After successfully completing the 2012 Mille Miglia, the Jaguar Heritage Racing Team, with a fleet of six cars, arrived in Brescia in the early hours of 20th May. The team included three C-types, two XK 120s and an Mk VII saloon. Each car and the respective crew completed the challenging Brescia-Rome-Brescia route without a single incident being reported. The event set a new record as a total of 32 Jaguars participated.
Two days ago, the Mille Miglia was triggered in a grand manner, when, repeating the history of 1952, Sir Stirling Moss and Norman Dewis started the race with a C-type having disc brakes, just like they did back then. The event that took place 60 years ago marked a milestone in Jaguar's development of disc brake technology and carved the path for its large-scale application in road cars.
Presently, the duo of Moss and Dewis is the eldest surviving Mille Miglia crew. Moss completed a parade lap in the same C-type, XKC 005, which he had driven in Reims to claim the very first win for a disc braked car. This brought back the feeling of nostalgia for the crowd gathered at Brescia, who fondly remembered the duo's heroic effort back in 1952.
Global Head of Communications, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), Frank Klass said, “The Mille Miglia is always a very special event, and one that Jaguar is again proud to sponsor. This year’s Mille, however, had heightened significance for Jaguar as it represented a great anniversary in the marque’s history of building technologically innovative cars; 60 years since Sir Stirling Moss and Norman Dewis put disc-brake technology through its first competitive endurance test.”
He further added, “Their efforts played a crucial part in developing disc-brakes for volume production, technology that has since saved countless lives on the road. The bravery of Moss and Dewis in 1952, and their continued enthusiasm for life in 2012, was an inspiration for the entire Jaguar Heritage Racing team on this year’s Mille Miglia.”
The 2012 Mille Miglia was the first competitive outing, since 1956, under Jaguar Heritage Racing programme. Later this year, C-type and D-type models will also race competitively at both Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix and the Goodwood Revival as part of this initiative.
A C-type XKC 005 (with MDU 212 number plate); a C-type, XKC 018 (bearing 70 XVK number plate); and a C-type, XKC 045 (having NDU 289 on the number plate) were part of the 2012 Mille Miglia Jaguar Heritage Racing works-entry line-up. This portfolio of Jaguars at the event also included an Mk VII bearing LHP 5; a XK 120 OTS (bearing number plate OOF 748); and a XK 120 fixed-head (registered with LWK 707 numbers) also comprised this year's works-entry of Mille Miglia Jaguar Heritage Racing.
Operated and managed by JD Classics, based in Maldon, Essex, the Jaguar Heritage Racing programme commenced on 12th March, 2012 at the RAC Club, London. JD Classics is a renowned entity in the historic motorsport world. It is responsible for shaping up the C-type and D-type Jaguars, which will race against each other at the Nürburgring Oldtimer Grand Prix from 10th to 12th August 2012 and Goodwood Revival from 14th to 16th September 2012.
Activities of Jaguar Heritage, like a charitable trust, will be supported by the Jaguar Heritage Racing programme. These activities also include rendering support to the custodians of an impressive collection of valuable models from the car maker's past, such as the one-of-its-kind XJ13 prototype. The cars from this collection are not promoted through on-track racing; however, they will be showcased at a large number of events scheduled to be held in 2012. Jaguar Heritage Racing's global media partner, CNN, owns the rights to broadcast the activities of the event during the season.
