Britcar Silverstone
After a hugely encouraging test session at Monza for the FIA GT launch where the CBT Jaguar XKR GT3 showed real form in the hands of ex Jaguar factory driver David Leslie, hopes were high that 2008 might see the return of the big cat to regular podium finishes.
A combination though of poor weather and bad luck would see Stuart Scott and Chris Ryan chasing hard all weekend.
The rather disjointed pattern of progress for the Jaguar boys started with the free practice sessions, Stuart getting barely 10 laps under the wheels of the car in a 90 minute session after a series of red flag interruptions.
The second sessions saw much wetter conditions, again blunting the ultimate pace for both Stuart and Chris. It would set a weekend-long pattern of difficult tyre choices in rapidly changing conditions.
Qualifying on Saturday started with Stuart out on wets but the track immediately started to dry out and with short qualifying sessions a change midway through the period would have been impracticable. The team used the session to bed in brakes.
Chris was up next and this time the XKR was sent out on slicks…………..just in time for the rain to make its very unwelcome re-appearance!
“It was almost funny in a way but the result of all of that was that our fastest time was done on slicks in the wet.
The Jaguar would start a none too encouraging 26th on the grid for the 2 hour race.
Stuart would start the race but again there was uncertainty over the tyre choice with conditions looking set to change again rapidly.
“One of the crew rang his mum who lives nearby where it was snowing. We had to choose and I went for slicks for the start of the race.”
Then there was confusion over the start – some crew had been made aware that there would be just a single green flag lap whilst others hadn’t got the message – The net result was something of a mish mash at the start with some drivers fully ‘on it’ and others left flat footed expecting to go around again.
After 4 or 5 laps the Apex decision on rubber looked the wrong one as the heavens opened with a vengeance. Such was the rainfall though that even wets would have been insufficient – “I took the chance to stay out there and try to tough it out to the pit window but ended up spinning three times on a single lap at one point,” said a wide eyed Stuart Scott.
He was however doing better than many others in truly horrendous conditions, the Jaguar quickest of all at several points in the deluge and Stuart making up 10 places from his start position before pitting to hand over the car to Chris Ryan.
“I really eased off towards the end of my stint, it was really treacherous out there and the important thing was to bring the car back undamaged.”
Chris Ryan stormed out and made immediate progress up through the order, an encouraging result looked very possible – That was until the Jaguar was called in for a stop-go penalty for a refuelling stop infringement.
The experienced Apex Motorsport crew were baffled at the decision and the appearance of the Clerk of the Course post-race to apologise for what appears to have been a misinterpretation of the rule book by a pitlane steward didn’t do much for a sense of bonhomie either!
The net result was that the CBT Jaguar came home in a disappointing 12th slot, but there was encouragement aplenty for the renewed competitiveness of the XKR GT3 after Richard Lloyd’s crew’s off-season efforts
The CBT car will miss the next Britcar round but will be back for one of the jewels in the Britcar crown, the support race for the visit of the A1GP circus to Brands Hatch’s fabulous Grand Prix circuit.
Before then though the car will be out in international action at the opening round of the FIA GT3 Championship at Silverstone, accompanied it seems by a pair of sister cars. The signs are that if luck is on the Apex Motorsport crew’s side that the cat could just be back!
