RML returns to its endurance racing roots.

After a decade of worldwide touring car success and an increasing presence in rallying, Ray Mallock Ltd [RML] is returning to endurance racing in which its reputation was made in the 1980s.

Great names in C1 and C2 racing like Aston Martin, Ecurie Ecosse and Nissan were brought by RML to Le Mans and the World Sportscar Championship from 1982 to 1990, and produced highlights like a C2 world championship in 1986, seventh overall with the Aston Martin Nimrod in the debut year of 1982, eighth overall with Ecurie Ecosse in 1987 and eleventh overall in 1989 with the Aston Martin AMR1. Ecurie Ecosse was also awarded the Le Mans Index of Performance in 1987 for its effort.

This year, however, the entry will be in RML's name, rather than the marques and teams for whom it prepared, supported and drove the racecars.

Between its last Le Mans entry in 1990 and 2001, RML's focus was on touring cars, initially with Vauxhall and then the all-conquering Nissan Primera, considered by many to be the ultimate development of the class. For both Vauxhall and Nissan, RML won British team and driver championships in 1995, 1998 and 1999. Nissan also won the manufacturers' championship in 1998 and 1999. The team dominated the 1999 BTCC series taking all three championship honours.

In addition to British successes, RML-designed and -manufactured cars won over a dozen other national championships from Europe to Australia.

Since 1997, RML has been Opel Performance Centre's (OPC) development partner for the Astra and Corsa rally cars. In 1998 the RML-run Vauxhall Astra F2 kit car made its debut in the British Rally Championship, winning in its first season. Since then the Astra F2 has won seven championship honours in Britain and other European countries. Earlier this year the Corsa Super 1600 rally car, the latest product in the OPC-RML development partnership, made its debut to great acclaim at the Essen Motor Show.

"One claim that RML can make, based on our track record, is that our cars win one race at least in their first year and take the championship by the third year," says company boss Ray Mallock, "The RML Saleen S7R won on its debut, and we are confident for its future."

"At the heart of our business has been very high quality design and engineering of racing cars. They have not been one-off specials but highly developed vehicles for a range of driver styles and circuits."

Now RML has returned to endurance racing with the Saleen S7R - entered as car #62 at Le Mans. Included in the team are veterans of the previous Le Mans era, such as team manager Phil Barker and Ray Mallock as well as newer staff who have been involved in other teams.

The Saleen supercar has been developed with the assistance of RML as technical partner to California-based Saleen-Allen/Speedlabs. Powered by a 7litre Saleen V8 engine, the car made an immediate impact on GTS category racing at its debut in October last year.

Since then, wins have come in Grand-Am GTS class at Homestead with Park Place Racing, the Sebring 12-Hour race with Konrad Motorsport, and at the Donington Park ELMS race, when RML won the GTS category only two days after its car first ran.

In addition to the Le Mans 24-Hour race, RML will run the Saleen in the whole ELMS programme with Porsche ace Bruno Lambert and rising British GT star Ian McKellar Jr. For Le Mans, the duo are joined by Johnny Mowlem, who is one of Britain's leading sportscar racers. In last year's 24-Hour race, Bruno's team won the GT category with Johnny's team second. Now they are in the same car....

"The Saleen is part of our modern heritage, just as the Aston Martins and the Ecurie Ecosse car were in the 1980s,'' Mallock said of his team's return to Le Mans, ''A lot has changed at Le Mans in the past eleven years, but cars still need to be well-designed and engineered, prepared specially for this very demanding event, driven by brave and resourceful pilots and very strongly supported.

"RML has two decades of design, engineering and support for top-level racing cars and I believe that the Saleen will be our next success. It is still very early in its development, but we made excellent progress in its first race and then in testing.

"The RML Saleen will be a match for the Vipers and Corvettes in the GTS class, but this year's race may have come too early for a class win. However, by the end of the ELMS season in the autumn, it will have been developed to be a potential GTS class winner in 2002."

For Ray Mallock, Phil Barker and the RML team, the return to Le Mans this year with their own car - 19 years after their first involvement - will mark the return of one of motor racing's leading endurance racing teams to its roots. The competition had better take note.