New Jaguar Engine Unleashed in Miami

Sept. 26, 2003

MIAMI ‹ Rocketsports team owner and Motorock Trans-Am Tour for the
BFGoodrich Tires Cup principal Paul Gentilozzi, along with two-time Tour
champion Scott Pruett, tested Jaguarıs new 32-valve, overhead cam,
fuel-injected 4.5-liter AJ-V8, at a special ceremony held yesterday at
Putnam Park Road Course in Brownsburg, Ind. The car took several laps around
the permanent circuit there as part of an event held by Jaguar in
conjunction with the U.S. Grand Prix Formula One race at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway.

Although the engine was tested successfully at Putnam Park, it will not race
in Sundayıs Motorock Miami 100. However, it is expected to run in race trim
at the season finale, Oct. 26 at the Puerto Rico Grand Prix, under the hood
of Pruettıs No. 7 Jaguar XKR.

The engine uses the stock aluminum block and alloy heads from the Jaguar XKR
road car. In fact, other than the connecting rods, crankshaft, pistons,
injector hat, and ignition system, the engine is completely stock. The
engineıs stroke has been shortened, and its bore was widened, raising the
stock displacement from 4.2 liters to 4.5 liters for the race engine. The
engine weighs approximately 100 pounds less than the current corporate
pushrod V8 used in the Jaguar XKR and uses an all-new ignition system
developed by Rocketsports and Bosch. It will rev to 9,000 rpms, up from
8,200 in the current engine. It also uses a dry-sump oil system.

³This is the future of the Trans-Am Tour,² said Gentilozzi, a three-time
Driversı Champion himself. ³To be able to make this engine viable, it has to
competitive. This is not an exercise in engineering. We know that the
current 311-cubic-inch spec will not work in the future. Weıre the only
racing series that uses it, and it really isnıt what the car companies are
developing. No production car is made with a carburetor any more. This
engine uses a stock block and heads, and parts are readily available. Plus,
Jaguar has a huge history that gets lost a little bit with the current
corporate pushrod V8.

³Other manufacturers are interested in this program and thatıs really what
weıre doing here, looking for manufacturer support,² added Gentilozzi. ³This
is being done to get more manufacturer involvement. Thatıs what weıre trying
to do here. If you can get two or more competing marques, then you have
something.²

³It ran really smooth, had a flat torque curve and wasnıt peaky,² said
Pruett, who turned laps yesterday at Putnam Park. ³It really was pretty
impressive considering this was its first outing, and we were being very
conservative. As we put more time and more miles on this engine, it will get
more and more competitive. We all remember the late 1980s and early 1990s,
when the manufacturer involvement in the Trans-Am Tour was strong, and we
had huge car counts. This engine is the start of the Series opening back up,
and will bring back the manufacturers. This really is the future of where
the Trans-Am Tour needs to be.²

Qualifying is scheduled for tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. The Motorock Miami 100 is
scheduled to start at approximately 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28. The race
will air on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED on Friday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m.
Eastern Time.