Tag: jaguar racing
2025 Race Season Round Up Having put in a lot of time and effort into pre-season testing with various trips to Donington Park, Castle Combe and Llandow, we felt we had thoroughly prepared for the 2025 season. Top of the agenda was resolving cooling issues with Jack’s XK8 that caused some issues last season. The OEM cooling clearly had its limitations, so working closely with PWR Advanced Cooling Technology whose products are used in F1, we came up with a new cooling package for the XK8. We are working with PWR…
Modifying and upgrading race cars as well as road cars takes you into some interesting territory, often with great benefits, even when you revisit a car you think you know well. This month we are going to take a further look at my X300 XJR6 that took me to the 2022 Jaguar Championship. After securing the championship, I put the car away and it’s hardly turned a wheel since. After several people told us that we were ‘barking up the wrong tree’ or just ‘barking’ and that a XJR6 would never…
Its that time of year again where Swallows Racing hosts its cars and coffee event, opening the doors to 3 regions of the JEC as well as friends and customers to enjoy artisan coffee, good food and great conversion. Sunday the 1st of June at 09.00am until 01.00pm we will host roughly 150 people, giving you the opportunity to see all of our race cars and builds. This insight will also include how we create our cars through design and fabrication to geometry set up and driver coaching. We will have…
Twenty-one years have passed since legendary British Touring Car Champion and race car builder Andy Rouse proudly unveiled his bold plan for the future of touring car racing in the UK. It was 2004, when Rouse took the wraps off the Jaguar X Type SCV8 at the Autosport International show with fellow series planner and business partner Pete Hall. Sadly the ‘Brave New World’ of SCV8 racing never came to fruition. The only legacy of the plan was the car itself which Rouse and Hall had ploughed a small fortune into.…
Our annual track day at Castle Combe with our partners the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club is always a highlight of our calendar. With persistent rain leading up to 15th October we anxiously checked the BBC weather site and pleasingly Tuesday looked fair, however for Gary and the team setting up the evening before it was pretty wet. The paddock quickly filled with a range of Jaguars, F-Types, XK8’s, XKR’s, E-Types, S-Types, XJ’s and a selection of race cars from the JEC Racing Saloon & GT Championships. The day was supported by a number…
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…
Silverstone, the home of British motorsport, going to race there always brings added excitement and anticipation, after all this where our heroes have raced and fought to become champions, it is steeped in history. The International circuit was the venue for rounds 3 & 4 of the Jaguar Enthusiasts club GT and saloon car championship. After a strong showing in the first two rounds at Snetterton four weeks ago Tom Robinson in our number four car was in positive mood going to a circuit which he knew would suit the car.…
With no time to draw breath after our highly successful Open Day on Saturday 30th March, we set the Sat Nav’s for Snetterton in Norfolk and the JEC Saloon & GT Championship season curtain raiser. After a long drive from Somerset and arriving at gone midnight we grabbed some much-needed shut eye. The break of dawn revealed a bright crisp sunny day and near perfect conditions for testing. Tom Robinson continues this season to pilot the number four XJR and we are delighted to announce that he has been joined on the…
Our first track day of the year at Brands Hatch and spring arrived early … On 22nd February we had a rude awaking with a 4.00am alarm call to get us to a misty Brands Hatch in Kent for the first Jaguar Enthusiast Club track day of the year. With the 8.30am drivers briefing completed and the mist cleared the glorious undulating curves of this famous circuit were revealed in fabulous February sunshine. This is where Nigel Mansell battled teammate and arch rival Nelson Piquet to win the 1986 British F1 grand…