LOW LEVEL FLYING, XFR-STYLE

I knew my XFR was fast and had great handling, but on the track, its capabilities just blew me away, writes Captain Jeff Burley, Jaguar XFR owner and A‑10 Warthog attack fighter pilot, U.S. Air Force.

Note: Capt. Burley recently purchased a 2010 Jaguar XFR which entitled him to attend the recent day‑long Jaguar R‑ Performance Academy at the Homestead‑Miami Speedway in Fla. Capt. Burley, who’s based at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., leaves for his third tour in Afghanistan in the New Year.

I’d been looking for an XF for a couple of years. It’s such a beautiful‑looking car. I’d had a Porsche Cayman, but my wife and I wanted a sports sedan with more space to carry friends around. Something nice and comfortable for daily driving.

My wife and I decided to visit a local Jaguar dealership, where we saw some XFs out on the lot which intrigued us enough to walk into the showroom. That’s when we saw the XFR. My wife was blown away saying, “Wow, that is absolutely gorgeous.” We knew we couldn’t leave the dealership without getting behind the wheel.

The test drive in this amazingly fast and beautiful car was all it took to have us hooked. Upon our return my wife already had her mind set saying “Come on, let’s buy it. Let’s do it while we can.” Here I was thinking to myself that I brought my wife to be the voice of reason and here she was telling me to go for it! As you can imagine, she did not have to twist my arm very hard, as we came home with a supercharged 510‑horsepower XFR.

A few weeks later, I received a letter in the mail informing me that as a new owner of a Jaguar R model, I was invited to sign‑up for a complimentary R Performance Academy driving school. The next program would be at Homestead‑Miami in December – it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I’ve done a couple of driving schools in the past. The Porsche Sport Driving School at Hockenheim in Germany – I signed‑up for it after I scared myself silly driving too fast at the Nürburgring. And then there was also a BMW Performance Driving School in Spartanburg, South Carolina that I participated in.

Where the other schools were all about ABS stopping and emergency lane changes, I knew the Jaguar R Performance Academy would be more focused on performance and high‑speed car control and I couldn’t wait!

In the end, it was a truly remarkable experience that way exceeded my expectations. Yes, it was extremely intense with a lot of high‑speed laps around the Homestead banking and fast infield, but I learned a great deal.

The instruction was second to none. These guys were really enthusiastic about teaching you, and seemed to get more excited the faster you went. I loved the follow‑the‑leader sessions and the individual instruction was beyond thrilling.

Of course I’d heard of Davy Jones, the chief instructor, but it was only when I Googled him that I realized the extent of his experience. This is the guy that won the 24 Hours of Daytona in a Jaguar XJR‑12 in 1990; won Le Mans in 1996; and placed second in the Indy 500 in the same year. And now here he is sitting next to me, teaching me the best line to take around the Homestead banking.

The R Performance Academy was an incredible experience that taught me a great deal about my XFR. I can't wait to put my new driving skills to use behind the wheel of my R‑type Jaguar!