Jaguar XJR-15 Race

1991 Jaguar XJR15

A limited number of XJR-15s were built by Jaguar specifically to compete in the 1991 Jaguar Sport Intercontinental Challenge; a three-race competition held throughout the year as a support event for the 1991 Formula One Grand Prix at Monaco, Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps.

Sixteen cars built in racing specifications were entered in each of the events. The winner of the third and final race, Armin Hahne, was awarded a cash prize of US$1 million.

Having parted with nearly US$1m for their cars, most XJR-15 owners wanting to participate in the Intercontinental Challenge got professional drivers to drive the cars. Preparation and maintenance by Jaguar Sport was included in the purchase price of the race cars. At stake for the winners of the first two rounds were a pair of Jaguar XJR-S road cars whilst at the Spa finale there was a US$1m winner-takes-all prize fund.

A maximum of 16 grid slots were available for each event and all three were fully subscribed. Derek Warwick emerged on top of the timesheets in Monaco qualifying followed by Armin Hahne, Jim Richards, David Brabham and Davy Jones. Rounding out the top ten were Bob Wollek, Tiff Needell, John Nielsen, Ian Flux and Juan Manuel Fangio II.

Each race kicked off with a rolling start administered by Tom Walkinshaw and the charge into Ste Devote saw Warwick and Hahne touch several times before Warwick emerged in front. On lap two, John Nielsen ran wide at Tabac and thumped the barriers on both sides of the track before Hahne lost it entering the swimming pool on lap three, luckily emerging unscathed. This allowed Warwick to open up a four-second gap from Brabham, Jones and Fangio before losing it all after locking up into the swimming pool. The Englishman eventually finished seven tenths of a second ahead of Brabham after 16 laps of hard racing.

With the first race having enthralled the crowd yet passed without any major incident, hopes were high for another great spectacle at Silverstone. Warwick again started from pole with Brabham, Cor Euser, Ian Flux, and Wollek in fifth. Fangio, David Leslie, Hahne, Kenny Acheson and Needell also qualified in the top ten. The rolling start saw five abreast into the first corner but the opening lap passed with all 16 cars intact. On the second lap Nielsen and Jones engaged in some panel bashing at Becketts whilst at Stowe, second placed Warwick turned in on leader Euser. Warwick took the position, Euser spun (dropping to third) but Warwick's lead was short lived as he picked up a puncture, lost control and hit Brabham when making a pass.

Both men went into the pits for repairs. This left Euser back in the lead but his bonnet was gradually working loose which forced him to miss the apex at Beckets resulting in a spectacular 120 mph (190 km/h) spin. Now Flux was in the lead followed by Fangio and Hahne. By lap six Euser's charge back to contention suffered another setback when he hit David Leslie at Priory, both cars spinning as a result. Two corners later, Needell bumped Hahne out of the way to take third. Lap nine finally saw an end to Euser's afternoon when he hit Acheson and ended up beached in the gravel. Acheson was forced to pit. Competing for third, Needell and Hahne had another coming together forcing both cars out of contention. At the front, Fangio took the lead when Flux missed a gear at Club and dropped to second ahead of Wollek and Win Percy. Wollek's tyres were still in great condition having driven steadily throughout and the American was able to reel in Flux, passing on lap 18. Fittingly, the race was won by Fangio precisely 45 years after his famous uncle's last win at Silverstone. At the end of the race, 11 of the 16 entries had suffered some kind of damage.

The final Intercontinental Challenge race at Spa was a big deal. With US$1m on the line for the winner, there had been much speculation about race fixing agreements between the drivers. To counter, Jaguar Sport decided the race would run for an undisclosed number of laps. All the drivers knew was that the chequered flag would fall after at least six laps.

Qualifying saw Euser on pole followed by Brabham, Warwick, Hahne, Percy, Will Hoy, Wollek, Leslie, Thierry Tassin and Flux all in the top ten. However, only fourth place Hahne and newcomer Tassin had saved a spare set of fresh tyres for race day. The rolling start went off without a hitch until Brabham had a big moment at the top of Eau Rouge dropping from second to seventh in the process. This left Euser, Hahne and Warwick to open up a gap at the front, the three drivers pacing themselves for the opening stint. There was plenty of action going on behind though, John Watson losing it at the end of the main straight, flying off the track backwards at 140 mph (230 km/h) and collecting Needell in the process.

On the next lap, Tassin and Percy had a coming together at the bus stop, Tassin ending up atop the barriers after a heavy impact. After six laps were up, the racing became more fraught at the front. Now up to second, Hahne seized the initiative when Euser went offline through Eau Rouge on the eighth lap. Hahne's momentum took him through down the main straight and third place Warwick had eyes on second but dicing with Euser allowed Hahne to get away. Warwick then lost it at the sequence of corners before the bus stop, pin balling off the barriers and into retirement. From thereon in it was Hahne all the way and when the chequered flag fell at the end of lap 11, the US$1m prize was secure.[17]

When interviewed by Autosport in February 2012 for 'Race of Your Life', Armin Hahne chose his XJR-15 win at Spa as career-highlight: "I qualified second to Warwick in Monaco but half-spun on oil while chasing him, so fell to fifth. At Silverstone I had a misfire and again finished fifth. At Spa, I managed to qualify second without using both sets of new Bridgestone slicks. I found a time good enough for the front row with my 'scrubbed' first set. At the start, I followed poleman Cor Euser for a few laps, but his tyres went off as he'd used them for the second qualifying session. I passed him - it was quite easy really. The race lasted 11 laps and I won by 3-4 seconds to collect the US$1m prize."[18]