Snetterton Lays Golden Reward
One thing motorsport teaches you is to never count your chickens. So, although Tom went into the race weekend at Snetterton Park with a healthy twenty-three-point lead over his nearest rival, there were twenty-eight points up for grabs, so nothing taken for granted in terms of securing the championship. With work still to be done and a five-hundred-mile round trip the race truck was loaded with Tom’s XJR6, Matthew’s XJR6 (to be driven by Jack) Steve’s XKR and Andrew’s XJ40 for the pre-dawn early departure on Friday.
The weather has not been kind to the Jag racers at Snetterton in recent years, however dawn revealed a sunny if but cold autumnal Saturday morning, perfect weather for supercharged race cars! An early qualifying session and Tom posted his quickest ever lap around the Norfolk circuit giving him a massive four second advantage over the next Jaguar on the grid. For Jack, Steve, and Andrew it was all about learning a new circuit whilst posting respectable times. Qualifying threw the first of several gremlins that were to come over the weekend for Jack and he only managed the minimum of three laps qualifying in the XJR6. Steve finally got on top of his brake issues that had given him problems at Brand Hatch GP and with growing confidence he started to post so useful laps. Every race day is a school day now for Andrew in his first season, he is becoming ever more consistent and used the qualifying session wisely, an A+.
From a rolling start Tom got off to a flyer, passing several Thunder Saloons and Fords on the huge forty-seven car shared grid. Not surprisingly with such disparity and numbers the red flag appeared after just one lap with a Peugeot 306 dropping oil at Coram. A curtailed race, grid reform and another rolling start and Tom managed a repeat. Jack was also managing huge progress from the back of the grid gaining a large amount of ground until receiving the black and orange with oil from the breather pipe finding its way onto the exhaust and producing a lot of smoke. Steve meanwhile was finding his feet gaining a massive ten places and six seconds over qualifying, eventually bringing the XKR home third in class. Not far behind, Andrew was having a great tussle with the XJS of Steve Anderson, Andrew finally settling for third in Class B narrowly behind his rival.
With Tom’s closest championship competitor Colin Philpott sadly retiring from race one, it handed Tom and unassailable lead in the championship, but with another race to come on Sunday the champagne was kept on ice.
Sunday was another dry day, team early breakfast consumed, there was just long enough time to digest it before heading out onto circuit. Sunday was almost a repeat of Saturday, great start from Tom followed by another early red flag. This time Chris Boon in his XKR suffering a split oil cooler pipe and depositing oil at Williams Corner. After the clean up and grid reform, Tom once again put the hammer down at the rolling restart passing five slick shod Thunder Saloons in the process. Impeccable driving and consistently quick lap times brought Tom his tenth overall Jaguar victory of the season from twelve starts. The title well and truly clenched with two rounds to spare.
Jack was making up huge ground with a Swallows Racing one, two looking very possible after some overnight repairs and new radiator courtesy of our friends in Norfolk, Black Country Jags. Scything his way through the field, bravely late on the brakes and holding off the hugely experienced Colin Philpott, Jack looked far from the novice racer that started the season. Fate however dealt Jack another cruel blow and a fuelling issue brought Jack coasting into the pits for a second DNF. Our disappointment for Jack was tempered to some extent by our delight for our friend from PVE Steve claiming his first trophy with third place overall and an excellent second in Class D in the XKR. Andrew was having a repeat battle with Steve Anderson in Class B giving the more experienced racer a lot of food for thought before finally conceding to the XJS, local circuit knowledge perhaps working against Andrew on this occasion.
Racing over and time for the celebration, the Champagne corks flew and the realisation of dream that began six years previously a first championship for Tom and the Swallows Racing team. Winning never comes without a huge amount of help we would again like to thank our partners, sponsors, family, and friends who contributed to such a successful weekend at Snetterton and the whole season so far, not least; Vision Techniques, AVO, PVE, Tarox, Jaguar Enthusiasts Club (JEC TrackSport), Meguiar’s, Naked Signs and Pipercross. We look forward to the next rounds at Donington Park on 22nd & 23rd.
