2008 JAGUAR RACING. LOOKING AT THE OPTIONS

Updated 16th March 2008.

There seems to be more choice for Jaguar & other club racers this year than ever before! This has to be good news for spectators, competitors, Jaguar magazines, and Jaguar specialists alike.

Despite the general doom & gloom over the last few years regarding dwindling grids, fewer championships, rising costs, & lack of Marshals etc, there are a few new series that have sat up & taken notice of what the drivers want, and moulded their series to suit!

Although the main aim of this article is to look at the choices and advantages of the various series that are suitable for Jaguar saloons, & XJS's, hopefully it may also be of interest to drivers of other models & marques. The details below are fairly brief, but will be expanded!

JEC XJS CHAMPIONSHIP

Organised by the largest Jaguar car club in the world, the"JAGUAR ENTHUSISTS CLUB". Now in its 11th year of racing, has mostly been a great success. Grid volumes vary somewhat from season to season, but are generally well supported. One of the main attractions has always been how relatively easy it is for a novice to get started in club racing.

The committee has always strived to keep the entry level classes D & F easy to enter with the minimum of mandatory modifications. Class D which is the 6 cylinder road going category is unfortunately the only class that has consistently achieved enough entries to score full points every round in recent years. Undoubtably this has been made worse by the decision to restrict the modified classes by banning the use of Class 1B tyres! Prior to this policy change there were often enough entrants to run two XJS races, one for road going & another for modified cars! (not that it happened).

Certainly for novice drivers with very standard cars, the XJS Championship still takes a lot of beating. The JEC track days are also a great opportunity for prospective racers to try their hand at driving quickly on a race track. There is also usually the opportunity for some tuition or taking your ARDS test.

COSTS: Annual fees £107. 12 races £2075 approx (based mostly on last seasons costs). Total on track racing 180 minutes (est).

GOOD POINTS: Hard to beat for the absolute novice with no prior knowledge of racing. Competitive racing if you enter a road going 6 cylinder car. Good magazine of general Jaguar interest.

NOT SO GOOD: Can be frustrating if you have spent thousands producing a monster powerful 6 litre V12, and then spend 15 minutes trying to find any grip, whilst the more agile 6 cylinder cars are gnashing at your heels! Also frustrating if you are entering any class other than D & have aspirations to win the championship! Value for money? Not great, as entry fees are controlled by the CSCC who are the race organisers. Unfortunately a second race in the PBJ series is not sufficiently discounted (approx £15), which has not helped the grid numbers in that series! Dead Forum!

CSCC FUTURE CLASSICS

The CLASSIC SPORTS CAR CLUB was founded in 2001. There are several series, and the common theme is longer, one / two driver races. The FUTURE CLASSICS series was introduced in 2007, and as an appetiser the 2007 races were priced at just £99 for a 40 minutes! All good things must come to an end however, and the average race in 2008 will be approx £300. This still represents good value, especially if you are sharing the drive. (& costs!!)

COSTS: Annual fees £125. 9 (UK) races £2700 based on CSCC estimate of £300 per race.

GOOD POINTS: Judging by last season, XJS & Saloons fit in well with the series, especially the modified variety. Variety of vehicles. Very few regs. Added interest with pit stops and driver changes. Pounds per minute good value. Good value Test day £95 (members) Snetterton 20th March. Always organise a few other races outside the UK. Croix looks good this year.

NOT SO GOOD: 40 minute races take there toll on the Big Cats, extra consideration needs to be given to cooling etc.

TTRS

The TOYO TYRES RACING SALOONS series is the newest series & possibly the most exciting! The series had it pilot run of two races in 2007. The concept being exceptional value for money, Non profit making, & run by the drivers, with strictly enforced driving standards.

COSTS: Annual fees £100, or race by race @ £20. 13 races £1535 published. Total on track racing 260 minutes.

GOOD POINTS: Being organised by the drivers, in theory the rules, and aims are more likely to be met than series that are run by committees totally out of touch with what the drivers needs & requirements are. All of the 2008 races are brilliant value for money, without cutting corners on the important issues. i.e Castle Combe at £105, and two races on the Silverstone GP circuit (F1) at 25 minute & one at 30 minutes for just £280 !!! Good Forum.

XJS's can run to the JEC regs, but T1R's or 888's are acceptable. Alternatively they can run to the TTRS regs. Cars from other Toyo race series can also run to their own regs in the TTRS.

Two of the TTRS races coincide with JEC races. This may be an oppertunity for a second race at a lower cost, & or longer race than PBJ!

Note! Castle Combe was full, Brands Hatch is full, as is Silverstone although they are taking reserves! Entries are being received for the whole season, post dated cheques accepted. If you want to enter any of the races, my advice is do it now! See latest entry list for all races TTRS ENTRIES then click on TTRS at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

NOT SO GOOD: At present they do not appear to accept payment by plastic, which if your like me, you'll have forgotten years ago where you left the cheque book! I would of course expect to have to pay a couple of % to cover charges! Doesent seem to have put anyone off!

CTCRC PRE 93 CHAMPIONSHIP

The CLASSIC TOURING CAR RACING CLUB PRE 93 series could be losing a few drivers to the TTRS! Veteran racer Brian Stevens has raced an XJS in this series for several seasons. It will be interesting to see where they all end up! It would seem that the CTCRC are not content to just sit back & see what happens! They have responded by offering large discounts on race entries for Castle Combe again this year, dependent upon how many entries they receive. This means that the entry fee could be anywhere between £195 & £115! Membership fees have been frozen at £85 & BARC second races are pitched at just £100.

COSTS: Annual fees £85 12 races £TBC

GOOD POINTS: Established club dating back to 1974. Championship status for the PRE 93 series in 2008. Seem to respond well to a bit of competition from rival series. Jaguars seem to fit in well.

NOT SO GOOD: Value for money does not appear to be close to what TTRS are offering this year!

CONCLUSION

Looking at Club racing history, most new clubs & series have been borne out of frustration over lack of concern & action over the ever changing needs of their club members.

On the whole this appears to be a good thing, as it tends to keep the more established clubs on their toes, or gives them a much needed wake up call!

The needs of drivers are diverse, and depend on a number of factors. Many have limiting financial restraints. Some have aspirations to win a championship. Some want to modify their cars beyond their current series regs. Some want stricter driving standards enforced to reduce the risk of expensive damage. Some want cheating to be detected & dealt with. Some want to race in one marque series, others like variety of opposition. All drivers however like their opinion and requirements to be sought & considered, regardless of whether they are at the front or back of the grid, and whether they have a budget of £3,000 or £30,000!

If you are already in a club and are happy with the way it is run, and what it has to offer, why change. If on the other hand your needs have changed, or you simply want to try something different, why not check out the opposition? Of course there's no reason why you have to switch from one series to another, you may just want to have some extra track time. Castle Combe for instance is extremely rare on the JEC XJS calendar, yet there is a race this year on the 4th October. What a brilliant opportunity it would be to do the TTRS race there in March at less than you would pay for most test days, even if you opt for the one race membership, its still only £125!

We will be adding more info to this page, and welcome any help or suggestions. The information above is believed to be correct, but we are happy to make any changes that are necessary.