![Ralt RT 1 1978 Formula 3 EMS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Ralt_RT_1_1978_Formula_3_EMS.jpg)
The Ralt RT1 is a
race car chassis produced by
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 und ...
, and was the first modern car produced by the company. It saw widespread use in a number of different motorsports categories, mostly
open-wheel racing
Formula racing (known as open-wheel racing in North America) is any of several forms of open-wheeled single-seater motorsport. The origin of the term lies in the nomenclature that was adopted by the FIA for all of its post-World War II single- ...
, but later including
sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...
. It was powered by a number of different
four-cylinder engines
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
of about in
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
* Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
, of different origin, including
Hart
Hart often refers to:
* Hart (deer)
Hart may also refer to:
Organizations
* Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer
* Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer
* Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores
* Hart's Reptile Wo ...
,
Cosworth
Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream automotive industrie ...
,
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
, and
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
engines.
Design and development
The RT1 used a
monocoque
Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell".
First used for boats, ...
chassis, covered in a
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cloth ...
body. This meant it was very light, weighing only . It was powered by a
four-cylinder engine
The engine configuration describes the fundamental operating principles by which internal combustion engines are categorized.
Piston engines are often categorized by their cylinder layout, valves and camshafts. Wankel engines are often categorize ...
, generating , which droves the rear wheels via a
Hewland
Hewland is a British engineering company, founded in 1957 by Mike Hewland, which specialises in racing-car gearboxes. Hewland currently employ 130 people at their Maidenhead facility and have diversified into a variety of markets being particul ...
F.T.200 5-speed
manual
Racing history
![Toyota RALT Formule III 1978](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Toyota_RALT_Formule_III_1978.jpg)
The first chassis produced by Ralt was the RT1, a simple and versatile car used in
Formula 2
Formula Two (F2 or Formula 2) is a type of open-wheel formula racing category first codified in 1948. It was replaced in 1985 by Formula 3000, but revived by the FIA from 2009–2012 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship. The name re ...
,
Formula 3
Formula Three, also called Formula 3, abbreviated as F3, is a third-tier 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 driv ...
, and
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 o ...
between 1975 and 1978. In 1975, it won its first success: the Formula 3 European Cup, at the hands of Australian racing driver Larry Perkins.
In 1976, it won in Formula 2 at the hands of the German-Swedish driver Freddy Kottulinsky at the Nurburgring. She also won the German Formula 3 championship at the hands of Bertram Schäfer.
In 1977, it won, with Elio De Angelis, the Italian Formula 3 championship and that of Sweden.
In 1978, it won, with Derek Warwick and Nelson Piquet, the two British Formula 3 championships as well as, with Bertram Schäfer, the German, Swedish and European championships in the discipline.
Other championships were won by Ralt drivers in 1979 and 1980, in Formula 3, Formula Atlantic, and
Formula Super Vee
Formula Super Vee was an open-wheel racing series that took place in Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1990. The formula was created as an extension of Formula Vee, a racing class that was introduced in 1959. Formula Super Vee in Europe wa ...
. In Formula Atlantic, the RT1 managed to amass 15 different championships.
It was later converted into an enclosed-wheel
sports prototype
A sports prototype, sometimes referred to as simply a prototype, is a type of race car that is used in the highest-level categories of sports car racing. These purpose-built racing cars, unlike street-legal and production-based racing cars, are n ...
-style car with bodywork, and used in the revived
Can-Am series, where it only managed 1 win, at
Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regi ...
in 1979, and achieved 4 class wins and 2 podium finishes in the series.
References
{{reflist
Open wheel racing cars
Formula Three cars
Formula Two cars
Can-Am cars