I just returned from my third track day in my 2004 xj8. The track day was held at Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA. The particular track is called "Big Willow". It has 9 turns with uphill and downhill sections. It is a very fast track with two long straights and some sweeping turns that can be negotiated at high speeds.

I always run in the green (novice) group. Not because I do not know the track but because I do not enjoy getting passed repeatedly. Most of the cars out there at track days are more powerful than my 300 hp xj8. Corvettes, Mustangs, Chargers and Challengers, sport model Mercedes, BMW m5 and m6, even Ferraris, Vipers, and once a Ford GT40. Today there was one other Jaguar, an XKR with 510 horsepower. Needless to say most of these guys blow past me on the straight sections regularly. Nevertheless it is fun to drive fast so I go out to do what I can with what I have. I can reach 110-115 on the main straight and almost as fast on the back downhill section. Corvettes can usually reach 130 on the main straight.

So I decided to try to pick up a little speed by just using only 3rd and 4th gears and shifting manually. I can accelerate down the main straight about 4/5 of the way before hitting the red line so I shift briefly into 4th, then back down to 3rd as I brake for turn 1. I can feel the engine braking helping the discs.( BTW, the disc brakes work very well.) Being in 3rd helps quite a bit on the twisty part of the track as there is very little time between corners and no hesitation while it shifts down to a lower gear.

One really has to concentrate to get every detail right on following the line, setting up, braking and turning in to each corner efficiently. Sooo...as I went down the hill on the back side of the track and was at about 110 and ready to brake for a very fast right hand sweeper...the gas shuts off.

I glanced at the tachometer and it read 6600 RPM! A second or so AFTER the gas shut off. OOOOOPS! I had forgotten to shift up to 4th and the motor had revved right past the red line and into self-destruct territory. So the computer shut off the gas. My smart car protected itself against its not-so-smart driver.

Thank you Jaguar engineers. She ran just fine all the way home.

Tom

 

Maybe they should put the word "BANG" on the red sector !

 

I once moved the shifter from D to R while moving forward.

Nothing happened!

 

I had read somewhere that the ZF transmission will not allow the driver to hurt it. I once made the same mistake you did in a Chevrolet Impala. Nothing happened, and I mean nothing. It would not engage in any gear.

So I shut off the motor and re-started it. Everything worked normally after that.

Tom