Ron Tauranac

Ron Tauranac January 13 1925 July 17 2020 was a BritishAustralian engineer and racing car designer renowned for his significant contributions to motorsport Born in Gillingham Kent England he emigrated to Australia during his youth In the 1950s Tauranac and his brother Austin built hillclimb cars named Ralt an acronym derived from their initials Tauranacs collaboration with fellow Australian Jack Brabham led to the formation of Motor Racing Developments in the early 1960s producing cars under the Brabham name His engineering expertise was pivotal in Brabhams backtoback Formula 1 World Championships in 1966 and 1967 After Brabhams retirement in 1970 Tauranac took full control of the team before selling it to Bernie Ecclestone in 1972 In 1974 Tauranac revived the Ralt marque designing successful cars for Formula 2 Formula 3 and other categories which became dominant in the 1970s and 1980s His designs were known for their simplicity reliability and competitiveness earning him a lasting legacy in motorsport engineering