Slalom Practice

Dennis / Sherman

The Jaguar Auto Group (JAG) will be having our spring Slalom on May 8th at The Black River Barn Restaurant 1178 Route 10 West, Randolph,NJ 07869. The Barn has a brand new level parking lot, along with great food - can't beat that combination. I hope to see you there. I will be putting together a flyer shortly, and will post it accordingly. If you send me your email addresses, I get the detailed info over to you.

Hope to see you and your fellow club members on the 8th. Remember, we all started out the same, trying the Slalom for the first time. You'll soon agree, there is no better way to enjoy your Jag.

Paul Delatush
JAG Slalom chair
70 XKE roadster
paddelatush.com

Sherman,

About 3-1/2 hours from Columbia, MD to dover NJ, where the Slalom will be held. Drive up the previous afternoon, some of us could meet you for dinner and natter, then after a good night's sleep in a local motel you'll be fresh for the morning's racing! I promise you some of the best fun you'll ever have in your Jaguars!

Warren Hansen
70 E-Type FHC "Silver Bolide"
96 X300

Now this is the type of enthusiasm that makes the slalom program the success it is.

Warren is right -- short of actually setting up the course and running it, it's hard to practice. One tip that Gary Hagopian gave me several years ago that's really help it so drive "smooth". Smooth out your turns. Especially in the figure 8, don't aim at the corner cones. Swing out and smoothly tune into the arc. Avoid sharp movements of the wheel and don't oversteer.

If any club in the Northeast region wants to run a practice course or "racing school", I'd be glad to attend and throw in a few pointers. This could be done in conjuntion with a sanctioned slalom. Having won Class E the past two years (though not with times anywhere near Gary or Art), I have a few pointers I'd be glad to share.

Regards,

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
JCNA Slalom Chairman
'72 E-type 2+2 (Two-time slalom champ)
'70 XKE FHC

Nice post Warren! Some members in our club have been talking about Slalom events. I referenced Steve Weinsteins great article in JJ at our last meeting. 1st Article I've seen that explains the slalom course, but I am new to the tech details. Steve just wrote me about the JAG event, some of us in NCJOC are talking about coming up and learning!
Sherman D. Taffel, Pres.
Columbia, MD
NCJOC
'72 E Type Ser III Coupe
'76 XJ12C (restoration part II, caretaker for Camellia)
'89 XJS Convert
'96 XJR

Hi Dennis,
too bad you are so far away, we shall start our slalom fun at the beginning of May. Let me know what car you have, possibly I can halp with a few tips,

Art Dickenson.
1983 XJS GT \"Silver\"""

Dennis,

The first event of the season in your area will be the one sponsored by JAG (Jaguar Auto Group)on 8 May. We look forward to meeting you then. The events give each competitor 5 runs around the course, with old hands available to ride with you and give you pointers. Hard to really practice on your own, but becoming really aware of what your car is doing is a good thing to do. One thing that you can practice out on the road is left foot braking. You'll get your best times when you are always either on the gas or on the brake -- no coasting; left foot braking eliminates that split second when your foor moves from one pedal to the other, also enables you to feather the brake while still giving it gas. The Slalom is more about car control, smoothness and precision than just speed, but it can feel pretty fast when you're careening around those cones! Make sure to increase your tire inflation to between 5 to 10 p.s.i. more than usual before you come; this will make your steering more precise and will prevent sidewall rollover. (It's called slalom because it's almost all turns!)

Regards,
Warren Hansen
70 E-Type FHC "Silver Bolide"
96 X300