Joss Ronchetti Sale of Bullet/Thor/Motorhome

[joss Ronchetti]

Hi guys,
I thought you should give you an explanation of why my cars/motor home are for sale as I have been getting back some feedback on theories circulating. Including a particular amusing one from a very well known track rival of mine of 'He's been lifted you know' .....lol.... Well here is the rather less explosive/uninteresting facts of the matter.

I have always had racing in my veins and started on Motor bikes from 81-83 then into cars from 86-90. Then a big gap, returning to the sport in 02.
When I raced before in 86-90 my ambition was to be a Touring Car Driver, I raced in Production Saloons and drove/behaved in that way on track.

When I bought the Sunbeam in 2002 and returned to racing I had a very different ambition. I set out to see how quick we could really get a Sunbeam Lotus to lap. Having raced one in the Road Saloons in 86/87 I believed that it had never been developed to its full extent and could be a very special car if its full potential could be released.

My mindset was also different on my return to the sport, winning was not at all costs, I came back to have fun racing with no stress, still to drive on the limit door to door, but always in a gentlemanly way, and 'avoiding body contact at all costs instead' attitude.

In the last 10 seasons with Phil and Mike Seaman and the PRO-Driver Team we have achieved way beyond what I set out to do, and what most sane people thought was impossible in a Sunbeam Lotus, both in lap times, results, and reliability (For a Lotus Motor!!).

After the elation of winning from the back row at a Snetterton BTCC round in the Heritage GTC , winning from the back row at Thruxton at the Truck Grand Prix and winning at Spa (lapping quicker than the GT40's in the Six Hour Race :0) ), it's hard to find something to top it. I also feel the task that I set out to do has now been completed.

I bought the Monaro, as I have always wanted one, to see If I could get the enthusiasm back. But to be honest it just simply not as much fun, and never will be compared to the Bullet.

These last 10 seasons have been the best racing I have ever had, I have made so many great friends and had so many great races, door to door, at times exchanging places many times a lap. A big Big thank you to all those great drivers I have competed against who all drove in a gentlemanly way (or at least left me enough space to back out the move and avoid impact ) In fact at one time I had completed over 100 races and been on the podium in 80 of them, without as much as a scratch on the car.

Other factors are family time, I have been doing 15 to 20 weekends every season, my wife Suzy & daughter Jett have loved the racing and have always supported me, but I feel it's time now to do different things at weekends with the family. I also need to concentrate on work at PRO-Driver, as we are starting a rapid growth program. My accountants also strongly suggest I spend some more time and money on things like pensions and expansion rather my racing.

So its a goodbye from me being at a circuit somewhere most weekends in the racing season for the immediate future, but It's certainly not for ever, I will still be popping up here and there, doing the odd shared drives, event days with PRO-Driver clients and trackdays. If I don't get the right offer for The Bullet then I will no doubt be making the odd appearance back in her too, she was built to race, not to sit in a garage

Cheers Joss