The Historic Sports and Racing Car Association announces Ron Tauranac’s acceptance as patron of the club.
Formed in 1982 the role of the HSRCA was then, and still is, to promote historic motor sport in New South Wales and throughout Australia.
From its inception, the HSRCA has promoted hundreds of historic race meetings, including the highly successful Tasman Revival. The original 1960s Tasman Series brought top drivers and their race cars from the US, UK, Europe, NZ and Japan to race in Australia.
Ron Tauranac, along with his friend Jack Brabham, formed Motor Racing Developments in 1960 with the aim of building racing cars under the Brabham name. From then to 1970 over 500 Brabham cars were built, with each carrying the suffix BT, or Brabham Tauranac. While it is true that Jack Brabham won the 1966 World Championship in a car carrying his own name, it was Ron Tauranac who designed it.
After Ron Tauranac sold Brabham to Bernie Ecclestone in 1970, he reintroduced the name he first used in a short line of racing cars from the early 1950s – RALT. Between 1975 and 1993 a total of 1,051 RALTs (Ron and Austin Lewis Tauranac) were produced, making Ron Tauranac the most prolific producer of racing cars in the history of motor sport.
In accepting his role as patron of the HSRCA, Ron Tauranac said; “I am pleased to add my name to the HSRCA because if I can do anything to help, I am happy to. Motor racing has been half of my life.”
Speaking on behalf of the HSRCA, acting President David Kent said; “Ron was at the helm of two of the premier racing car manufacturers from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s when we talk about Brabham and RALT. He has been involved with motor sport for his entire career, which is what the HSRCA is about and does. Ron is a long term friend of ours, having attended many of our race meetings and functions and I think he has the right sort of attitude to be the patron of our club.”
“I think Ron Tauranac is absolutely ideal and the most appropriate person to be the patron of the HSRCA, and we look forward to his advice and friendship well into the future.”
The above text and photos are from an HSRCA press release that was forwarded to Australia’s motoring writers on Thursday 10 July 2014.
