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Croix-En-Ternois Jaguar XK Challenge 15th/16th July 2006

Event Report by John Roberts

We Went, We Raced, and We Conquered

About an hour south-east of Calais in the Pas-de-Calais region lies a racing circuit called Croix-En-Ternois near St. Pol, a very lovely location and at this time of the year quite hot, but a comfortably dry heat.

The XK Drivers Championship was invited by the Trophees Historique du Pas de Calais club and they made us feel very welcome. Under instruction from the Clerk of the Course, a French lady with an exceptionally good sense of humour, we all took to the circuit with some fears of overheating from our fifty year old engines.

We tested on the Friday afternoon to assess tyre pressures, fuel usage and other hopefully minor teething problems and qualified and ran our first race on Saturday. With temperatures of 32 Degrees C (Or 90 Fahrenheit in old money), we all got round and in one piece. I qualified 3rd in Class and 6th in the race.

I have to say that the race was BRILLIANT, due to another “Gentleman Racer”, Michael O’Shea driving an XK150 Drop Head Coupe (DHC) who had a Drive-Through” penalty for jumping the Start. My start was fast but I was sandwiched at the Hairpin by Brian Arculus in an XK120 Roadster on the inside and Sir John Chisholm on the outside. I thought better of it and three abreast would not have been the correct choice.

Michael came out of the Pits and was really on fire as he came up behind me with a much lighter and faster car. But for seven laps yours truly held him at bay, much to the excitement of his family and spectators.

We continued to slip and slide around a track that got progessively hotter, until my tyres really “went-off” and I lost grip and suffered terminal under-steer at the Hairpin to the Start and Finish straight and Michael shot up the inside. BUT, I ended as I’d started 3rd in Class and after nursing my XK, Henrietta (my tow truck is Henry and they are both British Racing Green) back from Boiling Point with a 230 Degrees F gauge reading, I was presented with the first of my trophies.

Action shots courtesy of Roger Gage, official JEC photographer
For more XK Jaguar Racing photos visit his web site at www.xkjaguar.co.uk

JR fending off CKL	JR fighting off a very determined Michael O`Shea, almost swapping paint!!	JR fighting off Chris Keith-Lucas, then I left him for standing, HA HA!!

That was Saturday! On Sunday, it was even hotter but the race also went well. For me, everything went swimmingly (Hot) but, Michael O’Shea (Again), and Grahame Bull, ex-Stock Car Champion – and still drives like one (ask Tiff Needell) in another XK 150 Tin Top had a coming together at that Hairpin. Michael couldn’t continue, so I was up another place. I just needed one more lap to catch Sir John Chisholm in his lightweight XK120 as he had developed a terminal misfire. That would have gifted me 4th in the race. Twas not to be, but I graciously accepted the Trophy for 2nd in Class and 5th in the race.

There are only a few things to fix on the car this time, such as a new windscreen (I was hit by a flying “Brick” from the rear of Grahame Bull’s XK, a replacement Flasher Lens (other flying stones on the track), new brake pads as this new set completely wore out and a new strap for my front wing as it broke, probably due to the “G” Forces imposed on the car HA HA!!

What a weekend, we’ve all returned with super sun tans on our aging and balding heads only to find that the good old UK was being bathed in another heat-wave. This is becoming a habit!

We now move back to the UK for our next race which will be at Castle Combe in beautiful Wiltshire on the 5th August. Come on, don’t stay at home on what I hope will be a glorious Saturday!! Come and tell me about your cherished cars and what GREAT WHEELS Henrietta is wearing!!

John

JR Finishing the race & waving to the Marshals & crowd for getting 2nd in class	Waiting for a V. hot engine to cool	They call him "Roberts The Pot" - another Trophy!

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