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JaguarRSR heads to Road America 4H endurance

JaguarRSR press release

Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden, Jaguar XKR

Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden, Jaguar XKR

Michael Tan

JaguarRSR RETURNS TO ROAD AMERICA FOR ROAD RACE SHOWCASE

The next stop on the 2011 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrόn schedule is Road America, August 18 - 20. The Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin venue is always the most anticipated race for JaguarRSR. The Paul Gentilozzi squad has had many successes there in its Trans-Am and Champ Car days; this weekend they look to have a strong finish with the Jaguar GTs. "'It is a four-hour race, so we have to think about the strategy differently.|Paul Gentilozzi|left""

At 4.048 miles, Road America is the longest circuit on this year's calendar and has one of the extended durations in race time allotted. "Road America is unique because the length of the straightaways, the elevation changes, and it has a mix of both high, medium, and low speed corners which requires you to every area of the car sorted out," said John Gentilozzi, JaguarRSR Technical Director.

"It is a four-hour race, so we have to think about the strategy differently. You have an opportunity to recover from things differently. In our last race, a penalty cost us a lap and eventually a strong finish because we didn't have enough time on the clock to try and get it back. Anything can happen; the goal will be to have two solid JaguarRSR XKR GTs that can go the distance with speed and accuracy."

This will be the second outing for the XKR GT at Road America. Last year, the team ran one car which qualified 11th on the GT grid. It drove a solid first half of the race before the clutch malfunctioned on the pit stop which took the car out of the race when it had been running eighth in class.

This venue is a true test of any race car drivers' skill and bringing a quartet of drivers that are veterans at Road America will be an advantage for JaguarRSR. The lineup for this weekend will see PJ Jones and Rocky Moran, Jr. in the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT; Jones earned a pole and a victory during his GTP racing days, Moran recorded many fastest race laps, podiums and lead several laps at this track.

Bruno Junqueira and Ken Wilden will be paired up to pilot the #99 cat. Junqueira will no doubt be a fan favorite from his success in Champ Car and numerous awards from poles to victories. Wilden also made a name for himself at this track when he earned the 2002 pole in Trans-Am.

"Our team had fantastic reliability at Mid-Ohio and we also developed a solid "high-speed" package for our car at Mosport, so I look forward to carrying that momentum into this event," commented Moran. "We are right around the corner from a top five finish and nothing would make us happier than to do that this weekend."

The Time Warner Road Race Showcase is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 20 with ABC airing the race at 4:30 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT) on Sunday, August 21. Live video coverage on race day will be available at 3:45 p.m. ET on ESPN3.com in the US, and americanlemans.com for international viewers. Canadian fans may also watch live coverage on Rogers Sportsnet. Worldwide radio coverage will be available on American Le Mans Radio at americanlemans.com.

The two Jaguar XKR nose to tail at Mosport
The two Jaguar XKR nose to tail at Mosport

Photo by: Michael Tan

WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY

PJ Jones, co-driver of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"Road America is a great race track for me. There is not a lot that people haven't said about Road America, it is just a challenging race track and fun place to drive. I think it will be a great place for our Jaguars; we have really good straight line speed. We keep getting closer and closer, but need to improve on our finishes. I have a feeling that this weekend will be a good one for the team."

Bruno Junqueira, co-driver of the #99 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"Road America is my favorite track and it has been very good to me in my open-wheel career. With fast corners and long straights, it makes for a very exciting race. This year, I will race there for the first time in a sportscar, so it will add a whole new challenge that I look forward to. The track suits our Jaguar and we will be very competitive there. I am ready to go race!"

Rocky Moran, Jr., co-driver of the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"Road America is my favorite race track of all time, period. It is the only track in the United States that can really be compared to a Formula One track in terms of its layout. I literally get the chills when I drive into the place. This track is as close to perfect as you can get!

I think the #98 JaguarRSR XKR GT will be a blast to drive around this track and probably the most challenging car I have ever driven here. It is one thing to go flat out through the carousel or kink in an open-wheel car, but we are going to need a lot of courage to carry the right amount of speed through these corners in a GT car.

Ken Wilden, co-driver of the #99 JaguarRSR XKR GT
"I always enjoy racing at Road America. I am looking forward to going back and racing the #99 JaguarRSR XKR GT. I think the Jaguar will find itself more at home at Road America. This is a big, fast track and the AJ133 engine power combined with great brakes will be a benefit to us on the long straights. Hoping for a good race and a solid result."

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