Jaguar World – July 2019

14 |JaguarWorld/July 2019

MOTORSPORT|JECRACING

WORDSCHRISROBINSONPHOTOGRAPHYROGERGAGE

Hawthorn&XKChallengeDoningtonPark, 20 April 2019

DoningtonParkwasbeautifullyprepared,

lookingimmaculatereadyforthefirstJEC

racefortheHawthornChallengesaloons

andtheXKSportsCarChallengeofthe 2019

season.TheyjoinedtheFairmanCupraceat

thisAMOCmeeting.

Theserieswelcomedthreenewdrivers:

SpikeMilliganinaMk2saloon,Terry

FleetinanXK 14 0andRickWillmottinan

XK 15 0.

Ofthefantasticentryof 31 carsthattook

tothetrackforqualifying,15wereJaguars.

Theyconsistedof 11 saloons,threeXKsand

aListerKnobbly,whichwereupagainstan

eclecticassortmentofFiftiessportscars,

includingaLotusEleven,MGAs,TRs,TVRs,

HealeysandacoupleofAstonMartins.

Attheendofatrouble-free 15 -minute

session,JohnYoungwasfastestofthe

saloons(fourthoverall)inNigelWebb’s

ListerMk1.NextwasDarrenMcWhirterin

hisMk1and,closebehind,NigelWebbin

hisMk1.PeterRatcliff,intheListerKnobbly,

tookoverallpole.

SimonLewiswastheonlycasualtyofthe

sessionwhenhiscarsufferedafailedwater

hose;itwasrepairedintimefortherace.

Race

Itwasagreatsightasthe 31 carsroaredoff

thelineandjockeyedaroundthefirstbend,

Redgate.TheListerKnobblydominatedthe

racefromstarttofinish,beingchasedclosely

bytheLotusElevenLeMans.

Meanwhile,excitingJaguaractionwas

takingplacethroughoutthewholefield.As

JohnYoung,inaMk1,triedtomakeabreak

forit,DarrenMcWhirterfollowedinhot

pursuitinhisMk1,andwashimselfclosely

followedbyRichardButterfieldandNigel

Webb,alsoinMk1s.ChrisKeith-Lucasinhis

XK 15 0,RickWillmottinanotherXK 15 0and

TerryFleetinanXK 14 0gavesteadychase.

Aboutfivelapsin,DaveBye–inRichard

Butterfield’sMk2–sufferedarearhub

failureatCascades,resultinginthecar

comingtorestatthesideofthetrack.Asit

wasdeemedtobeinadangerousplace,the

racewasredflaggedforrecovery.

Racingrestartedwithasix-lapdashto

theflag,butthelongdelaytookitstollon

stressedengines.ChrisKeith-Lucashadto

retirewithsuspectedheadgasketfailure,

andbothGlenPearsonandSpikeMilligan

retiredwithmisfiringengines.

SimonLewisandSimonSeath,inMk1s,

managedtoruntotheendamongheavier

traffic,whileDerekPearceandMichael

O’SheaheldupMk2honourswithfine

races,dicingwithAstonsandHealeys.

Upatthefront,JohnYoungheldoff

DarrenMcWhirter’schargeinathrilling

battle.NigelWebb,whileinhotpursuit

ofRichardButterfield,waspushedoutof

positionbytheoverlyambitiousmove

ofaTriumphTR’sdriverwhomissedhis

braking,leavingNigelinthegraveltrap.

Theflagcameoutaftersixlaps,with

JohnYoungtakingthewinandfastest

lap,fromDarrenMcWhirterandRichard

Butterfield.RickWillmottwasthefirst

XKdriverhome.

DarrenMcWhirterwasawardedDrive

oftheDayintheHawthornChallengeand

RickWillmottreceivedDriveoftheDayin

theXKs.

RichardButterfieldleadsNigelWebb MikeO’SheaandRickWillmott JohnYoungleadsHealeyonfirstlap

DaveByebeforerearhubfailureendedhisrace

WebbgoesoffasTRproceeds

ListerleadsLotusintochicane