Ron Tauranac

Ron Tauranac (1925-2020) was an Australian engineer and racing car designer, who with F1 driver Jack Brabham (picture above in 1969) founded the Brabham racing team in 1962.

The Brabham cars, designed by Tauranac, were known for their sound and efficient design, and brought the World Drivers’ title to its owner Jack Brabham in 1966, then to New-Zealander Denny Hulme in 1967. Following Brabham’s retirement as a racing driver at the end of the 1970 season, Tauranac owned and managed the Brabham team until 1972, when he sold it to Bernie Ecclestone.

After a brief retirement in Australia, Ron Tauranac returned to England to establish the Ralt marque. The first Ralt was the RT1 chassis, to be raced in Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula Atlantic. The chassis proved successful, winning countless races on all continents from 1975 to 1978.

While he designed the Theodore Racing F1 car for the 1978 season, Ralt launched successively the RT2 (F2) and RT3 (F3) chassis that continued the string of successes, with five consecutive British F3 titles, amongst many others. The a joint-venture with Honda resulted in the RH6 chassis, which won the 1981, 1984 and 1985 Formula 2 titles. In October 1988, Tauranac sold Ralt to March Engineering for £1.25 million.

In 2002, Ron Tauranac was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for “service to motor racing, particularly through the engineering design, construction and production of Formula 1 racing cars, providing young drivers with opportunities to compete at the top levels, and sharing knowledge with others for the advancement of the sport.” A great recognition for the one who, without doubt, was a major figure in the history of our sport.