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NEWS
PARIS MOTOR SHOW: No F-Type racing plan - yet
Jaguar says factory involvement crucial for GT3 programJaguar has dismissed media reports it already has a racing program locked in for the new F-Type sportscar.
However, global brand director Adrian Hallmark says the two-door should be raced by the factory although there is no plan in place to do so.
“There is potential (to go racing) yes,” he said. “Any sports car that is a sports car needs to race, but there is no plan to go racing. I’m being very straight with you, there is speculation. I get more calls from potential race team providers than my wife, which isn’t difficult actually. But there is no plan to go racing.”
Widely circulating reports of an F-Type racing program link the car with the Williams grand prix team and a 2014 GT3 program. Williams already has a technology deal with Jaguar working on the C-X75 supercar. Such a relationship makes sense as it would qualify as a factory set-up, which Mr Hallmark said would be essential for a racing program to be successful.
“Like with XK there are private teams that may take it (F-Type) and do something with it,” he said. “But if you are going to be serious you have got to have a factory program because no private team will have the money, resources, nor the technical insight we would have to the base engineering of the vehicle to make it work.
“So if we go racing we would have to do it properly and we would have to go to win not to participate.”
Jaguar has an incredible sports car racing heritage, winning Le Mans seven times with the C-Type, D-Type and TWR-developed XJR prototype. Hallmark specifically mentioned Jaguar’s Le Mans heritage when introducing the F-Type in Paris.
Also at the show, Bentley confirmed a GT3 program based on the W12 Continental GT Speed. Porsche, Audi, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz are already represented in GT3.
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Written byBruce Newton
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