[Video] A glorious twilight Daytona thrash in a Jaguar XJR-5 | GRR
What could possibly be better than racing a GTP Jaguar around the sweeping banks of the Daytona International Speedway? How about doing it as the sun sets on another beautiful day in Florida and you battle some of the most wonderful racing cars ever to fight for the IMSA sportscar crown?
That is exactly what Doug Smith, the lucky so-and-so, is getting to do in this clip, brought to us by our friends over at Historic Sportscar Racing. The big white-and-green Jag is racing at the Classic 24 at Daytona, which HSR organises, and sounds absolutely magnificent.
The camera angle is also perfect, allowing us to see all of Smith's environs, as well as his footwork when the lighting allows. Doug starts the video passing a fellow Group C car as the pair enter the tri-oval section of the Daytona banking, but it's the later interaction with another car that is the real treat. As Doug comes through NASCAR turns one and two on Daytona's high banking, he's passed around the outside by a red-and-blue car. That car, in case you can't see, is the rare Nissan 300ZX GTO car, which would have raced in IMSA a few years later than the XJR-5.
Add the lighting, the cars, the V12 noise, and Doug Smith's relaxed approach to driving this monster, and it's all a near perfect mixture.