Ralt RT 1

[Matthew Sturmer]

Chaps

One for you to check against your RT 1 records.

The ex-Luciano Pavesi car from 76 was an F3 car and was powered by an Alfa engine. This car was recently imported from Italy in original condition and sold through the Race Car Warehouse.
It is now owned by Ian Fisher and is due to run in the Classic F3 series in 06.

Matthew

[Dan Rear]

Matthew, the Pavesi car was definitely run as an F2 car from mid-76 into 77, with Hart as I recall. Was it easy to convert to an F3, or did Pavesi have 2 separate cars ?

[driftwood]

F2 cars will have wider wishbones ft200 gbox wider rims bigger wheels than f3 car maybe stiffer tub or engine mnts onto tub
cant see anyone on their right mind swapping car around like this

[Dan Rear]

I guess the one Matthew mentions is not the Pavesi car, -28 from Adam's list.

[Charles Warner]

It is not un-common to convert an F3 RT-1 to a "vintage" atlantic or F2 RT-1. Not saying it is appropriate - just not un-common. Not difficult for a decent fab shop with the knowledge of the differences.

[eldougo]

The RT-1 of Luciano Pavesi was chassie No 24 started life with a Ford T/C in the back and was converted to take the ALFA power plant later on that year.The F2 car was not converted back to anything during the time i worked at Ralt Italy.

[Chris Townsend]

Eldougo

Do you have records of who had other cars consigned via McCarthy's Ralt Italy operation? Know that Mantova had chassis 27, so was 32 [the last 1976 car] Tenani? What/who was chassis 28?
What about in 1977? Were you still there?

[eldougo]

Originally Posted by Chris Townsend

Eldougo

Do you have records of who had other cars consigned via McCarthy's Ralt Italy operation? Know that Mantova had chassis 27, so was 32 [the last 1976 car] Tenani? What/who was chassis 28?
What about in 1977? Were you still there?

__________________________________
No i don't have records i was to busy rebuilding the wrecks from each meeting in italy,They sure could make a pile of junk in a short space of time.At any given time in 1977 we would lookafter & run 5 F3 cars per meeting and travel the European F3 and some british F3 meetings,5 people on the team.?? And then F2 in between just to keep me busy.
Chassis 28 was the Hart powered F2 car.
Chassis 27 Mantova.
Chassis 32Tenani ( is a name i have not heard).
1977 i think there was 16 to 18 RT1 racing in Italy and on a Monday we would sell a few more Chassis and parts.I would drive back to UK overnight and get another truck load and be back for the next meeting.It make me feel tied talking about it nOw

[Steve Wilkinson]

Mike MacDowel in the RT1 Hart at Harewood 1976 - Tony Griffiths is on the right giving the car the once over!

[Nordic]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Atlantic RT1s, where did the Mike Catlow car come from. Always very well turned out in vivid green, it raced in England in 1980-81. Did he get it new, or was it ex-F2/Atlantic.

Dan Rear

Catlow RT1

Not the nicest of colours!

[David McKinney]

Don't know if Dan's question has been answered, but Catlow's car was described at the time as being "ex-Turnbull"
The only Turnbull on my RT1 list is Rob of that ilk, but his car was reportedly written off in 1978

[John Turner]

The RT1 of Mike Simpson, awaiting scrutineering, Donington HSCC meeting, 2 April 2006:-

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by John Turner

The RT1 of Mike Simpson, awaiting scrutineering, Donington HSCC meeting, 2 April 2006:-

In the ex-Piquet colours! So is it his old nail?

[Dan Rear]

Originally Posted by David McKinney

Don't know if Dan's question has been answered, but Catlow's car was described at the time as being "ex-Turnbull"
The only Turnbull on my RT1 list is Rob of that ilk, but his car was reportedly written off in 1978

I think the Catlow car was based on the ex-Turnbull wreck, don't know where it went after Mike C finished with it in 1982.

That ex-Piquet RT1 I presume is the one Francis Gomm's used recently.

[allenbrown]

This was just posted on the 'What were Supersaloons made of' thread:

Originally Posted by MONDELLO MAN

David Hall did run his Suzuki, but it had handling problems , and he shelved the project , it was I recall based on a Ralt RT1 chassis .

[Alan Brown]

In the Historic F2 races at Brands Hatch this weekend there were three RT1s. Frenchmen Philip Harper (RT1-71) and Christian Million (RT1-53) had their regular BMW-powered cars. James Ledamun had RT1-99 with a BDA, painted orange in Cassani colours. This may have been driven by Larry Perkins and Manfred Winkelhock. It ended up as a French hill climb car, much modified from original. James has rebuilt it, although little remains of the original car.

Alan Brown

[John Turner]

Alan, I've just realised that I 'caught' both the Harper and Ledamun cars at
Silverstone on 20 May:-

[Dan Rear]

Alan and John, nice to see 3 RT1s out! I've just checked on the build records above, and -71 is just described as '1977', with no owner/driver. Was it an original F2 does anyone know, or maybe a climber to France ??

[Chris Townsend]

Dan

I've just noticed that you talk about seeing build records that have 71 in them. Where was this? The Autosport feature stops at chassis 70 to Carl Whitney for FC and the salvaged factory records start at the beginning of 1978 with 94. Of those "missing" 1977 builds we know
72 Eden for Mike Wilds
73 Brian Robertson for Craig Hill [Atlantic]
76 Mario Pati [F3]
77 Everest F3
78 Pierre Phillips for Juan Cochesa [Atlantic]
82 Fernando Jorge [F3]
84 Ken Silverstone [F3 noted by AF July 77]
87 Nestov for Ariel Bakst [F2]
88 Brian Robertson as Atlantic [October 77 so probably for early season car in 1978]
91 Larry Perkins [Atlantic for 78 NZ series]
92 Vicic [Japan] F2

I've been going through trying to guesstimate who had a new car in 77 and when to work out the missing numbers.

These are the contenders
F3
Mario Ferraris [May at earliest after Euroracing fallout]
Andrea de Cesaris [after Monaco to supplement the ex Flux car]
Daniele Albertin [July]
Derek Warwick [late season]

Atlantic
Phillips for Kevin Cogan
Gilles Leger [arrives September]

FSV/FC
Hakan Alriksson
Robertson for 1978 season [has an early 78 FSV that isn't explained by the build record so must come from the numbers after 88]
Les Hill has a new RT1 FC for the SCCA finals which again must be from the last few numbers.

F2
Rob Turnbull [April]

I think that Turnbull must be 71 and Leger and Warwick 85 and 86 [though don't know which way round] Any advances or observations?

Chris

[Dan Rear]

Chris, no records I'm afraid other than those Adam brought to us above. For -71, it only states a 77 car, which we know. I think you may be right on -71 as the Turnbull car, that later went to Catlow for UK Atlantic in 79-80-81-82. It could then follow that it later went to France for Harper, who rebuilt it into an F2 car.

[allenbrown]

Chris

I can help a little with your late 1977 gap filling job. A F2-spec RT1-BMW went to Jimmy Mieusset, first appearing in practice at Dunières on 30 July but not racing until Mont Dore on 5-6-7 August where he won. It was white, if that helps.

Mieusset had bought a new state-of-the-art Martini MK22 for 1977 but Christian Debias won several early climbs in his new RT1 so Mieusset decided to buy one too. The F3 origins of the Ralt and its "kart-like" handling were said to be better for the mountains that the more sophisticated Martini.

It's vaguely possible that this car was RT1-71, now in France with Philip Harper and a BMW engine, but more likely it was a rush order to be ready in time for Mont Dore so a slightly later number would make more sense.

Allen

[Leighton Irwin]

I crewed for Bruce Jensen from 1969 until 1976 and then again for a period in 1979 as crew chief. His wife and my girlfriend did not get along and I was also working on her race car so it did not last. Anyway when Bruce got the car we went testing at West Palm Beach (Moroso). He pranged the right front tub on a corner marker but kept going. Scratch one engine. The water pipe was crimped and the tub tweaked on the corner but not affecting the pick up. Back at the shop in Ont. I straightened the tub, more or less. We really had little equipment. I only worked on the car part time. Bruce brought me a sheet of aluminium and a cardboard pattern and asked me fabricate a 2nd front bulkhead. Using a friend's workshop I did so. It turned out the pattern was not quite right! Close but not right. It was still used and pop riveted over the original front bulkhead. Yipe!! So if you see this "fix" you will know it is chassis 95. Car was probably sold in Florida where Bruce now lives.

[driftwood]

i have a foto of Debias car on french mountain race start
if anyone needs it let me know the car is meant to be the car
Christian Million (RT1-53) races now in Euro F2

[davyboy]

RT1-5 has just appeared for sale today in the US.

http://www.racecarsdirect.com/viewlisting.php?view=9299

[driftwood]

car was owned by Ozzie guy for many years he took car from oz to USA when he lived ther for 5-10 yrs sold car to a local when he returned to Oz