1988 Jaguar XJR-9

I have driven most types of racing car from Formula Ford to Formula One and from the best in sports cars to that Volvo Estate car in the British Touring Car Championship. I have been asked about that car on many occasions. As a professional racing driver, sometimes to remain professional, you have to race at a lower level than you feel you are able or qualified to do. That is the downfall of the professional system, but it does allow a driver to have a proper paid job. If you were raising the funds for yourself you may race at a higher level, but it’s an extra strain to raise the finance. So, at TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) I was being professional and driving the Volvo Estate car. I thought if I did this for one year it may lead to something good. The first year the car wasn’t at its best, however, sometimes it’s good to refresh a driver, take him to a lower level and get him used to the sensation of winning. To be honest, I didn’t like the racing in the series, it was too patronizing for me. The organization wasn’t too good either. If you caught another car in a race just a small tap on the rear, or in the side you knew you would miss your flight back, as the officials would hold you back afterwards like “naughty school children.”

On the other hand, Tom Walkinshaw had given me the opportunity of racing at the highest level in sportscars with the Group C XJR Jaguars. Roger Silman, of TWR, had given me a call while I’d been racing in Indycars in America and offered me a drive for the new Jaguar sportscar team. My first experience was in the XJR6 in Malaysia in 1985. It was a red-hot race, many of the drivers couldn’t stand the intense heat and were having trouble finishing their stints. From day one I was really at ease with Tom Walkinshaw, the team, and the car. The XJRs were designed by Tony Southgate, and the whole car had been built around the engine, which was very heavy. However, it was also very powerful and had a lot of torque; for a designer to do such a job must had been very difficult, but Tony did fantastic making the car work so well on the track so quickly. Once the car was on track his job wasn’t finished, as he had to work out the optimum setup to get the best out of the chassis for each individual circuit. For me, the whole thing came together a couple of years later after a time of meticulous development that produced the XJR9—my greatest racecar. Along with Raul Boesel, Martin Brundle, and John Neilsen we won, first time out, the 1988 Daytona 24 Hours. A few months later, I was on the top step of the podium with Johnny Dumfries and Andy Wallace after we’d won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.