SVRA: Davy Jones reconnects with Jaguar at NOLA

Among the highlights of Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) events like the one at NOLA Motorsports Park this weekend is the presence of Jaguar with famous drivers Davy Jones and Roberto Guerrero. Both drivers have runner-up finishes at the Indianapolis 500 on their resumes to go along with other impressive accomplishments. Davy scored overall victories in the famous endurance races at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring and spent a sizable portion of his pro racing career driving for Jaguar's sports car teams. Roberto raced in Formula 1 and won two Indy car races as well as the pole for the 1992 Indianapolis 500.

Just in case anyone needs convincing of their abilities, take a few hot laps with one of these champions. If you aren't humbled, then your name better be A.J. or Mario.

Jones, who has been working with Jaguar as a driver, a marketing consultant or both for 26 years, is a walking textbook on performance driving. Jaguar customer George Sheffield says, "You immediately begin learning things you never considered before. Things you did not know you did not know."

Jaguar has a sizable footprint on the SVRA tour. Complementing a large hospitality center is an autocross experience for anyone with a valid license and willing to sign the standard legal waiver. Like a go-kart track the course is tight and keeps even the most enthusiastic drivers within a margin of safety. Still, its well-considered layout provides a sensation of speed and allows people to get a taste of the performance of the numerous Jaguar F-Type cars on hand.

The standard program for potential customers is the autocross experience coached by Jones, Guerrero and other professional drivers along with hot laps on the actual racetrack. Observant participants will quickly note the sharp contrast between the computerized F-Types and the vintage racecars of yesterday's technology.

Jones speaks casually as he hurtles through NOLA's sharp turns, abrupt esses and then blasts down the quarter-mile front stretch concluding in a tight first turn. On the stretch he gestures with one hand in the manner of an undulating surfboard while easily topping 100mph.

"The car is a platform and the job is to understand where it wants its weight distributed," Jones says. "Always look ahead and finish your braking before you start your turn. At the same time apply the throttle smoothly as you relax the brake. It's more important to be fast coming out of a corner than fast going in."

Easier comprehended than performed by mere mortals. The point, though, is that the advanced capabilities of the 2016 F-Type allow drivers to attain levels of performance they could not have achieved in less sophisticated automobiles.

Jaguar officials explain the design of the car's cockpit is inspired by the Euro Fighter Typhoon Jets of Britain's Royal Air Force. Jaguar has changed the paradigm in many ways and has demonstrated that mindset by not calling the car a "two-seater" but instead a "one plus one" design. The input controls are the purview of the driver as the passenger is given both right and left hand grips to hold on for dear life.

Jaguar thinks of the machine as a living creature that can sense, through intelligent driveline dynamics, who is driving and adjust factors like braking, gearing and throttle response to accommodate driving styles – or skill levels. A good example is torque vectoring through braking. The F-Type will distribute braking pressure to the inside wheels through the apex of a turn to create rotation and correct for understeer.

By activating "sport mode" with the gear selector the car knows to enable manual transmission if the driver squeezes the paddle shifters. Sport mode also adjusts throttle response and engine mapping to give the driver greater engagement.

A toggle switch on the center console activates driving mode. One choice is to tell your F-Type you are in winter weather so it can anticipate grip issues and stopping challenges. The other choice is "dynamic mode," which provides sharpened throttle response, increased steering weight for accuracy and control, faster shifting at higher revs and stiffer suspension to heighten road feel.

For customers like Sheffield, who is now considering a 2016 F-Type to replace the 2015 he already owns, the technical advances of even one year are significant. He especially appreciates the forgiving nature of all-wheel drive, now available on the cars. George was at the track Thursday and is considering returning to NOLA on Tuesday when Jaguar will hold a performance academy headed by Jones that takes a deep dive into the potential of the machine.

"The Jaguar F-Type is a tool and I want to know how to get the most out of it," Sheffield says. "Honestly, I think this is an exotic car. The lines are beautiful and everywhere I go in my F-Type I find people pulling their camera phones out and asking questions. The real motivation to drive in the performance academy is that I want to learn how to get the most out of my investment."

Meanwhile Jones, Guerrero and the entire Jaguar team greet their guests in the midst of a beehive of SVRA activity. Racecars roar back and forth between sessions and events as Jaguar's customers not only soak in the atmosphere but also become a part of it.

"SVRA and Jaguar are a good fit," says Jones. "There is a vibrancy to bringing customers into an authentic racing paddock and making them a part of the action. There's a match because of Jaguar's heritage in motorsport."