Jaguar E-Type Versus The World With “Mr. Le Mans” Behind the Wheel
Kinrara Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival sees a E-type face off against Ferraris and Astons.
Prior to a wet qualifying session, Tom “Mr. Le Mans” Kristensen had never even sat in this spectacularly gorgeous Jaguar E-Type. Despite that, he managed to land on front row of the grid, just behind touring car driver Rob Huff by a fraction of a second. Considering the man has won Le Mans seven times overall in the course of his career, the result isn’t entirely surprising. However, it does showcase how capable the E-Type is with a capable driver behind the wheel.
As the race is split between two drivers, one gentleman driver and one pro, the team chose to start the car with Gregor Fisken. Gregor being the progenitor of FISKENS fine automobile sales in the UK. His primary goal was to get through his stint keeping the car in one piece and not losing too many positions. Afterwards, he could then hand the Jag off to Tom for the finish of the race.
In a race described as “wetter than a well-battered eel” having someone like Tom on your team is a tremendous advantage. For the remaining time of the race, Mr. Le Mans danced the Jaguar around the circuit, four-wheel drifting on knife edge through every corner. As Rob Huff’s team had chosen to take the start with their pro driver, the gentleman driver had to finish out the race. He clearly stood no chance against the likes of Kristensen. You get to watch Tom make a masterful pass on an Aston Martin as the light wanes.
SEE ALSO: Mr. Le Mans drifts E-Type around Goodwood
With the sun going down and the rain falling harshly, the race organizers decided to end the race five minutes early, just as Tom had started reigning in the leader. The race ended and he unfortunately had to settle for second. It’s a shame to think that he perhaps could have hauled up to the lead in that final five minutes, but then again racing goes the way it goes. This is a gorgeous film from beginning to end, and you owe it to yourself to watch the full 18 minutes.
