JAGUAR RACING ACTION - TIMES TWO

Think of it as doubling our efforts, doubling our chances. For this weekend’s season finale of the 2010 American Le Mans Series at Road Atlanta, we’ll be running a second Jaguar XKR GT2. And that makes me twice as happy, writes Paul Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR Principal Partner.

The Petit Le Mans race is a special one for the team. It was here, this time last year, where we debuted our Jaguar XKR GT2 and kicked off our American Le Mans Series campaign.

We’ve learned a lot this season and have definitely been on a steep learning curve. But along the way, we’ve gained reliability, reduced lap times and made significant progress in increasing our straight‑line speed.

Going in to this Saturday’s race, we’re feeling a real sense of optimism. Both cars are running great and have benefited from some key changes we’ve made in recent weeks.

Our friends at MOTEC, for example, have developed a more powerful, more tunable ECU engine management control that is filling‑out the torque curve of our Jaguar 5.0‑liter AJ‑V8, giving us stronger acceleration out of curves.

And the 2.54‑mile Road Atlanta track, with its high‑speed straights and fast, high‑radius turns, also suits our big Jags. With their 108‑inch wheelbase, the 911s are at 92 inches. We’re not at our best in tighter, low‑speed turns, but at Road Atlanta we should be fast.

That said, the Petit Le Mans race is one of the most demanding in the world, covering 1,000 miles or 10 hours around a track that is nothing less than a high‑speed Georgia rollercoaster.

We're pulling together some truly exceptional driving talent for this season finale. My old friends Butch Leitzinger and Tomy Drissi will be piloting the new #33 car. The last time Butch and I were on the same team we took overall victory in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Our big news for this weekend's race is that British sports car legend Andy Wallace will be sharing the #33 car with Butch and Tomy. Andy is no stranger to Jaguars, having helped Jaguar to that memorable outright victory in the 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours. Since then, he’s won the Daytona 24 Hours three times, and the Sebring 12 Hours twice.

As for the #75 car, I’ll be sharing driving duties with regulars Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel.

While this weekend’s Petit Le Mans wraps up our 2010 season, it’s really the start of our attack on the 2011 ALMS challenge. In the coming months we’ll be testing significant new engine developments, while over in the UK, Jaguar’s design team has come up with some key aerodynamic improvements to the XKR’s body. Both should help us see a real difference in our lap times.

Saturday’s race starts at 11:15 a.m., EST. Don’t miss the live coverage on SPEED that kicks off at 11:00 a.m. With two cars, we’re planning on providing twice the action.