1987 Ralt RT31. F3. Ex-Ratzenberger

History

RT31:719 was owned and run by West Surrey Racing in the ’87 Lucas British F3 Championship, and driven by Roland Ratzenberger with sponsorship from ATS Wheels.

Ratzenberger did amazingly well behind the wheel of RT31:719 while competing in only a handful of races.

On July 18, 1987, Ratzenberger and RT31:719 won Round One of the Nurburgring EFDA Euroseries Formula 3 race. The following day he finished second in Round Two, claiming the overall win on aggregate as well as the fastest lap. A few weeks later in August he was at Donnington in the British F3 Championship where he captured another podium, this time 3rd place. In September Ratzernberger was back in the car at Spa-Francorchamps where he again finished on the podium, this time along with Damon Hill and Martin Donnelly.  Ratzenberger amassed other top 10 finishes as well in the British F3 series including a top five at Silverstone.

Despite the few races he ran, Ratzenberger still managed to finish fifth in the Euroseries Championship having competed in only two races. He finished 12th out of 39 competitors in the British F3 Championship, having competed in less than half the races.

Please see Ratzenberger’s 1987 race results at OldRacingCars.com.

The Ralt has very little total time on it, having raced in the 1987, and maybe a race or two in 1988. Then this car, along with the ex-Gary Braham RT31 were both reportedly sold by Paul Stewart Racing to the Tracer Racing team in Modesto, California. Both cars were raced briefly (possibly 3 races) by Tracer as Formula Atlantics in SCCA National races then put away in storage and never raced again until after the current owner acquired both cars in 2017.

Since that time the Ratzenberger car has been restored (see Description section below). The ex-Brabham car remains in its unrestored condition, and is also for sale.

Description

The car has been restored exactly as it was when Ratzenberger raced it, with the exception of the EFI induction system being replaced with twin Weber 48DCOE carburetors.  The original EFI manifold, linkage, and electronics are included in the sale.

The yellow main bodywork is the original yellow gel-coat, with one or two small pieces having been painted over the years.  The restoration included x-ray inspection and re-plating in satin nickel of all the suspension, magnaflux of all uprights and new bearings.

The Ralt has an entirely fresh Ron Hendrix-built VW 1.8 engine with over 220hp running on the Mike Pierce-rebuilt Hendrix Weber carbs. The engine has a Jennings Racing billet distributor with an MSD pickup, The engine drives through a Hewland MkV 5-speed with spare ratios and cam-and-pawl LS diff.

The shift linkage has fresh Apex joints. The Shippert Racing Tefzel/Raychem wiring loom  is new.  The Ralt retains its original, fully functional, Stack Tach and complimentary (but not original) Racetech mechanical gauges.

A new Varley Red Top 30 battery has been installed. The Dymag wheels have been re-finished/mag-chromated by Childs Motorsports.

The car has all new hydraulics with mostly Goodridge plumbing, and 100% new AN bolts and nuts.  The FIA fuel cell is also new along with the Facet pump, plus much more.

Spares include a set of uprights and all 4 corners of spare wishbones. Some spare Hewland Mk5. gears are also included. Also available is an additional set of Dymag wheels.

Total running time since the restoration was completed is 16 hours. The Ralt has been fully prepared for the 2022 racing season and is ready to go.

This is another front line car for Masters Formula Atlantic Plus where the car already raced in 2021. It is also an excellent car for the HSCC Geoff Lees Trophy Class C Formula 3 Championship Of course it can be raced with SVRA, HSR, VARA and other groups in the U.S. and around the globe with historic F3 cars from the 1980’s era are raced.

The car must be seen in person to appreciate just how nice it is. It is located in northern California and viewing with the owner is easily arranged.

We can also help with shipping worldwide. Just contact us with your local port information and we can get you a quote.

We are also open to putting together a package sale with the Ratzenberger car and the ex-Gary Brabham/Brabham Racing-Panasonic Team project car. Contact us and let’s discuss the options.

Lots of ways to win here.

All vehicle descriptions are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Corrections, and supplemental information, are always welcome. Buyers are responsible for confirming vehicle histories, condition, and authenticity to their own satisfaction prior to purchase. Motorsports Market is not the owner of the vehicle and assumes no liability for errors and omissions.

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