After founding ATS, Gunther Schmidt launches the RIAL team

Rial was founded by Gunther Schmidt, who had already created his own Formula 1 team in 1972 under the name ATS (for Auto Technisches Spezialzubehör), his first foray into F1.
Schmidt is a German entrepreneur with a strong character, whose company specialises in the manufacture of wheel rims. The ATS team was founded in 1972 and ran a Formula One racing line until 1984, giving drivers such as Jean-Pierre Jarier and Gerhard Berger the chance to cut their teeth. In 1984, however, Schmidt was forced to end his F1 activities due to a lack of funds.
Gunther Schmidt set up a new company, still specialising in the manufacture of rims, and an F1 team bearing the name of this new company: RIAL.
He hired Gustav Brunner, who had already been involved in the ATS adventure and had just left Ferrari, to design the single-seater that would be entered in the 1988 F1 World Championship, the ARC-01. It was entrusted to the Italian driver Andrea de Cesaris. In its first year, De Cesaris scored three points for fourth place at the Detroit Grand Prix.
In 1989 Brunner, tired of having to rebuild the single-seaters that de Cesaris regularly destroyed and of having to put up with Gunther Schmidt's legendary tantrums, left the team to join another German team, Zakspeed. He was replaced by Stefan Fober (himself replaced by Christian Vanderpleyn during the year).

​

1989 - The birth of the RIAL ARC2

The 1989 Rial ARC-02 was powered by a tried and tested Cosworth DFR 3.5 litre engine and was driven by Christian Danner and Volker Weidler, followed by Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Bertrand Gachot at the end of the season.
As Christian Danner was relatively tall, the cockpit of the ARC2 was more spacious than that of the ARC1.
The latter had to go through the ordeal of pre-qualifying because Rial had only entered a single-seater the previous year. Danner scored three points for fourth place at the Detroit Grand Prix, which enabled him to get out of the arduous pre-qualifying process, but in the end, like ATS, Schmidt was short of funds and threw in the towel, withdrawing from the Formula One World Championship. The other German team, Zakspeed, followed suit.

It remained in the Schmidt family from 1989 to 2016. Spacious cockpit. Restored

The car remained in the collection of Gunther Schmidt's son from 1989 to 2016, when it was acquired by a French collector. The Formula 1 was in exceptional condition. Photos taken in 2016 show its great condition. It still bore the name of Bernard Gachot.
Recently, this RIAL was fully restored to take part in the many demonstrations held for the F1 cars of the era. The Ford Cosworth V8 engine and all the car's mechanical parts have been restored.
Many F1 cars of this period were designed for 'jockey' drivers. Their cockpits were very tight and did not allow drivers of all sizes to sit in them. Christian Danner is relatively tall, so the cockpit of the RIAL ARC2 is much roomier than average.
The RIAL ARC2 is now available for sale and can be entered in a number of high profile events organised by Masters Historic, Gulf Historic, in F1 support demonstrations and in the Grand Prix de France Historique Prix at Paul Ricard.