Well my local Jaguar Club (part of JCNA Jaguar Clubs of North America, Jaguar Clubs of North America) just staged its spring Slalom (aka autocross) event and I ran my new S-Type 4.2 and did pretty well.

First off for those that may not know the Slalom is a sanctioned event within the JCNA where clubs lay out an identical course and submit times to the national club. This allows times to be compared against those from other clubs and national champions to be determined. The course is tight (to allow clubs to hold the events in restricted space) and roughly consists of a rectangle 300' by 150' with arched ends and two cones spaced about 15' apart 1/2 down each long leg.

Each car gets 5 timed runs that consists of three loops around the rectangle. The first is hour-glass shaped where the driver steers inside of the inner cone on each long leg. The second is a figure 8 where the driver chris-crosses the course and the last is rectangular where the driver goes between the two cones on each long leg (i.e., goes straight down the leg). It's a test of agility and throttle/brake control and runs take about 50 seconds.

I DNF'ed on runs 1 and 5 when I hit cones and didn't bother completing the run but got steady 48s on the other three. I tried with DSC both on and off so that didn't seem to make much difference. I had trouble "placing" the car and realized that much improvements are possible there. But it was just my first time with this car (obtw, it almost matched the best time I ever got with my X-Type so it's clear that V8 power will probably trump AWD on the Jaguar course anyways).

Oh, when I was finished I offered my car to a very experience driver to try out. He took one run and beat my time by about 1 sec. That showed me two things: 1) that an experience driver is faster than me; and 2) that I did pretty damn well with the car the first time out.

Oh, one more thing, everyone one of us should locate and join his local Jaguar club. Many interesting events take place each year and it is great to meet and talk with other Jaguar owners who have special cars some of which are over 50 years old.

Cheers
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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

Very cool! I haven't auto crossed with my Jag, but I have in the past and it is a blast! No pics of the Jag going through the cones?

 

> pics of the Jag going through the cones?

No, but here is a video of an old fellow and his 1930 Austin on the course:


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Jaguar: Grace, Pace, and Space - Sir William Lyons

 

JCNA slaloms are a blast. I haven't run my 03' STR but I've run my '84 XJ-S 3.6 test car. The over-all record in JCNA is in the 37s. No one, that I'm aware of, has really prepped an STR and gone for it. With it's stance and power, I don't doubt an STR could compete.

Best time in 2013 was a low 38s in a modified 6.0 v12 xj-s. The record holder is a modified e-type coupe 4.2. A friend of mine held the record and competes in an xj-s 3.6.

JCNA doesn't cost much to join, and offers services like a tool loan program that now includes S-Type factory tools. And it also offers an autocross program where STR drivers might put the pedal down. The STR isn't just a drag car. All Jags handle, and the STR was built with exceptional grip and handling.

Anyone interested in JCNA membership and slalom can email or private message. I'm JCNA's Legal Counsel, Board of Directors and Executive Committee Member, and STR guy, and would love to see some STRs kick tail in the JCNA slalom.

Cheers,

Rob

'03 STR
'05 S-Type 4.2
'84 XJ-S 3.6 5 speed XJ57 Prototype
'67 E-Type Roadster (sold)
'00 XJ8 Vanden Plas (sold)

 

Woo Hoo

According the Jaguar Clubs of North America I'm the fastest S-Type in the country... :-)

Unfortunately, I'm also the only S-Type (or XF for that matter) that has run a JCAN-sanctioned Slalom event this year... :-(
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Hey RRT why don't you post some applications on the forum??

I bet you would gain a few new members. Maybe even publish the race schedule so we know when the club is in town? I know it's on line but we have some pretty good traffic on the forum.
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You asked:

Jaguar Clubs of North America
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Jaguar - it's not an automobile, it's a Motorcar

 

Thanks TBird for asking, and Pab,

I just realized that Pab is in Beantown. May get to meet you at next year's JCNA Annual General Meeting. Since I hale from Concord and was raised in Westford, also lived in Cambridge a couple of years, I am really looking forward to coming up next year for the annual meeting.

Here's how the slalom deal is set up in JCNA: JCNA is a National Club with 62 local clubs scattered around the States, one club in Mexico, and a few clubs in Canada. The local clubs decide on however many slaloms they want to run each year. The local club sets up its slaloms. They send in a form and the national club sanctions the event. So, the local club can hold as many slaloms etc as it chooses, the slalom rules are posted on the JCNA site. There's one approved course, but there's been talk about changing or adding additional layouts. There's a Slalom Committee within JCNA.

So, depending on where one lives, there may or may not be an active slalom program through the nearest local club. That being said, whoever joins and wants to carry the ball, locally, can hold all the events they desire. Same holds true for clubs that want to hold track days etc. The structure of JCNA provides Jag enthusiasts an organization with boots on the ground in their locale. You can't beat this forum for networking online. It's a better forum than what JCNA has currently, and JCNA is overdue for an updated website etc. JCNA is organized as a 501c7 social club, so it's a nonprofit. It think its a perfect fit for DIY enthusiasts, who, by their nature, have initiative. Just takes focusing the DIY we put into our cars toward organizing sports driving events.

Cheers,

Rob

 

A six cylinder F-Type on stock rubber ran a 40 sec time in the JCNA slalom with a professional driver at the Challenge Championship a couple three weeks ago. That's brutal handling. The course was dirty, lots of gravel etc. On that tight course like the JCNA slalom, the short wheel base helps. But then again, a good xj-s drive has posted low 38s. C'mon modded STR guys, our cars are planted, someone should be able to post below 40.

I'll run my stock STR this year. Check the JCNA site for clubs in your area running slaloms and represent.

Cheers,

Rob

03 STR
05 S-Type 4.2
84 XJ-s 3.6 5 speed XJ57
late 67 E Type Roaster (sold)
'00 XJ8 Vanden Plas (sold)