MOTORSPORT: Jaguar considered Supercars bid
Magazine report outlines failed plan for F-TYPE coupe to race alongside Chevrolet Camaro and Ford MustangA bid to have Jaguar join the Repco Australian Supercars Championship reached the company’s global board for consideration in 2020 before being shut down by the COVID pandemic and the British luxury brand’s plan to be all-electric by 2025.
The program was being championed by the internationally-owned Walkinshaw Andretti United team, which is now re-emerging as a Supercars championship force after years in the wilderness.
According to autoaction.com.au which published its latest newspaper today, the plan was to race the Jaguar F-TYPE by exploiting new coupe-friendly Gen3 technical regulations due for introduction in 2022.
Initially, the focus was said to be on racing a facsimile of the Jaguar XE sedan, a plan inspired by the release of the spectacular V8 Project 8 limited-edition which was briefly sold in Australia.
These computer-generated images depict what the Jaguar F-TYPE Supercar could have looked like.
AA reports the proposal had made its way to global Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) management by early 2020 for consideration and potential sign-off.
However, the COVID crisis is believed to have ended the chances of a global green light as JLR’s board reacted cautiously to uncertain times.
Its motorsport investments have focused on the all-electric Formula E world championship, in which New Zealander Mitch Evans has just finished fourth for Jaguar.
Jaguar Land Rover’s Australian office was contacted for comment by AA and responded with an emailed statement: “We receive many proposals seeking JLR Australia's participation in a range of motorsport categories, however any discussions we may have between parties were done so on a confidential basis.”
WAU team principal Bruce Stewart refused to comment when contacted by AA.
However, at a press conference at the 2020 Bathurst 1000 last October, team co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw said COVID-19 had cruelled negotiations with a brand new to Supercars that went “very far”. He did not name the brand.
Supercars is due to roll-over into the Gen3 era in August 2022, when the Chevrolet Camaro will replace the Holden Commodore ZB and a new version of the Ford Mustang will be rolled out.
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