Jaguar returns to the starting grid at Le Mans on June 12 with the XKR GT2 sports cars in the world's leading endurance racers. The new JaguarRSR racing car makes its European debut this week at the 2010 Autosport International at the NEC in Birmingham, UK. Jaguar asked the Michigan-based RSR team to help create a race car to compete in GT2 racing in 2010. The Jaguar engineering and design teams, based in Coventry, have jointly developed the car from a standard road-going XKR with the RSR team. It is the first and only chance for the public to see the stunning new XKR GT in the metal before it heads back to the US to compete in the entire 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in North America.
After taking centre stage at the car show, the JaguarRSR XKR GT2 will visit 'home' by making stops at Jaguar headquarter sites in Whitley and Castle Bromwich in the UK. 'It will be incredibly exciting to take the JaguarRSR XKR GT back to the team at Jaguar who worked so hard to make this dream a reality,' added Gentilozzi. 'A picture may be worth a thousand words, but seeing this car in person is priceless.'
The competition car uses the standard Jaguar XKR lightweight aluminium monocoque together with additional steel reinforcements and safety structure developed by RSR. The 5.0-litre V-8 engine boasts 550 horsepower at 7000 rpm and a maximum speed of 180mph.
Sport Car - Jaguar XKR GT2 2010 made its racing debut during the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, in September 2009. The car took its first green flag in the American Le Mans Series season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in October and is set for a full-season championship effort in 2010.
Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars said, ‘Motorsport has always been important to Jaguar. Our domination of Le Mans in the 1950s was a foundation stone in our history and our success in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s reinforced our reputation as one of the great sports car manufacturers.
‘As we look to the future with our new range of high performance ‘R’-branded cars – the XKR and XFR – we aim to make the Jaguar brand synonymous with motorsports once again. It’s good to be back’. Jaguar has huge experience in the 24H Le Man races, so we expect them to perform well and bring good satisfaction of the million fans.
Sport Car - Jaguar XKR GT2 2010