TWR Jaguar Spa 1000 Kms 1986/87

[autoavia]

During the last lap of the Spa 1000 Kms in 1986 or 87 one of the TWR Silk Cut Jaguars passed close to the pit wall to wave to the mechanic holding out the pit board. Unfortunately the driver got it wrong and hit the board knocking the mechanic backwards into the pit lane.
I have searched the web endlessly but can't find any details of the incident although I clearly remember reading about it in the motorsport press at the time. Can anyone out there help with the full story please and if anyone has a picture showing the damage to the car either on the last lap or in parc ferme that would be even better. I believe the damage was mainly to the endplate on the rear wing.
Why do I want to know?
Years ago I received a Jaguar endplate as part payment for helping the brother of journalist Ken Wells clear Ken's collection of racing car body parts etc after Ken's death in the USA. The story was that the endplate is allegedly the one from the Spa incident and a picture would help with authentication as I can see if the damage matches up.

[Alex E]

I remember something about this but it was Derick Warwick when he drove one of the XJ220 one make series at Spa, remember him saying he was bored and decided to take the pit board out of his mechanics hands !

[autoavia]

I am sure the incident involved a TWR Group C Jag in either 86 or 87. The XJ220 didn't run until 1993 ( I think Ken died in 93 so there is no way he would have known about an XJ220 incident) and I must admit I don't remember a one make series for them.
I had a slight inkling that the incident involved Derek Warwick but I also thought it was the winning car involved. As far as I can work out it was either Warwick when Silk Cut Jaguar finished second in 86 - in which case my endplate is not the one from that car - or it was the winning car in 87 which would possibly make my endplate authentic.
Is there anyone else out there who can help please?

[Adam43]

Off topic: There was a series (or jsut a one off race?) for the XJ220, although I thought it was only an American thing. It was called Fast Masters (IIRC) and I read a report of it at a track in Indianapolis (not that one!). The Race at Spa was more likely to be the XJR-15 one make series. Although as mentioned that probably isn't to do with the incident above.

Warwick came a close second at Spa in 1986 (fuel pick up problems!). The other Jag came 5th.

1987 saw the Jags come 1st, 2nd and 4th, but Warwick wasn't driving.

I don't know about the incident though, sorry.
I've now left a re-direct in Sportscar forum, maybe som will pick up on this

[The Badger]

i dont think the one make series was an xj220 ..... it was their sportscer that tony southgate designed , the one that turned into a nissan r390 .

i remember the incident and it was warwick doing the driving .

it was bad of him , just awhile before his brother died over some sort of accident .... that was the fault of somebody and then warwick decides to take out the pit board ..... i thought it was a xjr-14 though .

[KA]

Originally Posted by The Badger

i dont think the one make series was an xj220 ..... it was their sportscer that tony southgate designed , the one that turned into a nissan r390 .

i remember the incident and it was warwick doing the driving .

it was bad of him , just awhile before his brother died over some sort of accident .... that was the fault of somebody and then warwick decides to take out the pit board ..... i thought it was a xjr-14 though .

The one-make series was in 1991, for the XJR15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJR-15

The Spa XJR15 race would have been at the Belgian GP meeting in August 91.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by The Badger

i dont think the one make series was an xj220 ..... it was their sportscer that tony southgate designed , the one that turned into a nissan r390 .

*cough* XJR15 Thanks KA. The XJ220 did have a single make race (or maybe series) in America I'm sure.

i remember the incident and it was warwick doing the driving .

it was bad of him , just awhile before his brother died over some sort of accident .... that was the fault of somebody and then warwick decides to take out the pit board ..... i thought it was a xjr-14 though .

I think you are thinking of the race at Nurburgring in 1991 where Schumacher ran into him in practice/qualifying. It caused quite a stir in the paddock, with many going to visit Michael! Another off-topic one, as I don't think it had anything to do with a pit board. Paul Warwick died at Oulton that year and the Nurburgring was Derek's first race afterwards IIRC, he won.

[PorscheFanNo1]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

*cough* XJR15 Thanks KA. The XJ220 did have a single make race (or maybe series) in America I'm sure.

Yep, I've seen them race on a short track oval in USA, mad! Also on some tracks in Europe.

About the incident. Its not mentioned in any of the Season reviews, and I dont have either of the 86 or 87 Spa tapes from VideoVision sadly.

[KA]

Been thinking about this, and I'm sure the endplate might have come from a Group C car, and not the XJR15 series cars- as far as I remember the 15's weren't originally fitted with full-size wings with endplates- just a small wing/spoiler without endplates.
http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/cro...5/xjr15_3w.jpg
http://www.autosalon-gruenwald.biz/a...s/rennlook.jpg


I've seen pictures of them fitted with full-size Group C style wings, but I'm pretty sure these are a more recent fitting- I think I've read somewhere that in original form the 15's a bit of a handful....

For example, Bryan Wingfield's car which was raced in historic Group C races a few years back

http://www.bryanwingfield.com/images/XJR15_r2_c1.jpg

[VIVA GT]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

*cough* XJR15 Thanks KA. The XJ220 did have a single make race (or maybe series) in America I'm sure.
I think you are thinking of the race at Nurburgring in 1991 where Schumacher ran into him in practice/qualifying. It caused quite a stir in the paddock, with many going to visit Michael! Another off-topic one, as I don't think it had anything to do with a pit board. Paul Warwick died at Oulton that year and the Nurburgring was Derek's first race afterwards IIRC, he won.

I know this is off topic, and I apologise for doubting you Adam, but I thought Paul Warwick was killed at Donington? Didn't he go along the concrete inner wall or something? [Or am I (as usual - according to my wife) totally mistaken?]

[Adam43]

It was Outlon in a British F3000 race, July 21 1991. There is a tribute thread here at 10-10ths: Paul Warwick Tribute thread.

[VIVA GT]

OK Adam (glad I apologised in advance). Just don't tell my wife that she was right (again!).
I must be thinking of an accident that Paul had earlier in his career sometime...

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

Just don't tell my wife that she was right (again!).

Don't worry your secret is safe, unless she registers on 10-10ths!

[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by autoavia

During the last lap of the Spa 1000 Kms in 1986 or 87 one of the TWR Silk Cut Jaguars passed close to the pit wall to wave to the mechanic holding out the pit board. Unfortunately the driver got it wrong and hit the board knocking the mechanic backwards into the pit lane.
I have searched the web endlessly but can't find any details of the incident although I clearly remember reading about it in the motorsport press at the time. Can anyone out there help with the full story please and if anyone has a picture showing the damage to the car either on the last lap or in parc ferme that would be even better. I believe the damage was mainly to the endplate on the rear wing.
Why do I want to know?
Years ago I received a Jaguar endplate as part payment for helping the brother of journalist Ken Wells clear Ken's collection of racing car body parts etc after Ken's death in the USA. The story was that the endplate is allegedly the one from the Spa incident and a picture would help with authentication as I can see if the damage matches up.

Can you share a picture of the end plate? Might ball park which way to go with this (XJR-15 or indeed Group C).

[autoavia]

Originally Posted by MulsanneMike

Can you share a picture of the end plate? Might ball park which way to go with this (XJR-15 or indeed Group C).

There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding here as unfortunately it looks like KA has misread some of the earlier posts on this thread.
Firstly KA is quite right in that the XJR15 was originally fitted with a wing which had tiny endplates and the car was a real handful in original trim. Remember that many if the drivers in the original race series probably weren't regular drivers of quick and/or difficult cars and it isn't too surprising that there was a healthy market in spares to repair damage from the inevitable "offs".

To get back to the my endplate. I have got pictures but I can't work out how to post them on the forum but I do know that I have got a 1987 Jaguar XJR8 Group C endplate. It is definitely from an 87 car as it has Townsend Thoresen stickers on the outside faces.
The shape is correct for a high downforce car. The Le Mans wings had completely different shaped endplates.
It has obviously been fitted to a car as the inside face has marks in the dirt showing the outline of the two elements of the rear wing and there are washer marks from the fixing bolts.
Ken always said it was from the Spa incident where the driver hit the pit board but I haven't been able to establish whether the pit board incident was in 1986 or 1987. I know the incident was in race reports at the time but unfortunately I couldn't keep all my old copies of Autosport etc so I haven't got anything to refer to.
Another thought - If it turns out that this isn't from the Spa incident then I wonder how my endplated got damaged. It definitely hasn't been cut. It looks more like the top edge was gouged off.
If anyone can tel lme how to post pictures I will gladly post them. It would ne nice to solve this mystery.

[John Turner]

Ah well, this why we have an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page - see above. About posting pictures, here:-

http://tentenths.com/forum/faq.php?f...q_faq_post_pic

[autoavia]

Thanks John. I think I need a place to host the pictures for the posting to work. I haven't got a web hosting account anywhere at present and I am supposed to be using my time to look for a job at the moment. I will try to sort out a hosting account and get something posted. If I have got it wrong and don't need a hosting account perhaps someone can let me know.
In the meantime I have exchanged emails with someone who was there as a spectator when the incident happened and he says it was 1987 and having seen pictures of my endplate he reckons the damage is correct so it is almost certainly the genuine article. It would still be nice to find some pictures of the damage.