Racing Team Solvalou

"An elite Italian team with a record number of GP victories. Their cars are tuned for high performance."

―R4: Ridge Racer Type 4 (Grand Prix mode team blurb)

The Racing Team Solvalou is an Italian racing team, founded in 1967 and is depicted as one of the most successful teams in the Real Racing Roots league in the lore of Ridge Racer Tyoe 4. They made their appearance in the first Ridge Racer game as simply RT Blue/Yellow Solvalou and in Ridge Racer Type 4, it is simply known as RT Solvalou.

Their name is based off of Namco's side-scrolling shooter Xevious (the player's ship being called Solvalou). In Ridge Racer Type 4, Enki Gilbert is the manager of RTS. Players will experience semi-professional racers. RTS' tuning is the concentrated on top speed or acceleration, risking maneuverability. The RTS' is recognized for their victories in the 1995 and 1996 Grand Prix.

Career quotes

See: Racing Team Solvalou/Transcript

History

"Racing Team Solvalou was formed in 1967, two years after Enki Gilbert's retirement from racing. Shortly after its formation, it scored victories over the years. However, during the 80s, something terrible happened to the team where one of their drivers, Giuliano Gilbert, was killed in an accident during the 1986 season, causing fellow teammate Shinji Yazaki to leave the team."

―nicovideo's Ridge Racer entry

Manager

RTS Manager, Enki Gilbert

RTS is managed by Enki Gilbert (born in 1931), father of the late Giuliano Gilbert, a hard man who had seen racers and crewman come and go in the circuit. He kept his personal feelings separate from his team, creating an image of a man who demands perfection. Because of his perfectionist personality, he is known as "The Lion" due to his strict disciplinary training towards the racers of his team, and his stern attitude, which gives him his "lion-like ferocity". Throughout the Real Racing Roots '99 season, watching the newly hired racer slowly achieve perfection makes him feel uneasy and exposed his vulnerabilities, as he fears the same fate would happen to his newest protege. This is further exemplified with the rise of the Pac Racing Club, headed by Shinji Yazaki (also known as "The Grim Reaper"), as he was notable for being involved in the accident that caused Giuliano's death.

Post-R4

In the Nintendo 64 title, R.T. Solvalou returns as a racing team using the Assoluto Bisonte, featuring the exact appearance as in R4, although the car is never referred to as such by its proper name.

As in Ridge Racer 7, Solvalou was nowhere to be seen as a racing team, but a similarly named parts manufacturer, Solvalou appears, specializing in engine modification, featuring a balance of acceleration and top speed, and is still highly synonymous with some Assoluto cars.

In Ridge Racer 3D, the "Complete Machine" variant of the Kamata RC410 features a Racing Team Solvalou-like livery. The iconic livery also returns on the Assoluto Bisargento in Ridge Racer Vita.

Known Manufacturers

• Assoluto: Bisonte and Fatalita (RR Type 4, RRPSP, RRPSP2, RR6, RR7, RR Vita - as the Bisargento)
• Kamata: RC410 (RR3D)
• Rivelta: Solare (Ridge Racer, RR Revolution, RRV)

Trivia

• The RT Solvalou logo is an exploding Shooting Star projectile in the game Xevious.
• Their main color is silver with a blue-white strip and their number is 02 while their old main color was blue or yellow.
• At 68 years old (during the events of Ridge Racer Type 4), Enki Gilbert is the oldest character in the game.
• Enki Gilbert is a homage to Enzo Ferrari. Their personalities are similar, they are Italian racers, have brash, hard-talking mannerisms, perfectionist personalities, wear sunglasses, both are founders and presidents of racing teams and that their sons died at a young age (in Enzo Ferrari's case, it's Dino, but of a life-threatening condition, namely, muscular dystrophy, instead of a racing accident, in the form of the 1986 Shooting Hoops disaster). The only real difference, however, is that Enki Gilbert isn't the founder and president of a car manufacturer under his name, but instead, operates the team as a works team for Assoluto, which is ironically, based on Ferrari.
  • In Ridge Racer lore, this is also in contrast to Mr. Assoluto, where he was also a racer who founded his own racing team before starting his namesake manufacturer.
• Racing Team Solvalou's affinity with Assoluto can be a reference to two prominent Ferrari works teams: N.A.R.T. (North American Racing Team) and AF Corse.
• The fact that Enki Gilbert fears that the player would suffer the same fate as Giuliano towards the later stages of the game, is a reference to Enzo Ferrari not wanting to have a close bond with his drivers, likely due to fears that this would take an emotional toll on him if they were to be killed in a racing accident. This may be attributed to the fact that both Enki Gilbert and Enzo Ferrari have both suffered personal losses.
• Enki Gilbert's nickname "The Lion" is a reference to New Zealand racer Denny Hulme, who was also known as "The Bear", where as racers, they both share a gruff, rugged personality.
  • "The Lion" is also one of the nicknames by which British race driver Nigel Mansell was known, for his bold driving style.
• RTS-lookalike liveries can be seen on the future Bisonte iterations via the Galpus livery in Ridge Racer 6 and 7 as well as the Bacura livery in both PSP games.
• According to the Japanese version, his last name is actually pronounced "dʒilbert" (Jil-bert).