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Post Info TOPIC: Jag Racing Thru the Decades
MazzyMan


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Jag Racing Thru the Decades
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Over the years Jaguar has built some of the fastest, and most recognisable, sports cars in the world. And it has always been keen for their potential to be demonstrated on the race track as well as the open road.

Amid the austerity of post-war Britain the XK120 caused a sensation. At the time it was the fastest production car in the world, and its reliability made it a natural for motorsport. The car notched up three Alpine Cup victories and two RAC Rally wins, while XK120s finished first, second and third in the 1950 Tourist Trophy.

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    William Lyons was quick to appreciate the publicity that a pure-bred racing Jaguar could generate. So, after an exploratory visit to Le Mans in 1950, he agreed to the development of what eventually became the C-Type, based around the XK120’s engine.

    Three C-Types were completed in time for the 1951 Le Mans race, and one driven by Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead claimed victory on its first outing.

    Two years later, C-Types finished first, second and fourth at Le Mans, thanks in part to their revolutionary disc brakes, developed in conjunction with Dunlop. These allowed the Jaguar drivers to gain valuable yards by braking much later than their rivals towards the end of the 150mph three-and-a-half-mile Mulsanne Straight.

  • William Lyons looks on as Norman Dewis takes the Minister of Transport for a spin in the first D-TYPE, in 1954

     

    Malcolm Sayer’s successor to the C-Type, the D-Type, also benefited from a technical innovation that has become standard in subsequent decades. It benefited from a monocoque construction, featuring a strong central “tub” for the driver, with the major mechanical components on subframes in front and behind.

    The D-Type’s design was so aerodynamically efficient that its top speed rose to 170mph and in testing for the Le Mans race in 1954 it smashed the previous year’s lap record by five seconds. It wasn’t until the following year that a D-Type claimed victory at Le Mans. This was followed by another win in 1956 and the remarkable whitewash of 1957, when D-Types finished first, second, third, fourth and sixth.

    See the D-Type victory film >

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    Jaguar itself withdrew from motorsport in 1955, but it has continued to provide cars for customers to race. The first of these to achieve notable success after the D-Type was the Series 3 E-Type, equipped with a competition version of the V12 engine. It was this model that enabled Bob Tullius to take the Sports Car Championship of America in 1975. Tullius also won the Trans-Am title in 1977 and 1978, driving an XJ-S. A similar car, prepared by TWR Racing and driven by Tom Walkinshaw, won the 1984 European Car Championship.

    Three years later Jaguar and TWR proved an unbeatable combination in the Sports Car World Championship, winning eight out of the ten races in an XJR-8. This car evolved into the XJR-9 with a 7.0-litre engine, which brought Jaguar a Le Mans victory in 1988, its first since 1957.

    Jaguar’s most recent Le Mans win came in 1990, when XJR-12s finished first and second. More recently the dream of glory on the legendary French circuit has been handed to the JaguarRSR team, which has been racing a modified XKR in the American Le Mans series and took Jaguar back to Le Mans itself in 2010.



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MazzyMan


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We would like to announce the launch of Jaguar Heritage Racing, a programme which will see Jaguar return to the competitive arena through the vibrant world of historic motorsport. For the first time since 1956, works-supported C- and D-types will race again at venues including Goodwood and the Nürburgring, while the season-long programme will also see Jaguar Heritage Racing support numerous additional events on the historic motoring calendar. These include the Mille Miglia, the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and each round of the E-type challenge in the UK - a series which in 2011 demonstrated the depth of global interest in historic motorsport, and in Jaguar's participation specifically.

As Jaguar embarks on the most extensive new product development cycle in its history, it is the perfect time to invest in and celebrate its heritage. Says Jaguar Global Brand Director, Adrian Hallmark: "Jaguar is proud of its heritage, and it is a heritage that is both alive and ever evolving.

"Advanced engineering is part of our heritage - 2012 sees the 60th anniversary of Jaguar's development of the disc brake for automotive use, and ten years since the marque introduced aerospace-inspired aluminium monocoque technology to its modern range, technology today used on both the XJ and XK. Forward looking design is part of our heritage - the poised intent of the C-X16 concept pushes the boundaries today just as much as the SS Jaguar 100 did in 1935. And racing is very much part of our heritage also - which is why we have launched the Jaguar Heritage Racing programme that this year will see Jaguar C- and D-types in competitive action."

The first event at which Jaguar Heritage Racing will be present is the 2012 Mille Miglia retrospective in May. This year's running of the Mille Miglia has particular significance for Jaguar as it marks 60 years since Sir Stirling Moss and Norman Dewis (then Jaguar's chief development driver) took the start in the first disc-brake equipped C-type. Later that same year Sir Stirling Moss recorded the first win for a disc-braked car when he drove another C-type to victory at Reims, paving the way for the wide-scale use of the technology that we all take for granted today.

In August, the Jaguar Heritage Racing team will then be in competitive action at the AVD Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix. Often referred to as the 'green hell', the Nürburgring Nordschleife is regarded as one of the toughest tracks in the world, which is why Jaguar has a dedicated test facility located there running a rigorous durability and performance programme for its modern range.

Says Jaguar Land Rover Global Head of Communications, Frank Klaas: "The Nürburgring Nordschleife presents a unique automotive challenge that Jaguar's development team continually subject our current and future models to in order to perfect their attributes of quality, durability and dynamic precision. To also see historic works Jaguars in competitive action at the Nürburgring this year will be fascinating."

From Germany, the team will then head back to British shores for the Goodwood Revival in September. The undisputed jewel in the crown of the historic motor racing calendar, the Revival provides a dazzling backdrop of nostalgia for an equally dazzling array of competitive action in which the Jaguar Heritage Racing C- and D-type will play their part.

The Jaguar Heritage Racing programme is operated and managed by JD Classics, based in Maldon, Essex. An established player in the historic motorsport world, JD Classics will prepare both the C- and D-type Jaguars which will take to the track, and have responsibility for all race-day activities. Derek Hood, managing director, JD Classics, said: "Jaguars have been at the heart of our business for many years, and the opportunity to work with Jaguar Heritage Racing and ensure that the company is as well represented in historic motorsport today as it was when those same models competed in period is one we were only too happy to accept."

The Jaguar Heritage Racing programme will supplement the activities of Jaguar Heritage - a charitable trust and custodians of an extensive collection of priceless models from Jaguar's past, including the unique XJ13 prototype. Its cars are not campaigned competitively on-track, but will continue to be exhibited - and demonstrated - at a huge number of events during 2012.


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