In the early hours of Wednesday the 2nd Barb dropped me off at Launceston airport for a flight to Sydney where I was booked in for an afternoon at Eastern Creek track, driving a couple of new Jaguars courtesy of JLR Australia and a friend in Sydney who’d acquired  the tickets in a recent auction.

The day didn’t start well, as we were pulled up in Kings Meadows and breathalysed (at a bit after 5:00 am !!!) but definitely improved once arriving in Sydney.

After a very nice buffet lunch at the track, a few ground rules and a drive around the circuit as passengers in a supercharged V8 XJ we were each (about eight or ten of us) allocated a professional driver and a car (either a supercharged V8 F-Type or an XJ)  and sent off for three laps with the pro sitting beside us giving instructions on cornering lines, acceleration and braking. (As well as the XJs and F-Types there was a new XE there which we didn’t get to drive, as it’s one of very few about.) Then it was a change over to the other model and another three laps, before a short period of whiteboard instruction followed by some hot laps as a passenger with the professional.

The shot of me in a car is the XE, which, I was surprised to find, I  liked, even with the red and black interior. It looked quite dainty by comparison with the much larger XJ.

They are truly amazing cars and in the hands of someone who knows how to get the most out of them are awe inspiring. It was surprising how little difference there seemed to be between the performance of the XJ and the F-Type, with the much bigger car, I would imagine, being able to see off most so-called sports cars.

All in all a great way to spend a Wednesday afternoon – thanks Jaguar (and John for the invitation)

Rod Swan.