- Links and Resources - The renowed Menger Hotel, right on the Alamo Plaza will be our host hotel. Call 1-800-345 9285 for reservations and ask for the JCNA group rate of $130 a night. (NEW SPECIAL RATE. This new rate will be automatically applied to those who already booked) - Links and Resources - Detailed Schedule Registration form Dowload the Event Flyer Merger Hotel Website History of JCNA Challenge Championship Host Club : San Antonio Jaguar Club - Contact - (click to email) Phone: 210-381-7737 - Schedule (updated Dec. 23rd) - Tuesday, May 19th 11:00am - 5:00pm Registration Hospitality Suite     Wednesday, May 20th 8:00am - 5:00pm Rally or Tour to Luchenbach Tour of the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg Texas BBQ lunch 7:00pm River Taxi ride to Reception     Thursday, May 21st 8:00am JCNA Slalom (Alamodome) 9:00am Technical Presentations 7:00pm Reception at Victor's Service Center     Friday , May 22nd 6:30am - 9:00am JCNA Concours Breakfast 6:30am - 4:00pm JCNA Concours d’Elegance Main Plaza, historic downtown San Antonio 6:00pm - 7:00pm Cocktails at the Menger Hotel 7:00pm - 11:00pm JCNA Awards Celebration & Dinner Guest Speaker : TBA     Saturday, May 23rd 6:30am - 10:00am JCNA Farewell Breakfast

San Antonio Jaguar Club Rolls Out the Welcome Mat for Challenge Championship

Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau

By Candy Williams
JCNA Publicity Chair

The San Antonio Jaguar Club (SAJC) is putting the final touches on JCNA’s 2009 Challenge Championship. The event to be held “deep in the heart of Texas” May 19-23 promises to be a fun-filled event for Jag enthusiasts and their families.

SAJC President Fran Curran says the San Antonio area offers an abundance of activities for visitors. “There’s so much to see here,” she says. “San Antonio is one of the most historic cities in the U.S.” Best known for its San Antonio de Valero, commonly called the Alamo, other centuries-old missions, and the magical Riverwalk lined with hundreds of restaurants, hotels, night spots and shops, the city is bustling with excitement.

Headquarters for the Challenge Championship is the Menger Hotel, which CC organizer (and SAJC treasurer, concours chief judge, webmaster and newsletter editor) Brian Blackwell says is an elegant and historic hotel which “is to San Antonio what the Waldorf is to New York City.” Built in 1859, the Menger Hotel is within walking distance of the Alamo, Riverwalk and the Rivercenter Mall.  When visitors want a break from CC events, they can check out the hotel’s heated swimming pool, full-service spa, fitness room, and Jacuzzi.

Scenic Luchenbach, Tx and its postcard perfect post office awaits rally participants. Texas' Hill Country offers some of the best driving roads in North America!

As for the CC events, there are many that JCNA members and guests will want to experience – from a Texas barbeque lunch and excursions to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg; Luckenbach, Texas, and the rest of the Texas Hill Country, to a river taxi ride to a special reception at a private club along the Riverwalk and much more.

Of course, highlights throughout the week will be rally and slalom events designed to test the endurance and precision driving skills of car owners, and the culminating event, the Challenge Championship Concours d’Elegance on Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio on Friday, May 22. Steve Kennedy, JCNA president and member of the Rocky Mountain Jaguar Club, says he is looking forward to welcoming the public as well as all of the local and North American participants who will assure the general audience a thrilling experience of viewing more than 150 Jaguars at the Concours. Jaguar owners will vie for top honors and national ranking at this stop on the JCNA Concours circuit.

Admission to the car display on Main Plaza is free. The public will be invited to cast their votes for “People’s Choice” honors by contributing to the Jaguar owners who have invested in a collection box, with proceeds earmarked for The Haven for Hope Project, a non-profit organization in San Antonio helping people transform their lives. The public also will have the opportunity to join the San Antonio Jaguar Club and commemorative posters will be available for purchase.

SAJC, the host club for the 2009 Challenge Championship, has been in existence since 1989, when it was known as the San Antonio Jaguar V12 Club. “As time passed, many Jaguar owners of various marques were interested in joining our Club, and in 1991, the San Antonio Jaguar V12 Club was renamed The San Antonio Jaguar Club,” Curran says. “On July 29, 1994, the Club was incorporated and registered as the 50th member of the national organization, the Jaguar Clubs of North America.”

Photo courtesy of the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau

SAJC’s president says their club members are working hard to host their first Challenge Championship and hope JCNA members and guests support the premier event by visiting San Antonio in May. More than 250 participants and as many as 5,000 spectators are expected to attend. For more information about participation in this event, please contact Brian Blackwell at 210-695-8504, or visit the JCNA web site at www.jcna.com.