PACING LIME ROCK IN AN XFR

Back in 1957, a racing Jaguar D‑type owned by the legendary Briggs Cunningham, set the fastest lap at the first‑ever race meeting at Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park track. Its time was an impressive one minute, 10.4 seconds, writes race instructor and Jaguar enthusiast, Tony Clarkson.

At this year’s Empire Division Jaguar Club Track Day, I was driving the new Jaguar XFR we were using as a pace car. With the a/c on and a fellow club member in the passenger seat, I was timed at one minute, eight seconds.

That is what you call progress. Here was a four‑door family sedan being driven by a, shall we say, mature driver not pushing particularly hard, going two seconds a lap faster than one of the finest race cars of its time, the iconic D‑type.

Around the 1.53‑mile, seven‑turn Lime Rock track, with its soaring elevation changes and demanding corners, the supercharged XFR felt sensational. With 510 horsepower, tremendous grip and extraordinarily good brakes, it was a match for pretty much any of the race cars taking part.

The Empire Division is the oldest of the Jaguar Clubs of North America. Since the late ’50s, it’s been holding its annual Track Day at Lime Rock Park. These days, it runs the two‑day event in conjunction with the Vintage Sports Car Club of America, which meant we had more than 200 cars taking part.

Among the pack were around 25 Jaguar cars, including one of the beautifully‑prepared Donovan Motorsports racing E‑type vehicles, driven incidentally, by BJ Colaric, General Manager, Sales Operations for Jaguar North America. Nick Soprano, of Motor Classic & Competition, also brought along the fabulous XJ13 recreation he looks after for an owner.

The beauty of the event is that it’s more of a track experience day where owners can get the feel of driving at Lime Rock. There’s minimal passing and no prizes for fastest laps. It’s all about owners getting to learn how to drive their cars fast.

I was the chief instructor for the weekend, so I got to take owners out in the XFR to show them the best lines around the track. It was so much fun listening to some of the comments people were making about the Jaguar vehicles.

One owner, a former pilot with Eastern Airlines who has quite a sizeable Jaguar collection, told me he’d felt more g‑forces lapping Lime Rock in the XFR than he had in his whole career of flying.

I think it was the combination of understated good looks, a luxurious interior and exceptional mechanical refinement that impressed people so much.

Certainly after 50 or more laps of Lime Rock, the XFR won my heart. And like me, everyone in the club was truly impressed that Jaguar North America had taken the trouble to make sure we had a car for the weekend.

If you want to see more vintage racing action at Lime Rock Park, the Historic Festival 29 Presented by Jaguar takes place September 2‑5, 2011. You won't want to miss it!