Editing RAM Racing (section)

==History==
The team was formed in 1975 by Mike Ralph and John Macdonald, with RAM derived from their names. After running Macdonald in a GRD in British [[Formula Three]], they entered [[Alan Jones (Formula 1)|Alan Jones]] in a [[Formula 5000]] [[March Engineering|March]] for 1976. They also bought a pair of [[Brabham]] BT44B [[Formula One]] cars, and entered the 1976 World Championship, running [[Loris Kessel]] and [[Emilio de Villota]] for the [[1976 Spanish Grand Prix|Spanish Grand Prix]], where neither qualified. However, both Kessel and another pay-driver, [[Patrick Nève]], qualified for the [[1976 Belgian Grand Prix|Belgian Grand Prix]], with [[Jac Nellemann]], [[Damien Magee]], [[Lella Lombardi]] and [[Bob Evans (race driver)|Bob Evans]] all making appearances in the cars. There were few finishes, and the pay-drivers meant the team were frequent non-qualifiers.

For 1977, [[Boy Hayje]] drove a RAM-entered [[March Engineering|March]] with little success, and a second "rent-a-car" did no better later in the year when driven by [[Andy Sutcliffe]], [[Mikko Kozarowitzky]] or [[Michael Bleekemolen]]. However, they had some success running [[Guy Edwards]] in the Shellsport Group 8 Championship in [[UK|Britain]], finishing 2nd overall. For 1978 the team switched to the British [[Aurora Formula One]] series, with Edwards placing 4th overall that year in a March, and 5th overall the following season in a [[Fittipaldi (constructor)|Fittipaldi]] F5A. For 1980, RAM made an investment in a pair of 1979-spec [[WilliamsF1|Williams]] [[Williams FW07|FW07]]s, with [[Emilio de Villota]] winning the title. Sponsorship included American men's magazine ''[[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse]]''. They then entered one of these cars for [[Rupert Keegan]] in the [[1980 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]]. [[Kevin Cogan]] and [[Geoff Lees (racing driver)|Geoff Lees]] would guest in another car in the last two rounds, but their best finish was Keegan's 9th place at the [[1980 United States Grand Prix|United States Grand Prix]].

1981 saw RAM manage and run the returning [[March Engineering|March]] Grand Prix team, with [[Derek Daly]] and [[Eliseo Salazar]] driving. However, non-qualifications were frequent, and the team failed to score any points, Daly's 7th place at the [[1981 British Grand Prix|British Grand Prix]] being their best result.

The combination stayed together for 1982, landing backing from [[Rothmans International|Rothmans]], and the new [[March Engineering|March]] 821 saw design work from a young [[Adrian Reynard]]. With veteran [[Jochen Mass]] to lead the team, backed up by [[Raul Boesel]], hopes were high, but it was another disappointing year. Mass took 7th place at the [[1982 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], but as the car proved to be slow he lost motivation, and focused more on sports car racing with [[Porsche]]. From the [[1982 German Grand Prix|German Grand Prix]], Keegan took over the car, but RAM [[March Engineering|March]] once again failed to score points.

[[File:RAM 01.jpg|thumb|left|The RAM March 01.]]
1983 saw the RAM name make itself onto the chassis for the first time, with [[Dave Kelly (motorsport)|Dave Kelly]]'s RAM [[March Engineering|March]] 01 design. Salazar returned to drive the main entry, while a second car for [[Jean-Louis Schlesser]] was fielded at the [[1983 French Grand Prix|French Grand Prix]] as a one-off. Salazar scored a 15th place in the season opener, but the bulky car struggled to qualify. Financial reasons saw the team skip the [[1983 Detroit Grand Prix|Detroit Grand Prix]], while they only made the [[1983 Canadian Grand Prix|Canadian Grand Prix]] due to fielding local driver [[Jacques Villeneuve (racing driver, born 1953)|Jacques Villeneuve, Sr.]] and attracting some Canadian sponsorship. [[Kenny Acheson]] then took over for the rest of the season, only qualifying once, at the season-closing [[1983 South African Grand Prix|South African Grand Prix]], where he took the team's best result of the year, 12th and last.

Astonishingly, the team pressed on into 1984. The partnership with [[March Engineering|March]] was dissolved, and RAM attracted sponsorship from [[Skoal Bandit]]. Two RAM 02 cars, with [[Hart (racing)|Hart]] turbo engines, were entered for [[Formula Two]] champion [[Jonathan Palmer]] and [[Philippe Alliot]]. Kelly's new design was disappointing, and the cars were frequent back-markers, and Palmer's 8th place in the opening [[1984 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]] was their best result of the year (and of all time). Indeed, the team drew more notices for the crashes their drivers were involved in.

[[File:WinkelhockM1985.jpg|thumb|left|[[Manfred Winkelhock]] driving for RAM at the [[1985 German Grand Prix]].]]
Alliot remained for 1985, with [[Manfred Winkelhock]] entered in the second car, and a new RAM 03 designed by [[Gustav Brunner]]. Winkelhock put in some improved qualifying performances, but actual results were still thin. Winkelhock's death in a sports car event in Canada in the summer was a blow to the team, and Acheson was recalled briefly, before the team slimmed down to a single entry. They missed the final two rounds altogether. Skoal withdrew their backing at the end of the year, the team's best result having been Alliot's 9th place, again at the opening [[1985 Brazilian Grand Prix|Brazilian Grand Prix]].

The team planned to enter a single updated RAM 03 for [[Mike Thackwell]] (who had stood in for Palmer at the [[1984 Canadian Grand Prix]]) for the {{F1|1986}} season, but the funds could not be found, and the team folded over the winter of 1985.<ref name="f1rejects">{{cite web |url=http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/thackwell/biography.html |title=Mike Thackwell - Biography |publisher=Formula One Rejects |access-date=12 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101133923/http://www.f1rejects.com/drivers/thackwell/biography.html |archive-date=1 November 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The team would have raced as car #9 for 1986 otherwise, per the FIA entry list.