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Rial Racing

Auto racing team

DEU Christian Danner Rial is a German producer of light alloy wheels and rims, and was a Formula One constructor competing in the and seasons. Founded in the 1970s as a wheel rim producer, the company was bought by Günter Schmid, ex-owner of the ATS wheels company in 1987. Schmid followed the same strategy as he had at ATS, advertising the Rial wheel brand by entering Formula One as a constructor. Rial participated in 32 Grands Prix, entering a total of 48 cars. They scored six championship points, finishing a highest of ninth in the constructors championship in 1988. After leaving Formula One at the end of the 1989 season, the Rial Racing division was closed, and the company did not race again. Rial continues to manufacture wheels and rims from its factory in Fußgönheim.

The team was, together with the Zakspeed, one of the two last German Formula One teams based in Germany (with the Rial Racing's base in Fußgönheim).

Racing history

Günter Schmid, ex-owner of the ATS company that competed in Formula One for eight years, bought Rial in 1987, ahead of the reduction in power of the turbo-engines in 1988, and set up a Formula One team at Rial's base in Fußgönheim. With old-ATS designer Gustav Brunner, Schmid produced the Rial ARC1, powered by a Cosworth DFZ engine, an updated model of the ubiquitous design of the pre-turbo seasons. The ARC1, nicknamed the "Blue Ferrari" due to the similarities with the Brunner-designed Ferrari F1/87, featured a double wishbone pullrod suspension, with shock absorbers innovatively placed horizontally against the chassis. Andrea de Cesaris, with Marlboro sponsorship was hired to drive the car, which proved strong in testing due to a small fuel tank.

At Rial's début race, the 1988 Brazilian Grand Prix, de Cesaris qualified 14th and reached sixth place in the race, but he ran out of fuel seven laps from the end. After the , the team's performance began to fall, and Brunner left the team after finishing 13th in their home race in Germany. Continuous mechanical problems and the fuel tank contributed to a six-race string of retirements, de Cesaris finishing the season classified 8th in Australia.

Rial expanded to two cars ahead of the 1989 season, and with de Cesaris moving to Dallara, German drivers Christian Danner and Volker Weidler were hired to drive the ARC2. to accommodate the number of cars a pre-qualifying system was introduced, where the new cars and the teams ranked lowest in the previous season would compete for the 30 spaces available in qualifying, and then for the 26 starters in the race. Danner did not have to pre-qualify, while Weidler driving the new entry had to enter the session.

Danner achieved a 14th place at the opening Brazilian round, before the improving cars of Rial's competitors forced Danner out of qualifying for the next two races, hampered by the older ARC2 chassis. Bertrand Gachot took over for the final two races, but neither Raphanel nor Gachot managed to qualify to race, with the outdated car several seconds off the nearest competitors in qualifying. Rial Racing closed down at the end of the year.

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
ARC1	Ford Cosworth DFZ 3.5 V8			BRA	SMR	MON	MEX	CAN	DET	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	ESP	JPN	AUS
ITA Andrea de Cesaris	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	9	4	10	Ret	13	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	Ret	8
ARC2	Ford Cosworth DFR 3.5 V8			BRA	SMR	MON	MEX	USA	CAN	FRA	GBR	GER	HUN	BEL	ITA	POR	ESP	JPN	AUS
FRG Christian Danner	14†	DNQ	DNQ	12	4	8	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ
CHE Gregor Foitek														DNQ
BEL Bertrand Gachot															DNQ	DNQ
FRG Volker Weidler	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	DNPQ	EX	DNQ
FRA Pierre-Henri Raphanel											DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ	DNQ

References

"Brand – RIAL Leichtmetallfelgen".
"Constructors Championship 1988". [[Formula One Group.
"Rial Racing". F1Technical.net.
"Encyclopedia - Rial". Inside F1.
(2003-04-25). "Rial Profile". Formula One Rejects.
"Rial ARC-01". Chicane F1.
"1988 season results". [[Formula One Group.
"Rial Racing Results". Motorsport Stats.
"Rial Racing". [[Motor Sport (magazine).

Info: Wikipedia Source

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formula-one-constructors formula-one-entrants german-auto-racing-teams german-racecar-constructors 1988-establishments-in-west-germany 1989-disestablishments-in-west-germany

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