Automotive History Comes to the Kettle Moraine

The Kettle Moraine region of Wisconsin is known for its lush summertime greenery, its long cold winters, great Bratwurst, fine cheeses and ultra high end home fixtures. But this area, a souvenir of the Ice Age when massive glacial movements formed the local Moraines (and created Lake Michigan along the way), is also 'Sports Car Country' and home to perhaps the finest race track in North America.

In 1955, a local highway engineer named Clif Tufte, carved Road America out of a large pasture, just a few miles South of Elkhart Lake. From 1950 to 1954, sports car races were run on the local roads under supervision of the State Police and the Chicago Region of the SCCA. When an eight‑year old spectator was killed in a similar street race at Watkins Glen, NY, open road racing came to an end in most of the U.S.

The first purpose‑built race track in the U.S., Road America has been host to every form of racing from Sports Prototypes, to Indy Cars to NASCAR Stockers. This weekend, Road America is playing host to one of the top Vintage Racing events in North America, The Kohler International Challenge with Brian Redman.

Road America is also the location for the first leg of the Jaguar North American Challenge Series, part of the year‑long global celebration of the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the E‑Type. The series consists of three races for Jaguar E‑Type vintage race cars including a points championship specifically for racing E‑Type cars. The E‑Type championship trophy, along with The Spirit of Jaguar and Drivers Choice Awards, will be presented at the season finale at Lime Rock Park in Conn., at the track’s Historic Festival 29 Presented by Jaguar, over Labor Day weekend.

The crowd, estimated to be in the range of 46,000+, made sure the Jaguar new car display area, which was right after the entrance to the Road America Paddock, was busy all weekend.

"Between Friday and Saturday we had more than 110 people sign up for a chance to take a ‘Hot Lap’ with one of our Jaguar R Performance Driving Academy instructors, including Le Mans winner and Jaguar IMSA GTP champion, Davy Jones," said Jason Debski, manager of the display.

Headlining the display were two Jaguar XKR Black Packs. Also on display were the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XF. Interspersed among the eye‑catching new cars were prime examples of Jaguar heritage, which included the Huffaker Jaguar V‑12 Series III E‑Type, driven in the early 70’s by the late Lee Mueller, which along with the Group 44 Jaguar V‑12 Series III E‑Type driven by Bob Tullius, took on all comers with the Group 44 car taking the National Championship in the B‑Production class in 1974. On Sunday, the Group 44 Jaguar XJR‑5 joined the group.

"This has been an extraordinary weekend so far, and we are just getting started," says George Bruggenthies, President and General Manager of Road America. "We have over 460 race cars here; 300 Concours participants and about 500 cars that will participate in the tour around Road America, where they get to drive on the track, but at low speeds. That’s about 1,260 cars all tolled, which has to be a record," he added.

Another highlight of the event were the E‑Type vehicles that took part in the Jaguar North American Challenge Series race with 10 cars covering the entire range of E‑Type models from 1962 through 1974, including the 1964 Briggs Cunningham E‑Type competition Coupe from the Collier Collection in Naples, Fla., and Mike Kornell’s magnificent recreation of the aforementioned Group 44 Jaguar V‑12 Series III E‑Type.

With 13 Jaguar E‑Type cars entered in the inaugural round of the series on Sunday, this was the "main event" for Jaguar aficionados. Check back for race results in Part 2. 

All photos by Pete Klinger.