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Castle Combe Jaguar XK Challenge 5th August 2006

Event Report by John Roberts

Back to Reality and Full English Breakfasts again!!

Castle Combe in the heart of beautiful Wiltshire was the scene of our annual event at this very complex racing circuit built in 1950, just after Silverstone.

I arrived on Thursday for Testing, as lap times can be seriously enhanced by current knowledge/memory of the circuit. It’s only been one year but Combe has so many “blind” corners that Brake Points and Turning Points need to be worked on. Interestingly, tyre pressures and temperatures were well up on the nearside front and rear and still quite low on the Off-Side, as most of the bends are quite fast right-handers!

On Saturday temperatures were a much more respectable 23`C but with very high humidity, which made us “Good Old Boys” (the over 50’s/60’s brigade) perspire just a tad!

During Qualifying at 10am, I settled into a reasonable rhythm and tried to maintain a smooth flowing approach and qualified 8th out of 20 Starters. I was quite pleased, as my first season (last year) I couldn’t break into the Top 10, usually ending up 12th or 13th. This year is quite different, I have better reliability and performance (when I can remember to put enough fuel in the tank). So that meant I was on the 4th row of the grid.

Action shots courtesy of Roger Gage, official JEC photographer
For more XK Jaguar Racing photos visit his web site at www.xkjaguar.co.uk

Start & Finish straight chased by Brian Arculus	Camp Corner hounded down by David Hall	David nearly got me there but didn`t!

The race was a completely different kettle of fish. “Smooth” went out of the window, to be replaced by “Frantic”. However, being on the outside of the grid had it’s advantages. I had a great start, overtaking three cars around the outside of Folly and up to Avon Rise and trying to stay in the middle of the track, hopefully suppressing any fearless overtaking manoeuvres going into Quarry Corner. Twas not to be and a faster/lighter XK120 Roadster took me on the inside, hugging a tighter line.

For the next eight laps I held 6th place, which is the best I have ever done in “Henrietta”, but good old Brian Arculus in his lighter XK 120 and David Hall in his XK140 snuck through at The Esses, which was essentially my fault for leaving the door open for him.

As I said, the race was frantic but really enjoyable and coming out of Quarry Corner and Camp Corner I nearly lost the car a few times, but eventually held on to 8th, with a fast approaching Chris Keith-Lucas who nearly took me on the Finish Line due to a slowing Arculus who held David and I up for the last two laps and nearly choked us to death with oil smoke billowing from his exhaust.

This is my best overall result to date from such a large grid. So serious progress is being made this year.

We now move forward to the Oulton Park Gold Cup to be held on August Bank Holiday weekend. This will be the last Event of the XK Challenge, but we will have two more races to be announced in my next report summary.

John

Hall is still behind, but only just!	JR viewing his mirrors with a full complement of XK`s following	John Roberts

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