Page 30 - On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team

ON THE PROWL
1991-1993: The End of TWR Jaguar
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“A lot of the engineers and people there were like, ‘David should have
a crack at this, he’s done a good job.’ It looked like I was going to get the
nod but right at the last minute they put Teo in. And the excuse was that
Tom wanted to absolutely crush the Japanese teams with this car. I have
no doubt I could have been quicker because I showed that in practice. I
said to Ian Harrison, ‘Fuck me, my grandmother could come here and do
the same job I’m doing,’ and I stormed off — I was really pissed!”
The Fabi/Brabham car cruised to an easy win, while the other entry
looked nailed on for second until a wheel bearing failed. They eventually
crossed the line in ninth following extensive repairs.
The season was now officially done for the Kidlington crew, who
returned to England.
Over in the US, IMSA had closed out at Del Mar in Southern California,
late in October.
At the previous round at the epic Road America track in Wisconsin
both XJR-16s turned up. Chassis #291 had been repaired following the
Watkins Glen smash, while #191 in the hands of Davy Jones was dominant
all weekend, taking a commanding victory. Geoff Brabham was absent,
following a testing crash that fractured vertebrae and ribs, and made the
Australian driver a long shot for the title.
For the final round, Raul Boesel was replaced by Martin Brundle,
who had seen success at Del Mar previously. Davy Jones was still in
contention for the championship, but Nissan’s Chip Robinson held the
upper hand. Brabham, still injured, decided to race, a decision that really
paid off.
Jaguar was simply off the pace all weekend, struggling with the
handling, and dealing with brushes with the wall on both Friday and
during the race. Jones could do no better than thirteenth, losing the
championship to Brabham. He didn’t even take second — that was
claimed by Robinson. Jaguar again lost out on the manufacturers’ title.
Unlike Kidlington, Valparaiso at least had a program for 1992, two
years remaining on the contract. Mike Dale was still seeing the positive
marketing benefits of an endurance racing program, unlike the Ford
overlords in Europe.
VDavid Brabham is pictured here at a British Touring Car race at Silverstone
in April 1992. This was after his last race with Jaguar (for the time being) at
Sebring in March and before his first with Toyota, which would be Le Mans.
His time with Jaguar, while short-lived, did serve to help get his career back
on track, and starting with the Toyota drive he went on to become one of
the most successful, respected and dependable sports car drivers of his
generation. (Ian Simpson/Alamy)
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©2024 David Bull Publishing
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©2024 David Bull Publishing
©2024 David Bull Publishing
©2024 David Bull Publishing
©2024 David Bull Publishing
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