Ralt RT1/76 Formula Atlantic car-by-car histories
Bertil Roos in his Gabriel International Ralt RT1 at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
As well as the Formula 3 and Formula 2 versions of the Ralt RT1, Ralt records show that six Formula Atlantic versions were built.
The six Formula Atlantic Ralt RT1s for 1976 were: RT1-11 for Cavanaugh Racing and Chip Mead from the start of the North American season; RT1-30, RT1-33 and RT1-34 all sold mid-season to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team for Bertil Roos, Craig Hill and Richard Spenard; RT1-36 for Kevin Cogan late in the season to run alongside Mead in the Cavanaugh Racing team, and RT1-39 for Bruce Allison in New Zealand.
The cars differed from the 1975 models in having shorter rollhoop supports that went straight down into the cockpit. Other changes included a narrowing of the track to 47⅜ inches at the front and 48½ inches at the rear.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
Chip Mead in his Ralt RT1/76 at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
New to Chip Mead (Dayton, OH) and raced by him in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series, run for him by Cavanaugh Racing in dark blue livery. Retained by Mead for 1977, when it was run for him by Pierre's Motors. It was then sold to Rick Shea Racing but unused as Shea ran a newer Chevron B45 for hire drivers. Retained by Rick Shea Racing for 1979 when it was used by Mark McCaig at Long Beach, although his regular car that season was Shea's Chevron B45. To Carlos Bobeda (Northridge, CA) late 1979 and raced by him in 1980 and 1981. It was rebuilt on Marc Bahner tub during this time. Sold to Stu Hayner (Yorba Linda, CA) for 1982. It then went to Dennis d'Angelo (Duck Key, FL) in 1988, Randy Goodman in 1989, Chris Cunningham (Cold Spring, NY) in 1991, Peter McLaughlin (Hannover, NH) in 2004, Fred Kaimer (Concord, CA) in 2006 and Danny Baker in 2021. It was sold to Dave Vegher of Veloce Motors West (Petaluma, CA) in 2022 and then to Dave Zurlinden (Monterey, CA) in 2023. [CT]
Driven by: Chip Mead, Carlos Bobeda and Stu Hayner. First race: Mont-Tremblant (R4), 11 Jul 1976. Total of 19 recorded races.
Bertil Roos in his Gabriel International Ralt RT1 at Mosport in August 1976. Note the short black supports bolted to the rollhoop, and the radius rods attaching to the outside of the sidepod. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Bertil Roos in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in white Gabriel International Warranty livery. Unknown after 1976.
Driven by: Bertil Roos. First race: Mont-Tremblant (R4), 11 Jul 1976. Total of 4 recorded races.
Craig Hill in his Ralt RT1/76 at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Kevin Cogan in his Ralt RT1/76 at Willow Springs in early 1977. Copyright Vincent Puleo 2020. Used with permission.
New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Craig Hill at Mosport Park in August 1976, a round of the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series. Then used by Kevin Cogan in the IMSA race at Laguna Seca in late 1976 and retained as his main car in 1977 when he also had RT1/75-10 as a spare car. Then retained by Cogan as an unused spare car in 1978, and advertised by him in October 1978. Retained again as a spare car in 1979, and still owned by Cogan in early 1980. [CT]
Driven by: Craig Hill and Kevin Cogan. First race: Mosport Park (R6), 22 Aug 1976. Total of 13 recorded races.
Richard Spenard in his Planters Ralt RT1/76 at Mosport in August 1976. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Dave Webber in his Ralt-based Hayman at the Canadian Runoffs at Mosport in Sep 1979. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
New to Brian Robertson's Quick-Trans/Gabriel International Warranty team in the middle of the 1976 season, replacing the team's Lola T460s, and run for Richard Spenard in the 1976 Players Canadian Formula Atlantic series in yellow Planter's Peanuts livery. Both the Robertson team cars were offered for sale by Fred Opert in early 1977. Bought from Opert by Dave Webber (Mississauga, Ontario) who raced his "ex-Spenard Ralt" in the Labatts Formula Atlantic Championship in 1977. Weber badly damaged the car in a practice accident at St-Félicien in August. It was then rebuilt by Roy Hayman of Hayman Engineering in Ontario as a sports car, and Hayman raced it in Ontario regional events in 1979. Hayman retained the car for many years, before selling it to Chuck Haines' Can-Am Cars Ltd in October 2008. Haines sold it to Bruce Domeck (Louisville, KY) in 2010. Still owned by Domeck in February 2024.
Driven by: Richard Spenard and Dave Webber. First race: Halifax (R5), 8 Aug 1976. Total of 5 recorded races.
Dave McMillan in his Ralt RT1/76 at Teretonga in January 1977. Copyright Kevin Thomson 2013. Used with permission.
To Cavanaugh Racing and run for Kevin Cogan in two late-season 1976 Canadian Formula Atlantic races. Sold to David McMillan and raced in the 1976/77 New Zealand Gold Star season, and in the January 1977 New Zealand International Formula Pacific series. Taken back to Canada for McMillan to race in two Canadian series races in 1977, then back to New Zealand for the 1977/78 Gold Star series and the January 1978 International series. Retained by McMillan for the 1978/79 and 1979/80 seasons, while also used in a handful of North American races in 1979 and 1980. Rebuilt as a Formula Super Vee for McMillan in 1980. McMillan moved to Ray Lipper's Centreline Wheels team in 1981 and the old RT1 was raced by Lipper that season. [CT]
Driven by: Kevin Cogan, Dave McMillan, Tom De'Ath and Ray Lipper. First race: Trois-Rivières, 5 Sep 1976. Total of 56 recorded races.
Bruce Allison in his Ralt RT1/76 at Teretonga in 1977. Copyright Kevin Thomson 2013. Used with permission.
New to Bruce Allison (Brisbane, Australia), and raced in the New Zealand International Formula Pacific series in January 1977. Not seen for the rest of 1977 and through 1978, but sold to Bob Johns in Australia in 1979. Then unseen again until borrowed by Graeme Lawrence for two races at Lakeside in July 1981. Johns raced the car up to 1992, then retained it a further ten years until he sold it to Peter Landan (Sydney, Australia) in 2002. It was restored between 2002 and 2003, and then raced up to 2009. In 2012, Landan sold the car via the Classic Throttle Shop in Sydney to an American owner.
Driven by: Bruce Allison, Bob Johns and Graeme Lawrence. First race: Baypark Raceway (R1), 3 Jan 1977. Total of 9 recorded races.
Ralt RT1/76s in Formula Atlantic in 1977
Five of the six 1976 Ralt RT1s can be directly traced through the 1977 season: Chip Mead retained RT1-11 but moved to Pierre's Motors; the ex-Brian Robertson/Richard Spenard RT1-34 went to Dave Webber; Kevin Cogan's RT1-36 went to David McMillan in New Zealand; Cogan then acquired RT1-33 from Brian Robertson to replace it; and Bruce Allison retained his nearly-new RT1-39. The other Brian Robertson car, RT1-30, is unknown in 1977.
Ralt RT1/76s in Formula Atlantic in 1978
Of the five of the 1976 Ralt RT1s that could be directly traced through the 1977 season, all five can be traced a further year through 1978: Chip Mead's RT1-11 was sold to Rick Shea as a spare car; Kevin Cogan retained RT1-33 as a spare car; Dave Webber retained RT1-34 in Canada; David McMillan retained RT1-36 in New Zealand; and Bruce Allison retained RT1-39 unseen in Australia. The second Brian Robertson car, RT1-30, had already gone missing at the end of 1976.
Ralt RT1/76s in Formula Atlantic from 1979 onwards
Of the five of the 1976 Ralt RT1s that could be directly traced through the 1978 season, all five can be traced a further year through 1979: the ex-Chip Mead RT1-11 was sold by Rick Shea to Carlos Bobeda in Los Angeles County in late 1979; Kevin Cogan still had RT1-33 also in Los Angeles County until April 1980 as an unused spare car; Dave Webber's RT1-34 had been rebuilt as a sports car in Canada; David McMillan retained RT1-36 all season in New Zealand; and the ex-Bruce Allison RT1-39 was owned by Bob Johns in Australia. The second Brian Robertson car, RT1-30, had already gone missing at the end of 1976.
A mystery car appeared at some point in 1979 driven by Ed Donnelly in SCCA Nationals in southern California. Donnelly was based in in Los Angeles County, within a few dozen miles of RT1-11 and RT1-33.
Ed Donnelly in his Ralt RT1 at Westwood in 1980. Copyright Brent Martin 2011. Used with permission.
Ed Donnelly in his Ralt RT1 at the SCCA Runoffs in 1981. Copyright Peter Viccary (gladiatorroadracing.ca) 2021. Used with permission.
Ed Donnelly (Long Beach, CA) scored six points in Southern Pacific Division Formula Atlantic in 1979 in a Ralt. This was presumably the Ralt RT1 he raced in the North American Formula Atlantic series in 1980. He finished seventh in Southern Pacific Division that season, with 17 points, then finished second in the Division in 1981, qualifying for the Runoffs. He raced it again in 1982, when he ran at Long Beach, and it was still being raced by Donnelly in 1985. [CT]
Driven by: Ed Donnelly. First race: Long Beach (R1), 29 Mar 1980. Total of 5 recorded races.
Differentiating the Ralt RT1s
A total of 165 Ralt RT1s were built, so the only way to research these cars is to split them between years and between formulae. Mike Lawrence's book 'Brabham Ralt Honda' contains a table on page 243 which has been relied upon for this split. It shows 28 cars built in 1976, so chassis number 011 to 039 (excluding the unused 013), and six of those are shown as Formula Atlantic cars. That must mean chassis 011, 030, 033, 034, 036 and 039.
Acknowledgements
Chris Townsend is the expert on this make of car, and the histories above ending 'CT' were supplied directly by Chris, or are based entirely or almost entirely on information provided by him. My thanks to Chris for sharing the results of his detailed research into these cars, to David McKinney and Peter Landan for details of RT1-39, to Canada Auto Sport (August 1977 page 15) for identifying Dave Webber's car as being ex-Spenard, and to Chuck Haines for information on the later movements of Hayman sports car.
If you can add to our understanding of these cars, or have photographs that we can use, please email Allen at allen@oldracingcars.com.
These histories last updated on .