Scott Pruett #7 KR Mosport, With the new AJV8 race engine, it is a real Jaguar! (Photo John Thawley)

Coming into Mosport for the May 18th race, two big stories have become the "Buzz". First Boris Said started the season, as the 2002 Champion but was apparently not content with his achievement. During the off season he made comments that had placed him on probation and resulted in some fines, some of which were suspended. At Long Beach Boris continued his unfortunate tactic and found that it would not be tolerated. Starting May 1st he was suspended from the Trans-Am series for 45 days and his past fines were reinstated along with $7500 in additional fines. A certain amount of drama is good for a series but when it becomes personal, no one benefits.

The other big item was Jaguar's AJ-v8 32 valve engine would make it's debut in Scott Pruett's XKR. This would be its first competitive outing despite hours of development and testing in Lansing, Michigan in the careful and knowledgeable hands of John Gentilozzi. The 4.5-liter engine retains the alloy block and heads while utilizing a lightweight crank, Pistons and connecting rods. Custom Fitted headers and a race tuned engine management system help the powerplant to produce 650 horsepower and rev in excess of 9000 RPM. Would it be able to continue the record started by the Group 44 prepared V-12's of the 1970's and 1980's?

Practice

Heavy rain marred the first practice and only 3 cars set times. The schedule had to be changed to accommodate the inclement weather once again but the teams were finally able to get tires and cars up to speed for qualifying in the third practice session. Scott Pruett capped off the final practice with a 1:08.611 followed closely by Drissi, Miller, Gentilozzi and Lewis and all in Jaguars.

Qualifying

Perfect conditions for qualifying saw Pruett and his new engine power to a 1:08.08 pole position. Top five were all Jaguars with Bobby Sak and Stu Hayner driving the fastest Corvettes more than a second off the pace.

Race

Beautiful weather prevailed as the cars lined up on the grid. With The fall of the green Flag Scott Pruett started to pull away from the rest of the cars. Paul Gentilozzi and Michael Lewis had a slight tussle early but Lewis was able to recover and kept his car in second place. Johnny miller picked up some debris early causing mild overheating. Bobby Sak's corvette lost his differential bringing out the only caution on lap 27 and Miller used it to pit and clear his grill to protect his engine. The stop cost him second place. Randy Ruhlman brought his Corvette home in 4th place behind Johnny Miller's XKR. Jorge Diaz Jr. put in another impressive performance finishing fifth leading the rookie standings and placing in the top five overall in the championship. Paul Gentilozzi finished well down the order Due to a suspension failure after contact with Michael Lewis. Scott Pruett said, "it was not an easy drive" and added, "There are never easy drives". There was oil on the track in the late stages of the race and Pruett had to be careful on the way to his second win of the season. "It's been a good weekend for us up here" Scott said of the Canadian Venue.

Podium Mosport Left to right Michael Lewis (2nd), Scott Pruett (1st) and Johnny Miller (3rd) (Photo John Thawley)

It proved to be a Good weekend for Jaguar as well with an all XKR podium for the first time this year.

The new Jaguar Aj-v8 engine returned in style as it performed flawlessly for Scott Pruett in a flag to flag win. He learned from his efforts in Long Beach and managed his tires and made it look easy. This marks Scott Pruett's fifth Mosport victory in five races along with the pole, Fastest race lap, and most laps lead. This paid a contingency Prize of $4000 from Flow Master after rolling over from Long Beach where no one met the requirements. Johnny miller has also gotten off to a great start this year and is in a close second place in the championship after 3 rounds. Jorge Diaz Jr. managed to close in a little more in just his first full season in Trans-Am. Boris Said had already let it slip that he probably wouldn't race in Canada when I spoke to him in Long Beach, but that was before he was suspended for 45 days beginning the first of May. His team owner Mike Davis has tried to soften the rhetoric, but he is the one who bears the brunt of Said's actions. It will be hard to return and win a second championship with a two-race gap in his point total. Lime Rock is next and Promises to have a few more surprises for the hard core Trans-am fan. Remember to check the Speed TV schedule since they will be showing all the races this season Live or on a tape delayed basis.

Results: Mosport Round 3

Scott Pruett Jaguar XKR
Michael Lewis Jaguar XKR
Johnny Miller jaguar XKR
Randy Ruhlman Corvette
Jorge Diaz Jr. Jaguar XKR

Championship after round 3

Scott Pruett
Johnny Miller
Jorge Diaz Jr.
Michael Lewis
Paul Gentilozzi

For more information on the series and upcoming events: www.trans-amseries.com

Paul Gentilozzi and Rocketsports Racing: www.rocketsportsracing.com

About the author: W. Robert Phelps, III is an Aviation Consultant and Corporate Pilot. He is also a staff Writer and Photographer for Jaguar Magazine (Australia), and has nearly 30 years of experience as a Jaguar owner. He is a Virginia native, who now resides in Florida.

This article was supplied with the very kind permission of The Jaguar Magazine, which is available in the U.S. and Canada at bookstores or by subscription at www.jaguarmagazine.com, Copyright © 2003 W. Robert Phelps, III.