RML at 40: The rise of a motorsport giant

Success across multiple disciplines paved the way for diversification that serves RML well today. Here's how the racing car constructor became a major behind-the-scenes industry player

Engineering

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The crash at the Druids hairpin looked nasty, especially when fire broke out with the driver stuck inside. But, for those who believe that all things happen for a reason, it was validation.

Ray Mallock’s new company, Ray Mallock Limited, was in its first year of operation when it pitched up at the 1984 British Grand Prix meeting at Brands Hatch to compete in the Thundersports support race with its Ecosse C284. RML had been running the Ecurie Ecosse programme on behalf of the team’s patron Hugh McCaig in the world sportscar championship while, in parallel, Mallock himself was driving for the Nimrod-Aston Martin team. At Brands, Mallock was having a rare outing in the Ecosse, leading the race and about to hand over to David Leslie – the start of their feted relationship as racing partners – when disaster struck.

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Marcus Simmons

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Author Marcus Simmons

Marcus Simmons is the Deputy Editor of Autosport magazine. As a child he was a regular on the chalk banks of Thruxton – hence his unhealthy obsession with 1970s Formula 2 and F3 – before he became an MSA timekeeper at the age of 17. At 19, his reporting debut for Motoring News arguably overshadowed Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ goal as the sporting moment of June 1986, and he joined the staff in 1990 after graduating from his degree course in Plymouth. A parallel Formula First career – which was as incident-packed as his childhood exploits in show-jumping and hunter trials – finished when he wrote off his car and put himself in hospital in 1991.

Marcus moved to Autosport in the summer of 1996. Since then he has had two stints as a freelancer and a brief spell as editor of Motor Sport magazine, during which the revered green cover was revived, before he rejoined Autosport in 2008. He lives in Teddington with his wife (who, gratifyingly, grew up within earshot of Castle Combe), daughter, stepson, dog, cat and guitars, and additionally has an adult daughter and stepson.