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Current NewsRay ran his beloved road car in the 2004-2005 Bridgestone Porsche Series whilst BigCat was undergoing a major rebuild. He took out most of the carpets and added a roll cage – something he had resisted for many years !! The 930 Turbo is somewhat of an orphan car and is hard to be placed in the Porsche classes. The perception is that the speed and sheer horsepower overrides the old technology, 4 speed gearbox and bad handling and results in penalty weight always having to be carried. 66 kilos of tractor weights bolted to the floor add to the full tank of fuel to give a penalty weight in excess of 100 kilos. Consequently we get very fast initial laps, deteriorating into tyres going off quickly and spectacular sliding around corners. It’s never dull driving this car and the sliding over the hill onto the front straight of Pukekohe keeps the spectators entertained – especially when Ray is waving and flashing his headlights at the same time ! Despite the penalty weight, some podium finishes and great television coverage were achieved.
The Ivory BeastAfter spending the last few years undercover as a road car, the Ivory Beast has new signwriting and has re-emerged as the CRC Publicity Car. Used to give demonstration laps at Pukekohe to CRC Prize winners, the Beast is happy to be doing race laps once again. The car is still in road trim, complete with leather upholstery and power windows, etc, and a hefty weight reduction programme woule be required to achieve race worthiness in today's racing world, as would the installation of a full roll cage.
Interior
Performance
Speed in the gears
Ray and his car achieved eight national land speed records on 16 March 1996 covering both the outright
and road car categories.
This 1983 road-going car has won more races outright than any other Porsche in New Zealand. It can be counted
as one of the fastest road cars in the world and yet Ray can still use it as daily transport. It has leather
upholstery, carpets, Blaupunkt 4 channel stereo, factory heater-demister, power operated windows and sunroof,
remote central locking, radar detector and Cobra alarm.
Ray purchased this car from Colin Giltrap in 1988 and three days later won his first Bridgestone-Porsche
round at Pukekohe. That was the start of a competitive and victorious racing career for the "Ivory Beast"
that was originally from Bahrain. From winning the 1991 Bridgestone-Porsche Championship (overall and Class
A to setting landspeed records in 1996, this car has certainly gained a place in New Zealand racing history.
Ray and his car achieved eight national land speed records on 16 March 1996 covering both the outright and
road car categories. Since then this 930 Turbo has won 116 races and three championships.
In the 1990-91 racing season, before the car was modified, it won 30 races from 34 starts, winning the TACCOC
Sports & GT championship (against modified Ferrari, AC Cobra, Lotus, Jaguar, Porsche, Triumph TR8, Alfa Romeo, MG, BMW, Morgan Plus 8, Corvette and a Sunbeam Tiger), as well as winning the Bridgestone-Porsche championship. Other cars beaten by this road car include: 1992 factory built Porsche 911 3.8 RSR and Cup Cars, Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, Ford Falcon and Mustang, TVR Tuscan, Lamborghini and TR8.
This car won the first race , worldwide, of the New Millennium, just after midnight, 1st January 2000.
The race was organised by the late Stan Fox who was seriously injured in an horrific crash during the 1995 Indianapolis 500. His car hit the wall at high speed and Stan sustained head injuries. He then spent his life helping other head injury and brain damaged victims to regain their self esteem, by taking the youngsters through the pits of some of the most famous race tracks in the world.
Stan was killed in a head on crash on New Zealand's Desert Road, in 2001.
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