- Links and Resources - The renowed Merger 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. - Links and Resources - Detailed Schedule Dowload the Event Flyer Merger Hote websitel History of JCNA Challenge Championship Host Club : San Antonio Jaguar Club - 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     - Hosts -

Please Note: The following events have been planned for entrants and other participants of the 2009 Challenge Championship. Those interested in registering a Jaguar should call 210-695-8504 evenings, or visit www.jcna.com for more information.

Tuesday, May 19 (Registration and Reception)

Arriving guests will enjoy a reception held near the Registration and Hospitality room in the courtyard of the historic Menger hotel, across the street from The Alamo. Trailer parking will be staged at the Alamodome, five blocks away or a short downtown trolley ride from the hotel. The history of The Menger Hotel itself is worth a tour from the staff, but the nightlife of the adjoining Riverwalk is not to be missed either. This reception will end early enough for everyone to go explore downtown and the Riverwalk for themselves. In addition to several margarita and Mexican food venues, there are Italian bistros, Irish pubs, and even the Landing Club, where NPR’s ‘Live from the Landing’ jazz program is broadcast. Don’t stay out too late though, as the JCNA competition activities kick in by 8:30 AM the next morning.

Wednesday, May 20 (Luckenbach Rally and Tour Day)

Sign up for the Time Speed Distance Rally, or the more leisurely Tour. Both the Rally and the Tour go from the hotel to the legendary former post office made world famous in the song by Texans Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. After a transit stage to calibrate odometers and get everyone out of downtown, the rally will begin to show you the beautiful wildflowers and scenery of the South Texas Hill Country. Four rally stages later and at the end of the Tour, you will arrive at the Luckenbach, Texas, post office, where you can look around, have a beverage, and take your photos. From there, you will receive directions to cover the 10 mile distance to the German settled city of Fredericksburg.

The National Museum of the Pacific War, formerly known as the Nimitz Museum is located at the former Nimitz Hotel where the famous Admiral grew up. The museum will be the site of the our Texas barbeque lunch and afternoon activity. After a lunch in the certified third oldest ball room in Texas, everyone can enjoy a guided tour of the museum. A surprising number of artifacts are among the exhibits. One is the Pearl Harbor Japanese mini-sub that beached itself on the Hawaiian coast bearing the first two POW’s captured by the USA in WWII the day of Pearl Harbor. The museum also has a replica of a carrier flight deck in operation.

That evening after a return to the hotel, we will take everyone via RiverTaxi to and from an elegant reception at a private dinner club on the upper portion of the San Antonio River. Club Giraud will provide entrants a great dinner while we enjoy the mid-1800s site of Ursulines Academy. This is on the oldest part of the original San Antonio River, which is less traveled with a large patio under the old cypress and oak trees.

Thursday, May 21 (Slalom and Concours prep Day)

Rev up your machine, air up the tires, and go out to participate in the JCNA Slalom, staged on the grounds of the Alamodome complex just five blocks from the host hotel After a morning of racing the clock, we’ll break for everyone to have lunch on their own with time to prepare their car for the Concours the following day or explore The Alamo or Riverwalk. Any technical presentations to be made by sponsors will be held at the hotel on this afternoon, as well as car preparation.
That evening, there will be shuttles by bus to a reception at the facility of one of the sponsors, Victor’s Service Center, with food, beverages, and entertainment typical of Victor’s holiday open house he calls the ‘Cats Meow’. Selected cars from among his clients will be on display, so plenty of elegant cats will want to be there, as well as yourselves.

Friday, May 22 (Concours Day)

The Challenge Championship Concours d’Elegance will take place on Main Plaza in historic downtown San Antonio. This recently restored plaza is the Heart of the City, and was the staging area for the Siege of The Alamo in 1836. Once in place, participants will have time to prepare their vehicles, obtain lunch from a wide variety of eating establishments, and be judged. Once judged, you’ll have time to stroll the less traveled portion of the world famous River Walk, or take the trolley across downtown to the (750’) observation deck atop the Tower of the Americas, built in 1968 for HemisFair. You can also go to the new La Museo Alameda, the first satellite museum of the Smithsonian Institution, designed to focus on southwestern culture. Close to the Tower is a collection of shops in the oldest section of San Antonio called La Villita, originally settled by Spanish settlers from the Canary Islands in the early 1600’s.
That evening we’ll enjoy cocktails and a sumptuous dinner in The Menger Hotel’s main Ballroom, before hearing from our after-dinner speaker and receiving the Concours awards.

Saturday, May 23 (Final day)

After breakfast, everyone is welcome to make plans to stay in touch and reconvene in two years when we anticipate another opportunity to share in the joy of being a Jaguar owner in another location.

For those with more time, an opportunity for a tour of Texas Hill Country wineries and historic sites in and around San Antonio should not be missed. The nearly 400 year old Mission Trail starts outside your hotel practically, and follows the San Antonio River in its southerly trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The Hill Country to the north and west is known for antiques, museums, wineries, and bed and breakfast opportunities in some serene scenic locations.