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The first day of a JCNA Challenge Championship is always a slow day, when members come in, register, etc... It's also a time to see old friends again as the JCC is more than just a competition; it's our big event and the perfect occasion to get together with fellow Jaguar owners and club members that we only see once in a while.

The moment we arrived at the Chateau Elan Resort, just 45 minutes northeast of Atlanta, it was clear that this 2005 JCC would be special. The location picked was simply magnificent. Chateau Elan is a luxury resort located in the rolling hills of north east Georgia surrounded by manicured grounds and vineyards. It was well worth the early aggravation dealing with date conflicts caused by the American Le Mans series running at nearby Road Atlanta. Accommodations in the hotel were first class and a bargain at the negotiated price, with more rooms available at the Lodge across the street.

The Chateau Elan resort had a lot to offer beyond just rooms, it is a Luxury resort with pool, full service spa, winery, equestrian center, trails, and more. Perfect place for a vacation in case your wife isn't into this "car thing"...

Despite being a fairly new club, members of the North Georgia Jaguar Club did a terrific job assisting in the planning and staffing the registration desk, hospitality suite, and in short, being great hosts!

The first event on the agenda was a technical presentation by Jaguar's Malcolm Oliver. Over the past five years he's been appointed by Jaguar Cars North America to represent the company on JCNA's board of director, Malcom has become a well known face at AGMs and JCCs and work hard to build relations between the company and our club. Because he works in the technical training division at the company's Irvine CA headquarter, he knows Jaguars inside out and his presentation on the advanced technology used in current production cars was very interesting.

After the presentation, it was time to head out to Hennessy Jaguar for a welcome Cocktail. Hennessy has been very supportive of the Challenge Championship and of the North Georgia club and they welcomed us in their beautiful showroom located just outside Atlanta. Built only five years ago, the dealership blends the traditional and the modern with brick walls and glass and stainless steel touches. For Jaguar buffs, a vast collection of prints, pictures and artwork covering 70 years of Jaguar history was a real treat.

During the evening, the dealer of the year award was presented to Mr Hennessy by JCNA President Bill Streitenberger and JCC Chair Denis Eynon.