British motorsport powerhouse the RML Group is open to working a Le Mans Hypercar undertaking if a chance arises to affix the World Endurance Championship grid.
The Wellingborough-based firm is greatest identified for carrying Vauxhall’s and Nissan’s works groups to British Touring Automobile Championship glory throughout the halcyon Nineties Tremendous Touring period and claiming World Touring Automobile Championship crowns for Chevrolet within the twenty first century.
However RML, which this 12 months celebrates its fortieth anniversary, has its origins in sports-prototype endurance racing.
The primary RML undertaking was the Ecurie Ecosse Group C2 squad that claimed groups’ title glory on the earth sportscar championship in 1986, earlier than the corporate ran the manufacturing facility Aston Martin operation in the primary Group C class in 1989 after which partnered Nissan North America’s 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours assault.
Whereas RML has not had a full race workforce because it bowed out of the WTCC when Yvan Muller gained the 2013 title with the Chevrolet Cruze, its chief govt Michael Mallock Jr mentioned when requested by Motorsport.com that that the need is “100%” there to return in that type.
“Hypercar is a incredible idea. The expansion of WEC and IMSA has been unimaginable, and it’s incredible to see so many producers,” he mentioned.
“It’s a bit irritating that we’re not there really in a variety of methods, however we might like to be there as a workforce.”
In addition to a string of high-performance road-car and record-breaking initiatives, RML provides spec elements to the BTCC, and its superior work on battery know-how implies that it’s now working with undisclosed shoppers not solely in Le Mans Hypercar, but additionally in Method 1.
RML ran the Nissan Primeras that claimed 1999 BTCC title with Laurent Aiello
Photograph by: Malcolm Griffiths / Motorsport Photos
The group has additionally revealed a particular version Hypercar-inspired P39 undertaking, based mostly on the Porsche 992.1 Turbo S and restricted to only 10 examples.
“We’re in Hypercar in unknown methods as properly, with our battery know-how working with an OEM on their subsequent three generations up,” added Mallock Jr.
“The opposite space the place we’re utilizing our battery know-how functionality is within the large single-seater championship [F1]…”
RML is already lively in decrease echelons of endurance racing by means of its manufacturing of the Lotus Emira GT4 automotive, which follows its work on the Jaguar F-type, and the corporate can also be eager to discover GT3 avenues.
“Endurance racing may be very a lot the core of Mallock and RML,” mentioned Mallock Jr. “If there was a chance with a well-funded GT workforce and OEM, we might completely be there.
“We’ve acquired a variety of long-term employees – this 12 months we’ve had three twentieth anniversaries, which is kind of spectacular.
“Although the enterprise has developed vastly, there’s nonetheless a variety of the core motorsport love and focus all through the enterprise.
“We wouldn’t wrestle to get assist from inside our enterprise if the appropriate motorsport alternative got here up.”
A particular function on RML’s 40 years in motorsport will function on this week’s version of the Autosport Engineering complement, out on 17 October. Click on right here to seek out out extra about Autosport journal.
