Ralt RT1

[fines]

Alright, starting with 1975:

I was most surprised to find Roberto Marazzi as the customer of chassis '1' - not that I doubt he owned it, but surely that must've been the Larry Perkins car from the spring races that year!???

My data for 1975 is quite limited, e.g. I only have the top 6 of most Italian races, and there Marazzi doesn't show up until Sep 14 at Casale - which doesn't say much, but...

Here's my understanding (and hypothesis): Larry P. raced the first car (with Nova-Ford) at Thruxton (Mar 31), Silverstone (Apr 27), Monte Carlo (May 10), Thruxton (May 26) and Monza (Jun 29), possibly other races too. Terry P. had the second car (also Nova-Ford) at the April and May meetings, but never actually started an event. Luigino Grassi hired his car for Monza, and recorded Fastest Lap in this race, while Larry won.

Apparently, Larry then made a trip to Novara and returned to England with a Nova-Toyota - sources are split on this, some crediting his later appearances in 1975 to Ford, some to Toyota, and others again simply to Novamotor (which does not help at all!). I have looked hard at available photographs to try to identify the engine, but to no avail. The only differences I have spotted is that his car had an engine cover and a black rear view mirror on the left side from the British GP meeting onwards, as opposed to the regular chrome ones on the right side and on both sides of his brother's car and his early season mount.

Again, this may be a red herring, but my theory goes: Larry sold his car to Marazzi at Monza, returned to England with the Toyota which was installed in chassis '3'. Terry, meanwhile, continued in car '2' and started to rack up results as well. Opinions?

Chassis '4' appeared for the first time at Kassel (Aug 17) and then five more times in German races that year, always with BMW and Bertram Schäfer. This car was also used by Schäfer in early '76 (Nürburgring, Zandvoort, Trier and possibly Berlin), then by Detlef Schmickler from May 29 onwards, when Schäfer had taken delivery of his new car. Not sure what happened to it afterwards, possibilities include Swiss driver Philipp Müller and Germans Werner Fischer and Thomas von Löwis of Menar - but this is two years hence, so we'll get back to this later.

[RICHARD.T]

Hi Dan
Yes, I am that Richard Trott and I do have many tales although I might boor you all. At Brands on Saterday I quolified 2nd but went through the gravel at Padock on the first lap, breaking my splitter and thus having understeer, but I had fun anyway. If any of you have any unanswered questions about Ralts you could always ask James Osier (he worked for Ralt on the office side.) He now workes for Silverstone.
Sorry about the speling. Is there a spell check.
Regards
Richard Trott

[cirrus]

Richard - I had a look at your car in the assembly area before the race. To me it looks like a 1977 car. I've looked at a few contemporary pictures, and it would appear that the different rear end may have been introduced for the 1978 season. I've got a picture of Piquet in August 1977 (before he was based at the factory) with "your" rear end setup. I've emailed Ron Tauranac, to see if he can shed any light on it (he probably can't!). I used to work at "The Rat Factory" in the late seventies and remember James Ogier in charge of the stores. I had no idea he worked for Silverstone.

The later rear end with the inboard pickups for the radius rods meant that the whole rear suspension worked more like a twin wishbone arrangement with the pickups parallel to he centreline of the car. The result was greatly improved traction, and the need to run a much softer rear ARB (although yours appears to be set pretty soft anyway).

During 1978, a new front suspension arrangement with a short top wishbone brought further inprovements, working the tyres better, and keeping them up to temperature. It's alvays surprised me that the RT1 was dropped like a stone in 1979, having dominated the season in 1978. I've often thought that a driver who was prepared to commit to an RT1 for '79 would have got a great deal of help from Ron, and would probably have got first shout for an RT3, which, although it needed some development, looked like a winner as soon as I saw it on the drawing board.

[RICHARD.T]

Hi cirrus
Thank you for the information. It is very helpfull.If you are at a race sometime come over and have a chat!
Regards
Richard Trott

[cirrus]

I certainly will - maybe at Combe. I usually help Iain Rowley (March 793)

[cirrus]

Just realised that I won't be at Combe (running a Junior at Nuerburgring) We did meet once before - many many years ago in the caff at Silverstone, with Sam Nelson - he used to do my F4 engine, and I think he did your FF2000 Pinto.

[Dan Rear]

Sam Nelson engines chaps, they seemed to go very well in FF & 2000 for a spell in the early 80s, then disappeared. Any reasons do you know, and how good were they ?

[RICHARD.T]

Hi
Sams FF2000 engerns were very good, perhaps 2 BHP more then the Neil Browns early in the 1980 season but later in the season the others had caught up. Something to do with the gas flow of his cylinder heads but his engerns were always sealed by him and we never saw inside although we would not know what to look for. We put it about that his engerns were so good so as to out sych the opposition (Martin Brundel started that season in FF2000 but gave up. etc) and for him to sell more engerns. Near the end of the season he had one of Mike Taylor's Neil Brown engerns and on his dyno it showed 2 BHP more then mine.
Sam ran into trobule with the VAT man and thus rather quickly had to leave the country!
Regards
Richard Trott

[RICHARD.T]

Also
I do not think Sam Nelsons FF1600 engins were anything special but I never used one. Before he set up his engin business he worked for a company, it could have been Ford or a conected company which was involved in the development of the Ford Pinto engine (ie. the FF2000 engern). Thus all his FF2000 engines were very good but his other types of engins were only average. I remember he always delivered his engins late. Good Times!
Regards
Richard Trott

[Dan Rear]

Richard, interesting thankx, tho' I know absolutely nothing re the technical side of racing! I'd thought Brundle gave up 'cos of the awful Reynard SF80 rather than the engines.

Btw, who did you run in your hire RT3 after you'd 'retired', anyone you rated, or those that wanted a drive ?

[RTH]

The Nelson engine was certainly the one to have in S2000 in 80-83

[paulSenna]

Didn't Senna hire Richard's RT3 for one of the Oulton rounds that year after Ayrton stuffed his in practice/testing?

Great times/fond memories!

[RICHARD.T]

Hi
Yes the Reynard 80 was bad which was the main reason Brundel gave up.
I did hire my Ralt to Senna for the Olton Race. I was siting in the airport on the Monday going on holiday and opened the newspaper to see a picture of my car on top of Brundel's, so I quickly had to phone my mecanic to sort it out.
I ran Alo Lawler at the British GP who was usless in a F3 car. He was very rough with the car where in a F3 car you had to be very smooth.
I ran Gary Gibson at Macow and he impressed me. He listened rather then thinking he knew everything.
Also Andrew Gilbert Scott who was very good but had no money.
And a few others!
Regards
Richard Trott

[andy97]

Originally posted by RICHARD.T
[B]
I did hire my Ralt to Senna for the Olton Race. I was siting in the airport on the Monday going on holiday and opened the newspaper to see a picture of my car on top of Brundel's, so I quickly had to phone my mecanic to sort it out.

I know that this is an RT1 thread but you might like to know that the ex Martin Brundle RT3 is still being raced in the Monoposto Racing Club series, fitted with a 2 Litre Ford engine (all Monoposto club engines are standard road engines). There's another RT3 in the hands of Jim Blockley too (& still a race winner against modern Dallaras etc)although I don't know the history. Whilst the ex Davy Jones car from the same year was being sprinted at Curborough as recently as last year.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by RICHARD.T

Hi
I ran Gary Gibson at Macow and he impressed me. He listened rather then thinking he knew everything.

Richard, if you're still on this thread, do you know what happened to Gary ? I used to know one of his Formula Atlantic mechanics, Terry Wilkinson, in the early 1980s when I began kart racing. I have very vague recollections of Gary being killed in a road car accident in Dublin in the mid-1980s, but could be totally wrong. Obviously if I am, I hope I've not caused anyone offence.

[Terry Scannell]

Anyone remember the Equipo Nacional Espanol F3 Ralts during the 79/80 seasons? I believe they were based at Roger Heavens base but run by their own guys.

The reason for the question is that I used to help Colin Thorpe run the Phil Silverstone Ralt RT1 (and later the Argo JM6 together with Gerry Amato in the ex Stephen South March 773) and we used to work very closely with the Spanish Team especially their Spanish mechanic Abby and team manager Lois, I believe. Jorge Caton was one driver who was quite quick most of the time but my memory fails me with the second driver may have been Pedro Nogues?

Abby was brilliant, couldn't hardly speak a word of English initially, I couldn't speak a word of Spanish but we got on famously. The Spanish added sidepods to their cars with sliding skirts which were constantly being improved throughout the season with Colin claiming the discarded ones for Phils RT1!

We had a great couple of seasons with them over here - anyone know what happen to the cars or indeed the Spanish Dodge transporter and with Jorge or Abby?

I am sure Richard T will remember them?

Is Gerry Amato still around? I believe he was based in Chistlehurst when we used to run him?

Terry

[Terry Scannell]

Originally Posted by Terry Scannell

Jorge Caton was one driver who was quite quick most of the time but my memory fails me with the second driver may have been Pedro Nogues?

It's finally come back to me - the second Equipo Nacional Espanol team driver was Fermin Velez, while Pere Nogues drove another independent Ralt RT1 during 79 then moved on to an Argo for 1980 (certainly drove one at Monaco in 80).

Terry

[Dan Rear]

Terry, I think the Equipo Nacional... RT1s were out from late 77 thru' 78. I saw them at Donington in Oct 77, with Luis Canomauel, and Juan Villacieros. I don't think they raced those cars after that.

[Terry Scannell]

Dan,

I'm not 100% sure but I believe Luis became Team Manager in 78 when Jorge Caton and Fermin Velez took over driving duties, (I incorrectly spelled it as Lois in my earlier post) together with Abby as their chief engineer and some part-time help to assist at weekends. The extract below was taken from the 1979 Silverstone International Trophy entry list.


Formula 3
Vandervell British Formula 3 Championship March 25th 1979
20 laps - 94.36 kms

18 33 Phil Silverstone, GB Welwyn Discount Tyres and Exhaust Centres Ralt RT1 - To
19 34 Pere Nogues, E Pere Nogues Ralt RT1 - Toyota
20 36 Jorge Caton, E Equipo Nacional Español Ralt RT1 - Toyota/Novamotor
21 37 Fermin Velez, E Equipo Nacional Español Ralt RT1 - Toyota/Novamotor


In addition the following link provides a full Ralt history including a breakdown of drivers by year and model; http://www.f3history.co.uk/Manufacturers/Ralt/ralt.htm which may be of interest.

Terry

[alain prat]

my name is alain prat and i have RT1 # 21 i race with in french formula 3 classic
i search all information and photos on first owner : walter schock he race in deutchland
and osterreich his team was: racing for vienna and jim russel racing school and also?
fruit of the loom !

[driftwood]

just spoken to colin thorpe
he said he worked for spanish team for 2 years
he ran phil silverstone in 1980 in JM6
phil was running rt1 with alan howell

he recalls the spanish team drivers being called for national service
he thinks rt1 `s to south america and 1 car in bits and all parts went to spain via de villota?
He recalls Abby went to spanner Prost at Mclaren then went to Benneton F1 he thinks high up

[Terry Scannell]

Driftwood,

Thanks for the update, yes I certainly remember us helping with the Spanish guys for two seasons, which must have been 78-79 as well as running Phil's Ralt during the same period and then in 80 with the Argo. Phil ran with Alan Howell prior to this period in 77 I believe.

Colin's correct about the National Service - I seem to remember for part of one season the drivers were flown in on the Thursday/Friday so they could race then flown back on the Monday to do their bit of National Service.

I had a feeling that Abby did progress to F1, with one of the top teams but couldn't recall where.

Terry

[davyboy]

I spotted these guys in the US who seem to be running two RT1 Atlantics there at the moment. It'd be interesting to see whether either of these is part of the provinence above. And, if you feel you'd like to get back and drive one, they're renting the 1975 RT1 Atlantic for USD4,500 a race.

http://www.powerslidemotorsports.com...ntage_team.htm

[flightlessbird]

Originally Posted by Dan Rear

Chris, I suspect -155 is the Salazar car. We're still ,unsure, I think, how many other RT3s were made in 79, ISTR one being in Italy, maybe one with Schafer in Germany too. These may have been 160 and 166, as I don't think Wilson got his much before Spring 80, and Stanley slightly after that.

On RT4s, I guess -162 was the first one, that Ray M raced late in 79 at Brands, and won. I wonder whether this is the one you have Sullivan in also late in 79 ? Perhaps Ray shook it down prior to going to the US.

At eastern creek yesterday I saw a RaltRt4 with thr front shocks mountedd diagonally on the front of the tub, has anyone got an explanation

[Charles Warner]

1988 version.