Jaguar’s motorsports involvement dates back to its earliest days around 75 years ago. The famous 24 Hours of Le Mans has been part of that history since 1951 when a C-Type won the endurance race in its first time out. Jaguar is now set for a return to the race this year with a factory entry for the first time since the Tom Walkinshaw built XJR-14 prototypes of the early 1990s.
This year, instead of seeking overall victory with a prototype, Jaguar is aiming for top honors in GT2 with a production-derived XKR built by Lansing, MI based Rocketsports Racing. The JaguarRSR XKR GT2 performed some practice laps at the Petit Le Mans last year before its competition debut in the ALMS finale at Laguna Seca. RSR owner Paul Gentilozzi will share seat time with Scott Pruett and Marc Goossens in the 24 hour race. The XKR will also be taking part in the full American Le Mans Series season this year starting at the 12 hours of Sebring next month.
Details of Jaguar’s wins at Le Mans 24-hours:
1951
Model: C-type
Race No.: 20
Drivers: Peter Walker, Peter Whitehead
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): First Jaguar win; 2244 miles, 93 mph
1953
Model: C-type
Race No.: 18
Drivers: Tony Rolt, Duncan Hamilton
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): Second Jaguar win; 2540 miles, 106 mph
1955
Model: D-type
Race No.: 6
Drivers: Mike Hawthorn, Ivor Bueb
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): Third Jaguar win; 2570 miles, 107 mph
1956
Model: D-type
Race No.: 4
Drivers: Ron Flockhart, Ninian Sanderson
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): Ecurie Ecosse entry; fourth Jaguar win; 2507 miles, 104 mph
1957
Model: D-type
Race No.: 3
Drivers: Ron Flockhart, Ivor Bueb
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): Ecurie Ecosse entry; fifth Jaguar win; 2732 miles, 114 mph
1988
Model: XJR-9LM
Race No.: 2
Drivers: Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): TWR Jaguar Sport entry; sixth Jaguar win; 394 laps, 3313 miles, 138 mph
1990
Model: XJR-12
Race No.: 3
Drivers: John Nielsen, Price Cobb, Martin Brundle
Result: 1st
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure): TWR Jaguar Sport entry; seventh Jaguar win; 359 laps, 3034 miles, 127 mph
