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| Rocketsports Announces 2009 ALMS GT2 Jaguar Program |
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In what may be a record for announcement to fruition, Rocketsports Racing announced that they would be campaigning a Jaguar in the ALMS GT class later this season. A perhaps unrelated program was announced in 2002 by Rocketsports Racing. The car was even shown at the SEMA show (SEMA Picture from 2003).
Rocketsports was involved with Jaguar at the time campaigning the car in the Gentilozzi owned Trans Am Series.
New team, new look, new car, new brand - that was what was unveiled during a press conference today at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Rocketsports Racing, Inc. (RSR) establishes a new entity, formed to build and race Jaguar XKR's in the ALMS GT2 category and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Rocketsports Racing officially announced a GT2 program for the American Le Mans Series that will see the East Lansing, Michigan-based team reunite with the Jaguar brand by entering a Jaguar XKRfor a partial season in 2009 with a full-season championship effort in 2010.
"It has been difficult to be out of competitive racing for nearly a year," said RSR team owner Paul Gentilozzi. "We are most fortunate to be able to return to what we know, winning sportscar championships. In particular, winning them in Jaguars. We haven't spent our time idly; we've focused on engineering and construction of the Jaguar XKR. The luxury of time that we traditionally don't have in this process has been a great asset. We feel like our work with both the ALMS and the ACO will give us a car that is number one: competitive on the track, number two: representative of Jaguar's racing history, and number three: economically viable for customers in the GT2 series around the world."
RSR will be entering the ALMS with Jaguar as a technical and marketing partner. Jaguar has provided vital engineering, information and support to assist the team in the homologation and construction process. Construction of the Jaguar XKRis near completion at the RSR facility. A parallel engine development process is also underway for the new AJ-133 direct injected 5-liter normally aspirated engine. The company's plan is to begin testing and development in June and enter the ALMS series mid-summer. RSR will be building at least three XKR's this year and will have cars available for customer use in 2010.
"The addition of Rocketsports Racing and Jaguar XKR speaks volumes about the status of the American Le Mans Series," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the world's leading sports car series. "Not only does the Series add another prestigious automobile brand to its already world class lineup of manufacturers, but the fact that this addition occurs during such a challenging time in our industry makes the announcement truly significant. Paul Gentilozzi is one of the most experienced and qualified people in motorsports and his decision to bring Rocketsports and the Jaguar brand into the American Le Mans Series at this time is the best endorsement we could ask for."
Looking back over the decades, I believe Jaguar's finest hours in motorsports have occurred in sportscar racing. The timing of its return couldn't be better. Jaguar can introduce, develop and showcase their technologies and immediately link the DNA of their racecar to the XKR in the showroom in a way that no other form of motorsport can match. We are very proud to be welcoming Paul Gentilozzi, Rocketsports and the Jaguar brand as the newest stakeholders of the American Le Mans Series, and we look forward to seeing them on the track in the very near future".
The XKR racecar is based on the successful Jaguar XKR Aluminum chassis. Combining stampings, forgings, and extrusions, fastened by special rivets and high strength adhesives, the Jaguar designed structure offers an excellent platform on which to build a championship winning racecar. Added to this structure are steel roll cage and reinforcing members providing<
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