Jack Brabham’s engineering partner
The combination of Ronald Sidney Tauranac with the late Sir Jack Brabham was brilliant, resulting in two driver and two constructor Formula 1 world championships.
But they were both much more. A wonderful combination that not only produced cars for their team but also for other customers and other formulae, including USAC (“you sack”) and Indianapolis cars.
Ron and his brother, Austin Lewis created Ralt cars in Australia in the 1950s. Ron drove as well as designing and building the cars, even going on to win the NSW Hillclimb championship in 1954.
During this time Tauranac had done work for Jack in Australia before he took off to England.
Their Formula 1 interests started when the Cooper Car Company, with which Jack had won his first world championship in 1959, didn’t see the need to improve the car for the following year.
Jack sent Ron some thoughts on the rear suspension, to make the car lower and get away from transverse leaf springs to coils.
Together the work was done and Jack won his second championship with a low line Cooper, with Ron’s input.
With things still stalled at Cooper, Jack persuaded Ron to join him full time in England. They went on to conquer the motor racing world, with Ron later becoming a high volume builder of customer cars.
Like Jack, Ron was a doer, not a trumpet blower. But what he did was absolutely outstanding.