RML Group

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Ray Mallock Ltd. , also known as RML Group , is a British motorsport team. In 2009 RML was active under its own name in the Le Mans Series and in the British Touring Car Championship and as a Chevrolet works team in the World Touring Car Championship .

history

Beginnings

Ray Mallock began building racing cars with his brother Richard as an assistant to his father Major Arthur. They use several Mallock U2 chassis for clubsport races. After racing in Formula 3 and sports car races , Mallock founded his own team, Ray Mallock Atlantic Racing , in 1979 , which he renamed RML in 1984.

Sports car

MG-Lola EX264 in Spa, 2005

Ray Mallock was involved as a driver in the development of the Nimrod NRA / C2 for Group C , which competed in the sports car world championship in 1983 and 1984 . This car was powered by an Aston Martin engine. In 1985 RML was commissioned to build the Ecurie Ecosse prototype for the C2 class, which won the title in its class in 1986.

In 1987, RML returned to Class C1 with the development of the Aston Martin AMR1 . The project ended in 1990, but Mallock found a new partner in the Nissan team.

The sports car world championship ended after 1992 due to the enormous cost explosion. In 2000 RML developed a racing car, the S7-R, from the Saleen S7 super sports car . RML won the GTS class of the European Le Mans Series in 2001 and the Spanish GT championship in 2002. In 2004 RML competed with two cars in the FIA GT Championship , but only achieved midfield placements.

Also in 2004 RML fielded an MG-Lola EX257 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the Le Mans Endurance Series . After the introduction of the new LMP2 regulations, the MG-Lola EX264 was developed using components from the EX257 based on a Lola B05 / 40. The car driven by Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton won the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2005 and 2006. Erdos and Newton also secured the LMP2 championship title of the 2007 Le Mans Series season on the EX264 .

Lola B08 / 80 at Silverstone, 2009

For the Le Mans Series season in 2008 developed the car further RML and now used by the MG XP21 an advanced engine. The car was given the designation EX265. This car was finally converted into a coupe before the season finale and now largely corresponded to the Lola B08 / 80. With the EX265 components, including the MG XP21 engine, the new car was now called the EX265C and made its debut at the 2008 Silverstone 1000 km race. After the end of the season, the team parted with engine supplier MG and switched to Japanese manufacturer Mazda . Mike Newton stated that the lack of support from MG led to the separation.

The choice of the aggregate ultimately turned out to be the wrong decision. In the five championship races of the 2009 season, the car only finished two races without engine damage. RML therefore concluded a contract for the 2010 season with the manufacturer Honda, which had previously mainly used the engine under the name Acura in the Acura ARX-01 . Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos again achieved the championship victory in the LMP2 category.

Touring car

Through its relationship with Ecurie Ecosse, RML made its debut in the 1992 British Touring Car Championship in touring car racing . The team used two factory-supported Vauxhall Cavaliers and celebrated championship victory in 1995. In addition, the Nissan Sentra was built by RML for the South African Touring Car Championship.

Chevrolet Cruze in Pau, 2009

In cooperation with Nissan, RML built the Nissan Primera for the BTCC in 1997 . The team won the drivers 'title with Laurent Aïello in 1999 and the brands' title in 1998 and 1999. In 2004, Seat Sport UK acquired two Seat Toledo Cupra , which were prepared by RML for use in the BTCC. At the end of the year, the collaboration was ended when the Chevrolet team received the order to develop the Lacetti for the World Touring Car Championship . RML is still responsible for the Chevrolet's work in the WTCC. In 2009, the successor to the Lacetti was presented with the new Chevrolet Cruze .

The former WTCC Lacetti were successfully used again in the British Touring Car Championship by RML in 2009. Jason Plato started as the driver, Mat Jackson from the second race and James Nash from the fourth race . Jason Plato was runner-up. In 2010, two of the Cruze will be used in the BTCC, which were used in the WTCC the previous year, the third participates in the Swedish Touring Car Championship .

rally

At the end of 1997, GM Europe decided to reduce its participation in touring car races. RML began developing the Opel Astra kit car according to Formula 2 regulations for the World Rally Championship and several national rally championships in Europe. In 1999 the RML-Astra won titles in Germany, Norway and Sweden.

At the end of 2000, RML developed the Opel Corsa for the new Super 1600 class, which replaced the F2 kit cars. This car made its debut in the 2002 Junior World Rally Championship at the Monte Carlo Rally and won its first title the following year.

formula 1

RML had planned to enter Formula 1 in 2010 , but decided against it due to uncertainties about the regulations. However, future use is not ruled out.

Automobiles

RML GT40

In 1990 RML turned to the development of series vehicles for the first time. Between 1991 and 1995 some road legal replicas of the Ford GT 40 were made . The brand names were Mallock and RML . In 1994 RML created several concept art for an unnamed Japanese manufacturer.

In 1999 RML presented two different projects, on the one hand an Opel Astra DTM concept and on the other hand the Saleen S7, which was completely developed by RML engineer and former F1 mechanic Richard Owen.

In 2003, Nissan was a RML on the Nissan Micra develop based prototype, the Micra R . The car presented to the Geneva Motor Show featured a 265 hp (198 kW) V6 engine with a sequential 6-speed gearbox.

literature

Web links

Commons : Ray Mallock Ltd.  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Harald Gallinnis: http://www.gt-eins.at/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3257&Itemid=1 as of November 6, 2008
  2. ↑ Allcarindex (English, accessed on May 1, 2015)
  3. ↑ Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , chapter Mallock; RML.