Myth Buster
Jaguar C-type
A 1962 E-type driven by Martin O’Connell and Andrew Kirkaldy won a glamorous Jaguar-only race contested by such top names as former BTCC aces, John Cleland and Anthony Reid.
Open to all pre-1966 Jaguars, the Le Mans Classic Jaguar Challenge, which was held late on the Saturday morning and formed the meat in the race sandwich of the preceding Plateau 6 and following Group C race – comprised C- and D-types, MkI and Mk2 saloons and a huge selection of pre-1966 E-types. It was an invitation-only round of a joint wider Historic Sports Car Club/Jaguar Land Rover series that began at Donington in May and whose calendar highlights includes visits to Silverstone and the Oulton Park Gold Cup, before concluding at the Spa Six Hours on 15-16 September.
This year’s Le Mans event drew a record entry list, emphasising the growing appeal of this biennial event and how owners of classic Jaguars are not afraid to use them as Jaguar’s Sir William Lyons intended. Certainly, the sideways action hotted up towards the end of the race as drivers battled for position on rapidly wearing tyres in the blistering heat.
Eventual victory went to the O’Connell E-type, which finished more than 16 seconds ahead of second-placed German driver, Marcus von Oeynhausen’s similar 1962 car. Third went to yet another E-type, this one driven by Anthony Reid and Vincent Gaye.
E-types clearly dominated the field, but six D-types were entered, along with a solitary C-type.