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The Masters Series and Top Hat racing at Snetterton - 29th March 2008 - the XK Challenge Event Report by John Davies Roberts It’s a New Year and a brand new race format! The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club has joined forces with The Masters Series who also own the Top Hat Championship. The XK Challenge is racing with the GT’s from the pre-’66 era creating the ambience of the UK National Sportscar events of the 1950’s and ‘60’s. The cars cater for front and rear engine production-based GT and sports cars built to FIA Appendix ‘K’ specification as well as period specials. For the first time in the championship we will be racing for 45 minutes in each race and not the 20 minute races we have been used to in the past. Racing this year will be more ‘mini-enduro’ style with either one or two drivers and, will certainly need a different mind-set to racing, if cars are going to firstly last the distance and secondly stay out of trouble! (If only HA HA!!) We arrived on Friday for afternoon Testing. But if you can remember back to Friday the 28th March, it absolutely threw it down with rain and gail-force, bitterly cold winds. BUT, what a great test session it turned out to be. Although the weather in 2007 was not the best, we didn’t have one ‘WET’ race last year. Even Spa was dry (Unbelievable, for those who know Spa!!). So it was quite an experience to set the car up for wet racing. Luckily I took ‘Wet’ tyres with me and subsequently played with tyre pressures to achieve the best track adhesion. But of course Saturday, turned out to be dry and bright when we turned up at the circuit at 07:15 for Signing-on, Scrutineering and our first Masters Briefing. All went to plan, by the time we gathered in the Assembly Area ready for the first Qualifying Session of the day.
Once again I was racing with my ‘old’ partner Chris Keith-Lucas (from CKL Developments) and we both shared the qualifying session. CKL and I qualified 9th out of 17 XK’s. Not brilliant and we were probably a little ‘ring-rusty’ from the Winter break, but we were reasonably satisfied with the result. But, we did develop a rather bad oil leak which we attempted to rectify before the race and, a flying stone hit the windscreen and I now have a crack which is growing as we speak. For the race however, we split the race between the two of us and I was (irr)responsible for the start. It was a really good one and, I managed to pass two cars going into ‘Riches’ and Graham Love in his XK150 going round the outside of Sear corner. However on Lap 4, I was approaching Sear once more and Ian Mills in his XK150S had spun two cars ahead. Following him was a Mini Marcos, who was so intent on watching Ian that he lost it too. Yours truly took evasive action but not quite enough and the rear of the Marcos reversed into my Drivers Door and Rear Wing. OOPS, Snetterton is not my lucky circuit, as last June was a major ‘Off’ for me when Colin Youle and I came together doing about 70 mph going for the “Esses” (Something we learned in Primary School Arithmetic was, 2 into 1 won’t go!!) I carried on, checking that the car was driving in a straight line and it was!! HOORAY!! After 20 minutes, I dived into the Pits and changed drivers with CKL and off he went to finish the race, and…………. We were also a second a lap faster in the race than in qualifying. This shows, we need more track-time if we are to have a successful season. (Bank Holiday Monday) Hope to see you there! John D R. Action shots courtesy of Roger Gage, official Jaguar Enthusiasts` Club photographer For more XK Jaguar Racing photos visit his web site at www.xkjaguar.co.uk Our thanks to MotorSport Vision for permission to film at Snetterton
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