Ron Tauranac
Encyclopedia
Ron Tauranac is the former Australia
n 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. He remained in England to assist with a redesign of a Politoys Formula One chassis for Frank Williams in 1973 and helped Trojan
develop a Formula One version of their Formula 5000
car.
After a brief retirement in Australia
, Tauranac returned to England to establish the Ralt
marque (a name he and his brother Austin had used for some 'specials' in Australia in the 1950s winning the NSW Hillclimb Championship
in 1954 with the Ralt 500). The first "modern" Ralt was the Ralt RT1 chassis, to be raced in Formula Three
, Formula Two
and Formula Atlantic
. The chassis proved very successful, winning the European Formula Three championship in 1975 in the hands of Australian driver Larry Perkins
. The 1978 season also proved successful for the RT1 chassis, winning the European F3 championship for Jan Lammers
.
Tauranac designed the Theodore Racing
F1 car for the 1978 season. The team was not very successful for various reasons largely unrelated to the quality of the chassis.
Two new designs were created for the 1979 season, the RT2 for Formula Two and the RT3 for Formula Three. The RT3 chassis proved highly successful, winning the 1983 European F3 championship for Pierluigi Martini
and five consecutive British F3 titles.
A joint venture with Honda
resulted in the RH6 chassis which won the 1981, 1984 and 1985 titles.
In October 1988 Tauranac sold the Ralt business to March Engineering
for £1.25m.
Tauranac has remained involved with various aspects of the sport since departing from Ralt, including racing-school cars for Honda, 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.
He has now moved back to Australia but still retains an interest in the sport. Tauranac can been seen each year as a design judge at the Formula SAE Australasia
competition in Melbourne, 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...
n designer for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver 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....
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
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...
in late 1971. He remained in England to assist with a redesign of a Politoys Formula One chassis for Frank Williams in 1973 and helped Trojan
Trojan (Racing team)
Trojan was an automobile manufacturer and a Formula One constructor from the United Kingdom. The complete history can be found at The car producer Trojan Limited was founded by Leslie Hounsfield in 1914 in Purley Way, Croydon, South London and produced cars and especially delivery vans until...
develop a Formula One version of their Formula 5000
Formula 5000
Formula 5000 was an open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel racing cars that no longer fit into any particular formula...
car.
After a brief retirement 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...
, Tauranac returned to England to establish the Ralt
Ralt
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...
marque (a name he and his brother Austin had used for some 'specials' in Australia in the 1950s winning the 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 1954 with the Ralt 500). The first "modern" Ralt was the Ralt RT1 chassis, to be raced in 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...
, 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...
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...
. The chassis proved very successful, winning the European Formula Three championship in 1975 in the hands of Australian driver Larry Perkins
Larry Perkins
Larry Clifton Perkins is a former racing driver and V8 Supercar team owner from Australia.-Career:...
. The 1978 season also proved successful for the RT1 chassis, winning the European F3 championship for Jan Lammers
Jan Lammers
Johannes "Jan" Lammers, , is a racing driver and team principal from the Netherlands. He participated in 41 Formula One Grand Prix races, debuting on January 21, 1979. He won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 and later participated in the race with his own team Racing for Holland...
.
Tauranac designed the Theodore Racing
Theodore Racing
Theodore Racing was a Formula One constructor from Hong Kong founded by real estate magnate and millionaire Teddy Yip. They participated in 51 grands prix, entering a total of 64 cars. They scored 2 championship points.-History:...
F1 car for the 1978 season. The team was not very successful for various reasons largely unrelated to the quality of the chassis.
Two new designs were created for the 1979 season, the RT2 for Formula Two and the RT3 for Formula Three. The RT3 chassis proved highly successful, winning the 1983 European F3 championship for Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini
Pierluigi Martini is an Italian former racing driver.He participated in 124 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on September 9, 1984 substituting for Ayrton Senna at the Toleman team...
and five consecutive British F3 titles.
A joint venture 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...
resulted in the RH6 chassis which won the 1981, 1984 and 1985 titles.
In October 1988 Tauranac sold the Ralt business to March Engineering
March Engineering
March Engineering was a Formula One constructor and manufacturer of customer racing cars from the United Kingdom. Although only moderately successful in Grand Prix competition, March racing cars enjoyed much better achievement in other categories of competition including Formula Two, Formula Three,...
for £1.25m.
Tauranac has remained involved with various aspects of the sport since departing from Ralt, including racing-school cars for Honda, a Formula Renault 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 that goes back to their early Formula Two days as engine supplier to Brabham in the 1960s.
He has now moved back to Australia but still retains an interest in the sport. Tauranac can been seen each year as a design judge at the Formula SAE Australasia
Formula SAE Australasia
Formula SAE Australasia is the Australian division of the US-based Formula SAE. The first event was held in 2000. In 2008, Victoria University in Werribee hosted the event, as it has done since 2004...
competition in Melbourne, Australia.