BEFORE THE SKELTA G-FORCE
Ray Vandersee started rally driving in 1973 campaigning an XU1 Torana which he drove with great success and finally snared a Queensland Rally Championship in 1977. Australian Rally Championship competition was soon on the competitive radar and following the purchase of a Datsun 120Y he toiled hard over the next five years. Ultimately the Toowoomba driver found the National championship way too expansive and due to a lack of substantial funding to remain competitive, he decided to retire from rally competition in 1982 to concentrate on business pursuits.

A 15-year hiatus from motor racing ensued, but feeling somewhat frustrated by his early exit from competition, Vandersee set about constructing a Lotus 7 type Clubman with the sole purpose of entering into various tarmac rally events throughout the country. The Clubman proved a five-month long project and was completed just in time for a first up appearance at the Internationally acclaimed Targa Tasmania event in 1999.

Continuing an over riding quest for more power and handling qualities from his vehicle, the Clubman proved a worthy test case and provided a major learning curve, as Vandersee set about making appropriate adjustments to the car’s race set up. While he found the basic performance to be quite sound, there were a lot of shortcomings, particularly if he was to eventually succeed in becoming a consistent performer in tarmac road events like Targa Tasmania.

Modifications to the suspension, coupled with the addition of aerodynamic aids and devices, gave the Clubman a unique look and progressively had the car going faster and faster.

By 2002 Vandersee felt that he had significantly mastered a competitive level on par with the late model Porsches and Nissan GTR’s that remained the dominate forces of Australian tarmac competition, but at the very same time there was also a realisation that there were limitations on any further development of the Clubman.

Maintaining a strong desire to have a vehicle produced, capable of upstaging the front-runners of tarmac rally competition, Vandersee set about creating his Skelta G-Force.

What has evolved is a revolutionary sports car that has the stamp of unprecedented success in International competition following Vandersee’s first International tarmac rally podium (2nd place) secured at Targa New Zealand in October 2006.

DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE
The bulk of the revolutionary, conceptual ideas that were incorporated into the construction of the Skelta G-Force were initially trialled on the Clubman vehicle in competitive tarmac rally competition. This proved the most appropriate and optimal grounding for the design of the Skelta G-Force.

Foremost in the thoughts of designer Ray Vandersee were the over riding variables of superior handling, predictability in the drive experience and of course the ability to brake hard and fast when required. Such traits are integral to the performance capabilities of the car and there is, without doubt, no better performance stage to gauge the responsiveness of the Skelta G-Force than the World’s toughest tarmac rally competitions. Competing in events such as the annual Targa Tasmania rally, where competitors travel a total of 2100 kilometres, which includes 450 kilometres of competitive stages during five days of competition, is a true indication of the versatility and ‘no compromises’ edict of the Skelta G-Force.

As Vandersee points out, “As a driver you want predictability in your handling. You don’t want to be going into a corner, finding you’re going a little too fast – back off – and suddenly you are spinning.”

As an accomplished driver, Vandersee has personally road tested the Skelta at a number of events, including Targa Tasmania, Targa New Zealand and the Mt Buller Sprint and he unreservedly gives his own creation a definitive thumbs up. His appraisal is supported by actual race results and without hesitation he declares tarmac rallies as an environment in which the car has the opportunity to really shine in World class company. The guaranteed aerodynamic down-force that is generated assists with high speed cornering and handling of the car and with an outstanding balance front to back this assists even further in the tighter areas of competitive stages.

The braking system of the Skelta G-Force is second to none and is an exceptional complement to the car’s total package. Boasting 298 mm discs all around and with the car weighing less than 700 kilograms, this makes for enormous braking potential. Specific to tarmac rally competition, Vandersee has found that on tighter road surfaces, where handling and braking need to be at an optimum, the Skelta G-Force has a distinct advantage over the more expensive sports car models.

The achievements of Vandersee and the Skelta G-Force haven’t gone unnoticed with big name racers such as seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner and multiple Targa Tasmania victor Jim Richards, plus tarmac specialists Joe McAndrew and Queensland’s Tony Quinn full of praise for the self-designed creation. Consistent feedback relates to the exceptional pace being able to be achieved in such a small vehicle that boasts just a two litre naturally aspirated engine.

Perhaps the most redeeming and unique features of the Skelta G-Force is that while it has been designed as a race car, it can be constructed as a road registered proposition. Obviously when you drive it on the road, the vehicle becomes a real head turner with the overall aesthetic appeal and futuristic look guaranteeing many interested onlookers. Two very defining attributes that the Skelta provides as a road registered vehicle is that with extensive handling and braking reserves it is truly a safe motor vehicle and coupled with the regular Honda S2000 engine, with standard computer, tremendous ‘drivability’ is assured.

In essence you can drive around town at 60 km/h in sixth gear and the car is quite capable of dealing with that. While it’s a minimalist design of car mainly to keep the weight down from a performance perspective, it is still quite comfortable to be able to be driven in and around City centres and is just as competent on country roads.

THE FUTURE
Forever pushing the performance bar, Ray Vandersee is already forecasting new models and variations to the Skelta G-Force to complement the original model. As a proud Australian designer and manufacturer, the business entrepreneur has already developed partnerships in Europe to instigate a small scale export of the vehicle to a number of different overseas countries. Acknowledging his sports car model is definitely an enthusiasts vehicle and for that reason he will not deviate from his claim of putting handling and performance before any other attribute of the Skelta G-Force.

V8 ENGINE PUMPS UP SKELTA SPORTS CAR PACKAGE
The Australian made Skelta G-Force is set to pack a mighty punch in 2007 courtesy of a revolutionary RST V8 engine that will come as an upgrade option on the sports car model.

That’s great news for potential Australian tarmac rally purchasers of the power-packed machine, with the move up into a V8 engine package sure to make the Skelta G-Force a more formidable proposition at events such as the highly acclaimed Targa Tasmania.

Skelta designer Ray Vandersee has experienced considerable success behind the wheel during the first 12 months of his tarmac racing campaign.

His sports car hybrid currently utilises effective lightweight body components and superior aerodynamics to assist in drawing as much power as possible out of a Honda S2000 engine.

A maiden International podium in New Zealand is considered just the platform for future competition successes for Vandersee who insists many other drivers throughout the World will be encouraged by the V8 engine package.

“If the Honda powered Skelta is capable of winning Targa Tasmania then the V8 version will be in a total league of its own,” confirmed Vandersee.

“The great thing is we’re adding a lot of horsepower without detracting from the features the car has now, including its nimbleness and sure footedness.

“But in terms of the Skelta’s eligibility for Australian tarmac events we won’t be running until we have five cars built and so we’re realistically setting ourselves for competition in the Skelta RST V8 in 2008.

“We are instantly seeking expressions of interest for the purchase of five of the Skelta RST V8’s, with a view to gaining eligibility as soon as possible and once those initial orders are filled this will certainly fast track the entire process.

“In layman terms the power to weight ratio of the Skelta RST will be superior to that achieved by Australian V8 Supercars.

“The newer version Skelta has a 2.4 litre V8 engine with five valves per cyclinder which in race tune will rev out to 12500 rpm.

“The potential of unleashing up to 390 horsepower means the Skelta RST V8 will add an extra 100 kilowatts to the overall performance to a maximum of about 290 kilowatts.

Adding further credibility to the more punchier Skelta model is the fact the supercharged version of the RST V8 engine is the power plant of the Caparo T1 Supercar currently being designed by former engineers of the McLaren F1 team.