RACE ACE ROB SPIES TRACK RETURN AFTER WINNING SUPER CAR

RACE ACE ROB SPIES TRACK RETURN AFTER WINNING SUPER CAR
Speedster paid just 5p for ticket that won Porsche 911 GT3 RS from Elite Competitions.

A FORMER racing driver who thought his track days were over is back up to speed again after winning
one of the fastest road cars on the planet, from an online competition that cost him pennies to enter.

Melksham race ace Rob Ballard had his racing career cut cruelly short when he was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2006. The A class saloon car champion spent three years fighting for his life on dialysis until close friend Janie Kenward found out she was a biological match and could donate him one of her kidneys.

Despite returning to racing, Rob realised his track times weren’t up to speed and made the difficult decision to retire from the sport he loved after 20 years.
He thought he would never feel the rush of circuit racing again. But after winning a Porsche 911 GT3 RS from Elite Competitions Rob said he can now get back on the track where he belongs.

The 63-year-old said: “I thought I had driven my last track car but winning this Porsche means I can nowbook a session and revisit my passion for racing.

“The thought of that alone makes me smile like a Cheshire cat, so I can only imagine what it will feel like to hit top speeds again on a racing circuit.

“Obviously, I have had experience driving cars like this but I can feel this Porsche is super impressive and can’t wait to get it onto a track.”

Rob’s new ‘lizard green’ Porsche has a top speed of 193mph and can accelerate from 0-60mph in three seconds. He won the 520bhp machine in the online prize draw where tickets cost him just five pence. Rob added: “I wasn’t expecting to win. Talk about your stars aligning. You don’t believe you are going to win these things. But I'm very much a believer in what's meant to be in your life.

“I didn’t sleep for 48 hours waiting for the car to be delivered. It was a surreal two days and it still feels like I am dreaming.”

Reflecting on the long journey that brought him to his prize win, Rob said: “I'm not materialistic. I've got lovely things but they're meaningless to me in the scale of life, and what's important.

“When you're stuck on a dialysis machine for three years and you've got no life really, then a friend like Janie gives you the gift of life, your values change.

“Suddenly a light comes back on and you’re able to enjoy things at a higher level. That’s what I plan to do with this car.”

Elite Competitions CEO, Alex Beckett said: “Rob’s story is incredible. After everything he’s been through with his health and his long history in motorsport, seeing him win a car like this is truly special.
“The GT3 RS is as close as you can get to a race car on the road, so it feels like the perfect match for him.”