Ralt RT30 (F3)
The RT30 was Ron Tauranac's answer to Formula 3's 1985 flat-bottom rules: a strikingly asymmetric, single-sidepod Ralt that carried Maurício Gugelmin to the British F3 title and Macau Grand Prix victory in its debut season, then filled eleven of the top twelve British championship places in 1986.
History
Ron Tauranac designed the RT30 for Formula 3's new flat-bottom regulations of 1985, replacing the RT3 that had won every British title from 1981 to 1984. The layout was strikingly asymmetric — a single radiator sidepod on one flank, a slim deformable structure on the other — around an aluminium-honeycomb tub, and the car was sold in Ralt's usual production numbers with Volkswagen, Toyota or Alfa Romeo two-litre power.
Maurício Gugelmin's West Surrey Racing RT30-VW beat Andy Wallace's Reynard to the 1985 British championship at the final round and added the Macau Grand Prix the same autumn. The updated RT30/86 kept only the nose and cockpit of the original; Reynard and Wallace took the 1986 crown, but RT30s filled the next eleven championship places — Eddie Jordan Racing's Maurizio Sandro Sala among the strongest — before the RT31 succeeded it for 1987.
Today the RT30 sits in the affordable heart of historic single-seater racing. Classic F3 grids in Britain and Europe welcome mid-1980s cars, Hewland and engine support is straightforward, and values remain a fraction of period F1 or F2 money — chassis with documented 1985–86 British F3 history, above all the West Surrey and Jordan cars, take the premiums.
Palmarès
British Formula 3 champion 1985 with Maurício Gugelmin (West Surrey Racing, RT30-VW), the title settled with victory at the final round; Macau Grand Prix winner 1985 (Gugelmin); in 1986 the RT30/86 took eleven of the top twelve British championship positions, beaten only by Wallace's Reynard, before the RT31 replaced it.
What to check before you buy
Provenance drives everything: Ralt built RT30s in production numbers and chassis histories are well documented, so verify the plate against period entry lists — ex-West Surrey or Eddie Jordan cars with 1985–86 British F3 results sit at the top of the market. Confirm which spec you are buying: the RT30/86 shared only nose and cockpit with the '85 car, and mixed-spec rebuilds are common. Check the honeycomb tub for crash repairs and corrosion around the bulkheads, and budget an engine refresh unless the VW, Toyota or Alfa unit comes dyno-fresh. Hewland Mk9 parts are plentiful; cars trade through historic single-seater specialists rather than auctions.
Did you know
- The RT30 was startlingly asymmetric: Tauranac fitted a single radiator sidepod on one side and a slim deformable-structure panel on the other, exploiting 1985's new flat-bottom Formula 3 rules.
- In 1986 the British title went to Wallace's Reynard — but the next eleven championship places all went to Ralt RT30/86s, a defeat statistically more dominant than many marques' title wins.
- Gugelmin's 1985 crown repeated the Dick Bennetts West Surrey Racing formula that took Ayrton Senna to the 1983 title — the two Brazilians shared a house in England through their climb to Formula 1.
In the marketplace now
View all →No exact Ralt RT30 (F3) listed right now — here is closely related machinery on the market.
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