Category: Racing

Could there be a better way to banish the winter lockdown blues than a sunny spring weekend racing at Silverstone Circuit? Life at Swallows has remained hectic over the winter months, but that has never stopped us from being able to focus on the start of the racing season. Continually looking for ways where we can gain vital tenths of a second, the development of Tom’s XJR6 has been maintained throughout. Improvements to cooling, handling, and weight reduction were tested and re-tested before heading to the historic home of British motorsport.…

After warming up the XJR6 at our track day on 20th October it was back to the serious matter of racing with the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club Saloon & GT Championship on 24th October at Castle Combe. With second place overall in the Championship in the bag this was essential a free round with no championship points at stake. Qualifying was on damp but drying circuit and by lap seven Tom had the X300 singing and took pole from the naturally aspirated X300 of Michael Holt but with a healthy three second…

Three weeks on from our successful Pembrey test day we headed to Donington Park for rounds 5 & 6 of the JEC Saloon & GT Championship and it’s fair to say we were feeling optimistic especially with a dry forecast and the XJR6 in fine fettle. Qualifying proved a little tricky with a forty-two cars on the two mile circuit due to having a shared grid with the CSCC Open Series. Never really finding enough air for a totally clean lap, Tom still managed second on the grid and only a…

With very little track time this season due to the Covid restriction and our Snetterton rounds being abandoned due to flooding, we decided to book a last-minute test day at Pembrey circuit in South West Wales. A track we haven’t visited before, Pembrey has been a favourite testing ground for British Touring Cars and even F1. This was a first opportunity to really assess our winter upgrades to the XJR6 on a dry circuit. The high-speed 1.7 mile Pembrey layout proved to be our liking and we able to get in…

With rounds 3 & 4 of the JEC Toyo Tires Watchdogapp.com Saloon & GT Championship moved from Silverstone due to the changes in the F1 calendar, Snetterton in Norfolk a round trip of over 500 miles was our weekend destination. With a little more fettling since our last round at Thruxton we were optimistic of putting in another competitive performance with the XJR6 and being able to contest the podium places. We were pleased to awake on Sunday after the long drive on Saturday to a dry circuit, whilst overcast it…

Well, almost new! Having spent the winter rebuilding the XJR6 race car for the JEC Toyo Tires/Watchdogapp.com Saloon & GT Championship we were nearly ready to race in March, then the world turned on its head and got a bit crazy! So, we decided to go a bit further with the car than we ever intended. As well the necessary engine rebuild with complete new internals, a new ECU has been installed which via a large amount of sensors newly fitted to car allows us to see what’s happening to the…

JEC Racing Awards We were delighted to attend the JEC racing awards dinner on 11th January, held at the Oxford Belfry in Thame. With everyone dressed to suit in black tie, this is the annual big night for racing and chance to catch up with friends and associates. The evening was compared by JEC member and former TWR, Williams, McLaren and Arrows commercial head Richard West and competition secretary Chris Robinson, with awards being presented by JEC board member and former chairman Peter Purdom, Mike Hawthorn collection and museum owner Nigel…

A combination of a heavy workload and Friday traffic chaos meant a late evening arrival at Thruxton in Hampshire for the most ‘local’ round of the JEC Racing Saloon & GT Championship. With the gearbox finally sorted on Tom’s XJR after syncro issues at Anglesey, the mood in the Swallows camp was quietly optimistic. After all, Thruxton is the UK’s fastest circuit which suits the car, and this was where Tom had the best result of the season last year. QUALIFYING Glorious early Autumn sunshine greeted us for qualifying. Getting out…

Six long weeks after the disappointment of Oulton Park we were back on track this weekend at Anglesey, a new circuit for us, and a 260-mile trek north on Thursday afternoon ready for a full day testing on Friday. With a rebuilt gearbox and differential plus a new clutch we were optimistic that Tom’s XJR was in good health and ready for the challenge of the undulating clifftop circuit, probably one of the most scenic tracks in the world. ANGLESEY Friday morning turned out much as forecast and to be pretty…

After a hectic few weeks at Swallows and very little stoppage, we decided that a little time out was in order. With it being a couple weeks since our last race at Oulton and without another round until mid-July we were getting serious racing withdraw symptoms. A trip to Silverstone to see the “big boys” racing in the British GT on Sunday 9th June then seemed to be the best cure. We particularly wanted to be there to support the Invictus Games Racing Team with the Jaguar F-Type SVR GT4 which has…