Corby, England -- This brand new Ray GR15/16 (pictured), complete with Mazda Road to Indy livery and prepared by Cliff Dempsey Racing, is the car in which James Raven will contest the 2016 Avon Tyres National Formula Ford 1600 Championship.
The native of Portsmouth narrowly missed out on the 2014 title but had the consolation of winning the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch at the end of that season.
After a limited program last year, two things have brought James back to the world’s greatest junior single seater category. Firstly, and most importantly, he has the budget to compete in motorsport. Secondly, the big draw which prompted him to set his sights on the FF1600 National Championship was that the winner will be eligible to take part in the Mazda Road to Indy $200K Shootout which could be the launchpad to a career in the States. The shootout winner will earn a US$200,000 Mazda scholarship to contest the 2017 Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda.
It is expected that James will be one of many in contention for this fantastic prize - especially as car-builder Gavin Ray has some exciting chassis improvements which he plans to implement during the course of the season.
Raven clearly has a passion for fast cars and top-class technology having recently worked at the Aston Martin factory as a quality engineer. His main focus when not racing however is obtaining a motorsport-related college degree.
While he can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of a racing car again having not driven on track since the 2015 Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone, the experience he has built up from competing in the premier UK Formula Ford 1600 Championship means he will undertake a limited program of pre-season testing as he is familiar with both the car and the circuits.
"We are delighted to have James back as he has always been competitive, but it is never easy," said team owner Cliff Dempsey. "This year will be no different as there are a lot of good teams and drivers out there."
The 16-race season will begin with a pair of races at Oulton Park on April 9.
More information is available at: http://brsccff1600.co.uk/home.htm