Massive Progress For the GT3 Jaguar At Monza

The FIA GT tests at Monza last week saw the first chance for Apex Motorsports to test the Jaguar XKR GT3 in near complete, 2008 specification

The team has had the Jaguar on a major off-season diet and the car also now features a revised supercharger, with a revised suspension package still to come.

The 2008 upgrades were fitted to Stuart Scott’s Cambridge Business Travel/Silverjet -sponsored car for the test ahead of its 2008 race debut at this coming weekend’s Britcar meeting, where Scott and Chris Ryan are entered aboard the gunmetal and chrome beauty for the full season’s Britcar action, together with perhaps selected FIA GT3 rounds.

The next official FIA test will be the equalisation test at Nogaro but the really encouraging thing is the amount of progress we’ve seen already, and the great feedback that almost everyone who drove the car was giving at Monza,” Stuart Scott reported after returning from the test.

That cast list included Apex’s nominated test driver at Monza, none other than ex-Jaguar Group C man David Leslie, who pronounced himself very impressed with the package.

Others too tried the Jaguar for size ahead of the 2008 season, including 2007 FIA GT3 Champion Gilles Vannelet and the 2006 title winner Sean Edwards. “The car was very nice indeed, and very quick in a straight line too,” said Edwards. “I blew by a Corvette on the straight and if I hadn’t been baulked on my last flying lap I reckon it would have been a 1:53.4 easily.”

That time would have been good enough for third fastest overall, progress indeed!