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A chance to 'ask Ron Tauranac' - now with answers!

Started by Cirrus , Jan 12 2006 15:53

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26 replies to this topic

#1 Cirrus

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Posted 12 January 2006 - 15:53

Ron Tauranac is back in Europe for a few weeks, and I'll be meeting up with him for an evening when he gets back......... from skiing in France!

Do any TNFers have any questions they would like answered by him? If so - then post them here.

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#2 bschenker

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Posted 12 January 2006 - 16:12

My question, can Mr. Tauranac or Mr. Brabham remember the time that’s the BT24-3 was first time a complete car, in 1967 or 1968. I was present in Monza 1967 and can remember only two BT24 and one BT19 by Brabham. There was also the BT20-2 from Ligier in blue colours.
Thanks
Beat Schenker

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#3 MonzaDriver

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Posted 12 January 2006 - 17:03

Dear Cirrus,
thank you for the opportunity you gift us.

I would like to ask:

1) During the '66 '67 '68 with a F1 without wings in witch way they decide what spring to put on the car. Witch procedure they used. Above all if the circuit was brand-new, without reference on the previous years.

2) When I look at footage with Jim Clark, I always notice a very soft car, if I am not wrong his spring were always on the soft side, never stiff. In his opinion this could be part of his superiority.
I mean one of his secrets?

Thank you a lot in advance.

MonzaDriver.

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#4 Mallory Dan

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Posted 12 January 2006 - 17:31

Alan, how much did the Theodore TR01 have in common with the contemporary RT1s? With the Honda F2 teams, did Ron have full control over driver choice ? Why didn't the original, skirted, RT3 work?

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#5 MCS

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Posted 12 January 2006 - 17:52

This list of questions could be endless!

For example;

Why was the RT3 so late in appearing?
Why was Ralt Cars really sold to March?
How did Ron rate Carlos Reutemann?
Was Rindt better than Ickx?
What are his real views on Bernie Ecclestone?!

etc., etc., etc...

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#6 stevewf1

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Posted 13 January 2006 - 01:37

How about Indianapolis? Things they did right? Wrong?

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#7 Stefan Schmidt

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Posted 13 January 2006 - 08:22

Ask him >>Why Bernie.. :wave:

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#8 Paolo

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Posted 13 January 2006 - 12:09

What amount of downforce could be developed by the "sportscar" nose he introduced at Brabham ?
And what were the reasons for choosing this configuration ?
Was it possible to tune the downforce at the front ?

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#9 D-Type

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Posted 13 January 2006 - 12:19

The obvious open-ended one: "Knowing what you now know, what would you do differently?"

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#10 thierry

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Posted 13 January 2006 - 15:39

Guy Ligier ask him help for a problem on the Ligier JS2, in 1972 i guess. He travel to Vichy one WE to help Ligier. He found the problem, but don't know more and would like to know all the history...

Thanks
Thierry

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#11 Patrice L'Rodent

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Posted 14 January 2006 - 07:08

Probably more pertinent to this Forum, ask Ron what he thinks about historic racing, not just in Ralts and Brabhams, but other old cars.
Ron and I have discussed this, so I know his thoughts.
I look forward to reading his response!
Oh, and for a fun view into communication between the UK and the colonies in the late 1950s, ask him to tell you how he contributed to the design of the 'lowline' Cooper that Sir Jack drove in 1960.
Regards
Pat

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#12 Cirrus

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Posted 15 January 2006 - 10:19

I'm meeting up with Ron on 28th and 29th Jan, so stand by!

Incidentally, MCS, I worked at Ralt at the time of the RT3's inception, and the main reason that it was late was that all the resources were being used up building he RT2 for Toleman. Having built basically the same car for three years, a totally new design was a huge drain. After winning everything in F3 in 1978, it was a bit of a shock when there were so few takers for an RT1 in 1979.

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#13 Bernd

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Posted 15 January 2006 - 22:18

Originally posted by Patrice L'Rodent
Probably more pertinent to this Forum, ask Ron what he thinks about historic racing, not just in Ralts and Brabhams, but other old cars.
Ron and I have discussed this, so I know his thoughts.

His opinion is similar to Frank Gardners is it not?

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#14 Gary C

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 20:10

I can now reveal that the purpose of Alan's evening with Ron T was in fact to film the interview for the next volume of 'Yesterday's Racers'. I have just returned from a hugely enjoyable couple of hours recording the interview, it was good stuff! My thanks must go to Alan for co-ordinating it all, and indeed, for conducting the interview itself. I'm expecting the DVD to be ready in about April / May. Cheers!

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#15 MCS

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 20:23

This is great news :up:

Very much look forward to you announcing its availability, Gary...

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#16 jcbc3

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 20:47

Originally posted by Cirrus
Ron Tauranac is back in Europe for a few weeks, and I'll be meeting up with him for an evening when he gets back......... from skiing in France!

Do any TNFers have any questions they would like answered by him? If so - then post them here.

Erhhhhhh, so TNF'ers were asked to put forward questions for a commercial venture and do I understand that in order to get the answers to the questions asked, I will have to buy a DVD?

If this is so, shouldn't that premise have been put forward in the original post? If it is not so accept my profuse apologies for this post.

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#17 Gary C

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:06

if you want answers, you can have answers

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#18 MCS

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:14

Originally posted by Cirrus
Incidentally, MCS, I worked at Ralt at the time of the RT3's inception, and the main reason that it was late was that all the resources were being used up building he RT2 for Toleman. Having built basically the same car for three years, a totally new design was a huge drain. After winning everything in F3 in 1978, it was a bit of a shock when there were so few takers for an RT1 in 1979.

Thanks Alan. These two pictures - both taken in 1978 - will hopefully inspire some happy memories for you

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#19 jcbc3

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:16

Originally posted by Gary C
if you want answers, you can have answers

I didn't contribute questions so, I won't "demand" answers. I have just been following the thread and was looking forward to it's natural conclusion.

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#20 Gary C

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:24

ok then, I'll get Alan to answer your query when he logs on later.

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#21 Cirrus

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:45

I've got the sheet of questions in front of me, together with Ron's somewhat terse notes in reply to some of them. I'll happily post them here. Ron was surprisingly chatty, and elaborated considerably on the brief notes he made - he said far more than I could ever remember to reproduce here, so thank goodness it was recorded on tape. My only involvement in "Yesterday's Racers" is as a friend of Gary's. A great deal of time and effort goes into the DVDs, and I'm pretty sure Gary does little more than cover his costs - it's not a "commercial venture" as such.

Anyway - here are the notes he made to a few of the questions.

Q - After Jack’s retirement, and Brabham being brought out by Bernie Ecclestone, you didn’t stay on, why?

A - Sacked

Q - After Trojan and Williams the name RALT returned, what made you decide to “go it alone”?

A - Larry Perkins

Q - Have you totally retired now, or are you still “dabbling”?

A - V8 Supercar Series

Q - What, if anything, is wrong with current F1, and how should it be put right

A - Passing, Ripples and bumps, under car aero, like CART

Q - Ask Ron what he thinks about historic racing, not just in Ralts and Brabhams, but other old cars.

A - Dangerous

Q - What are his real views on Bernie Ecclestone?!

A - (Sorry, you really will have to see the DVD for that one, once Gary's team of top lawyers have vetted the master tape)

The reason for placing the original post was to find out the sort of questions TNFers would like answered. I know Ron quite well, and as anyone who has met him will appreciate, I have heard his views on EVERYTHING, from the right way to wash your hands to the desirability of reducing stiction in steering racks. Thanks to the questions I used from the forum, I learned a couple of new things, and I think the end result will be worth seeing.

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#22 jcbc3

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:47

Thank you

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#23 Cirrus

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 21:57

Liked the pictures, MCS, I'm trying to work out if that's Roy Billington with his back to the camera in the second picture.

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#24 Andrew Fellowes

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 22:00

Originally posted by Cirrus

Q - Ask Ron what he thinks about historic racing, not just in Ralts and Brabhams, but other old cars.

A - Dangerous

In reply to a similar question last year, "What do Historic Cars do for you?" the answer was "Nothing, I want to make them faster".

& if you talk to Frank about old cars he will tell you all about metal fatigue.

Cirrus thank you,

Andrew

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#25 Ray Bell

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Posted 30 January 2006 - 22:57

Originally posted by Andrew Fellowes
.....& if you talk to Frank about old cars he will tell you all about metal fatigue.

Sort of... in a Gardneresque way...

"And the stuff's been sitting around for years, the frame's been out in the sun expanding and contracting each day and night and so you have all the tubes developing severe amounts of metal fatigue..."

And I like this one, about the Maserati engine that broke its crank in the ATT of 1965 as he was about to romp away with the race:

"So it had this old engine (last used four years earlier?) which had just been sittin' around crystalisin' and naturally enough it broke the first lap down the straight. Bits flew out of the side and cut the clutch line so I couldn't get it out of gear so it just kept turning over and over cutting itself in half till I could get it stopped."

To hear Frank give a talk to a bunch of enthusiastic (but usually unknowing) youngsters is an education in itself.

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#26 eldougo

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Posted 31 January 2006 - 07:49

Originally posted by Cirrus
Liked the pictures, MCS, I'm trying to work out if that's Roy Billington with his back to the camera in the second picture.

That sure is Roy Billington in his blue dust coat as usual.And the chap in the 1st pic is GraemeFuller he now lives in the States and work on IRL cars. :up:

Iam trying to think who car are being built at the time i used to come back from Italy to get parts and chassisfro Ralt Italy.

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#27 Hank the Deuce

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Posted 31 January 2006 - 09:46

Originally posted by Ray Bell

To hear Frank give a talk to a bunch of enthusiastic (but usually unknowing) youngsters is an education in itself.

Here's a not-quite-youngster who's usually unknowing who'd welcome the opportunity