Inventive, active and busy right to the end, Ron Tauranac enjoyed a long and extraordinary 95 years. He died peacefully at his home in Queensland where, when I last spoke to him on the phone at his house in Bondi Junction, we chatted about Jack Brabham. “We were friends from way back, yeah, but we didn’t talk that much, only when something needed toget done. Jack’s championships, they speak for themselves don’t they?”
What was all the noise in the background I asked him? That day he was working on a ‘widget’ to stop the wind from the ocean rattling the blinds on his windows. I’m sure it did the job.
Pragmatic and practical to the end, and never a man to use ten words when five would do, Ron always had his eye on the next project, the next thing to fix. All those who won in a Ralt, or a Brabham, will be saluting him.
For the full Ron Tauranac story, we recommend ‘Brabham Ralt Honda, The Ron Tauranac Story’ by Goodwood Supporters’ Association founder Mike Lawrence.
Images courtesy of Motorsport Images.