship in a Ralt RT3/83. Towards the end of Formula 2, the Ralt factory team was virtually unbeatable, winning 16 of the 23 European Championship races in 1983 and 1984.

This business model proved highly successful for Ralt. By 1984, the 500th Ralt had rolled out of the factory. However, the transition from Formula 2 to Formula 3000 was not as successful as expected. Even though Ralt became Honda's factory team again in 1986, the company did not win a championship in the new category.

March took over Ralt!

Despite this, the 1980s were golden years for Ralt. Tauranac recognized that management was not his strongest suit. He loved designing cars. Thus, when March made him an offer to buy his company, he accepted. In October 1988, the former competitor acquired all shares in RALT Engineering Ltd. Tauranac stayed on as a designer.

Ralt became a March brand. Three years later, a management buyout took place. In 1993, Andrew Fitton and Steve Ward took over March Engineering Ltd. Under the new owners, Tauranac continued to oversee the Formula Atlantic project. However, after a year, he left "his" company. Fitton and Ward continued running March for a few more years.

All cars from RALT