Peugeot Ray is no more

by Lal Gunesekera

APPRECIATION: The motor racing personality of a by gone era, Ray de Costa, is no more. This famous figure was known as "Peugeot Ray" for his exploits in the Peugeot Sedan CN 5050. It was one of the best known vehicles in the country and was synorymous with Ray de Costa and they "worked" together well. He was a crack racing driver and hill climb specialist.

An old Peterite, Ray, found employment as an used car salesman in 1946 and rose to become a major figure at Car Mart founded by his good friend the late Clarence Amarasinghe.

This particular vehicle (the Peugeot CN 5050) could still be seen at Car Mart. Behind the stearing of CN 5050, Ray, won numerous Hill Climbs, Reliability Trials, Circuit and Road Races and thereby won many trophies.

His first race was at Katukurunda in the early 1950's and then the Kandy Road Race where he beat the late Edward "Bugs" Mason on a MG Saloon and the late Wally de Zylva in a Morris Minor. He won the Mahagastota Hill climb too. One day, Ray, invested his savings in a shirt factory in Ratmalana (known as Maxims) and was its Managing Director.

This was in 1954, but it was incorporated and opened in September 29, 1961. He toured Madras, Bombay and Bangalore in India and spent many weeks in a number of garment factories examining various processes of manufacture and machinery.

In August 1960, Ray left for Europe with his wife, Iris, before the government slapped a control on foreign travel. In Europe, he bought a car and visited some 21 clothing factories in England and the continent including Germany, Austria,, Holland, Switzerland and France. He used to say that they (he and his wife) often used to eat fruit to conserve foreign exchange.

He returned to the country in January 1961, after ordering the machinery he needed to shart Maxims in Ratmalana, which was famous for their shirts.

Before he took to motor racing, Ray, was a champion ballroom dancer trained by the late Rolf Sando-Mirsky and was the star pupil at the Marjorie Sample's School of Dancing. He won many amateur championships and several awards - including the Gold Cross (the highest amateur award in ballroom dancing) by the Imeprial Society of Teachers of Dancing, England.

Ray was also a great wild-life enthusiast who used to make regular trips to Yala and Wilpattu Santuaries to take photographs of wild animals.

He leaves behind his wife Iris and three children, Ajitha, Shirani and Sunil.