There is another good thread about a later generation XKR owner going to the track, but I thought I would share my brief experience with the previous generation.

Car - 2003 XKR coupe, bone stock configuration except for supercharger pulley modification. This car is fitted with the factory handling package option (stiffer suspension and lower ride height, mainly; 20" paris wheels with fresh Hankook Ventus12 rubber all around).

Track - Palmer Motorsports Park, Palmer, MA, USA. This place is amazing - a brand new track with plenty of tight turns situated in rural Massachusetts.




Layout:




Event - SCCA Track Night. Not a time trial, not fender-to fender racing (at least not officially, really). More like open practice with rules on passing. Track night also targets street cars, not race-only machines. It's designed for regular people to get out there and experience track driving, pushing themselves and the cars a lot more than they could on the streets, and essentially practicing and gauging themselves for competitive events. Though a lot of guys were using timers, apps and devices to measure their performance, it's not officially a competitive event, thus there's no points, trophies or qualifying standards.

You don't need to be an SCCA member and the cost is about $150, but varies with different tracks. There is also an insurance option for about $65, depending upon the deductible selected - I'd recommend that for a daily driver as regular insurance likely won't cover damage to your car during any track time. This track day insurance only covers damage to your car, not liability, but your liability should be reduced anyway since everyone participating sings a waiver, being that track racing is an inherently dangerous activity.

Synopsis - Gates opened at 3PM, last group ran at 7:20, and the track was closed by 9. Hence, even though it was "track night" it took place under plenty of daylight. I don't remember seeing any lights on this track anyway. As for groups, it was broken down into three - novice, intermediate and advanced. While this wasn't my first rodeo, it had been quite a while since I'd been on a track, the track itself was completely foreign to me, and I've never raced this car. Intermediate made the most sense, though even then the intermediate group had plenty of guys with a ton of experience.

Before beginning, everybody had to tech inspect their cars according to a checklist given to them by the SCAA organizers. This was odd to me - at every event I've ever been to, whether autocross or track, cars line up and a tech inspector goes down the list and checks off everything. I've seen cars get rejected for not meeting the standards, or at least needing to correct a problem before being allowed to compete. Having people tech their own cars seems a bit flaky to me, but that's how it was.

Also there were plenty of guys in shorts and t-shirts. Though not every track requires it, I think it makes good sense to wear long sleeved garments (at least something that won't melt (thick cotton, versus a polyester Underarmor t-shirt) and flame resistant drivers gloves at a minimum. That, and you still need a current-spec Snell certified helmet. Aside from insisting on Snell 2005 or better helmets (again, you self-certify), they didn't seem to care about attire, beyond no flip flops or other problematic foot wear.

The groups ran in 20 minute segments beginning at 4:20. I made it my mission to put the car in "S" mode, stay out of everybody's way, and proceed to find out what it (and I) can do, what noises, creaks, smells, etc. emanate from the car under stress (windows are open during the race), and gradually ramp it up from there.

The cars were released about ten or fifteen seconds apart, and coming out of the pits is the one place we were advised to watch for cars coming around the wall after the big straightaway (see Turn 1 on map). Approaching turn 2, the track drops down and to the left so you cannot see what's in store as you approach, but it's a big turn with plenty of room in case something is in store. Finding a line here was tricky for me at first; I experimented with different entry points. Turn 2 is a fast one, but leading into 3 you see a nice tire wall to remind you of the sharper left coming up.

The lead from there into 4 is a straightaway, but this officially wasn't a passing zone. As I mentioned, there are rules on passing - only on the straightaways. Even then for the first session there were "no passing" signs on these parts, probably just to get everyone familiar with the track before they really opened up in sessions two and three. Throughout every corner, there were cones placed at the entry points which most of the time I felt were pretty dead on.


Racing with an automatic transmission was new to me - I'm used to doing something with my left foot and right hand. There were times when the transmission left to it's own devices seemed confused. The uphill hairpin from turn 5 into 6 was an example - coming out of 6 into the straightaway to 7 is uphill and a serious hole - you really have to stomp on it to get the 6HP26 to pay attention. This is also the place where I noticed the DSC light coming on. I did not switch off the traction/DSC control, but I may experiment with that next time.

Turn 7 is a quick right into a steep downhill, then a left hairpin turn 8, which feels like a corkscrew rollercoaster ride. 8-9 is a quick transition into a brief straightaway before turn 10, a slightly downhill hairpin leading to a moderate straightaway. I saw some disturbed dirt in the exit of turn 10 from people probably getting a little too aggressive too soon. Turn 11 was the only part where I thought the cone didn't reflect exactly where to turn, but it was close enough. The right entry there made turn 12 smooth as silk, but between that and turn 14 there are at least two apexes - choose carefully. I came around another time and saw plenty of dust still in the air right before turn 14 where someone went off the rails, but was able to get back on and continue.

At turn 15 leading into the main straight (which really isn't all that straight), this is where I made the supercharger sing - the XKR felt solid and secure. I should mention would not want to be there with my previous car, a 1997 XK8, which felt uncomfortably funny at anything over 90mph. I got the XKR up to at least 110, perhaps a tad more, which is more or less what other guys were getting. One guy in a vette got his car up to 120, but admitted "...it took a while to get my nuts back out of my chest after that..."

The entry back into Turn 1 was numbered with 4,3,2,1 signs to help drivers gauge their entry. Coming around the wall to the left bought be back to the entry point where cars would approach on the left - caution advised.

Overall observations

Brakes - I was very grateful to have Brembos managing the stopping power. They'd always been great on the street to the point where I actually worry about getting rear-ended by absent minded commuters. Here, they did not fade at all - until the last couple of laps on my final 20 minute session. I noticed a fade coming into turn 10, and again going into 11 (combined with what I think was the ABS kicking in). This could be for a few reasons.

First, the cross drilled Brembo rotors are the factory original and due for a replacement. Thinner steel means less material to overheat, so perhaps with a fresh set they would hold up better. Still, with breaks of about 40 minutes between sessions, this should have given them some cooling time. Then again, it was nearly 90 degrees out, even that late in the afternoon. Second, with the DSC activated, the brakes were occasionally used without my input. I didn't mind and for all I know the DSC is a nice safety net, but it is a factor when it comes to cooling.

Finally, I used the brakes more often than I would have with a manual car. To me, racing with an automatic is as I mentioned, just a bit weird. Yes, I know, automatics have come a long way. However, putting flappy shifters on a TH350 and calling it "shiftable" does not truly make the grade, a-la the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, etc. Granted, the 6HP26 is a very advanced transmission, but neither is it a race-bred shiftable automatic. With a manual tranny, downshifting and engine braking are much more apparent and predictable. With an auto - who really knows what the hell it's doing - or about to do? I never really got the feeling of an engine brake, nor did I want to mess with the shifter just yet, so I kept the sport mode on and reached for the brakes more often than usual.

I will try manually shifting the 6HP26 next time, once I get a better feel for the car on a track (done) and a bit more information as to the wear factor when manually shifting under performance conditions (still working on this). There's just not a lot of data out there - anyone with experience tracking their cars with this transmission, I am all ears.

Tires - I couldn't rate the Hankook Ventus V12 any higher. For this price point I am very impressed with their performance. The rear end got a little lose but it was always predictable and I never got any surprises from them. There were others running the exact same tire. When I came off the track the tires were sticky as slicks!

Seats/belts - as another poster suggested, you can play with the seat belt and the power adjustments to cinch yourself into the stock seats pretty well. That said, I still slid around a bit. Even the so-called sport seats don't look like they would prevent much sliding on the bottom as they're pretty flat.

Underhood - my brake reservoir cap oozed a little bit of fluid under hard cornering. May be worth replacing the cap with a fresh one, but I don't think the minuscule amount of fluid escaping had anything to do with brake fade. Heat was a problem during my second 20 minute session, which was the hottest part of the day. I left the track one or two laps early when my temp light went on - not taking any chances! I may remove the front license plate to allow for greater air flow next time. That and I may use something to properly gauge the engine temp aside from the "idiot light disguised as a temp gauge" in the dash board.

Car - this is not a track car, but it can still be fun. As we all know, even with the best driver under optimum conditions, the early generation XKR will not be beating times set by pure sports cars with similar power levels. I was reminded on a couple of occasions that there was still an XJS rear suspension back there, but the stiff suspension of the handling package quieted the concerns most of the time. As mentioned, I felt quite a bit more confident with this car under high speed track conditions than I ever would have with an XK8 and its ordinary braking and handling abilities. It's no small coincidence that my car was the only Jaguar there out of at least fifty cars. But as I said, it can still be a fun time and a worthwhile experience to try your hand at the track.

Given the expense of upgrading an early generation XK8, if you are interested in a Jaguar that you can occasionally take to the track, I would advise the XKR wholeheartedly. And skip the convertibles unless you want to either install a roll cage or do some chassis stiffening as body roll will be much more noticeable. SCCA Track Night events require some sort of roll over protection for convertibles anyway.

Overall, it was a total rush and great day overall - I left both physically drained and educated. I recommend it for anyone with the car and the desire to do it.

 

√ery cool write up

 

Thanks. They also have a photographer (or two) on hand during the event who's adept at getting multiple pictures of all cars in every group. First download is free; with reasonable charges after that for a complete download of selected (or all) pics, physical prints if desired, etc.