July 2024 | Issue 768 | Page(s) 16 - 17
With just days to go before the Club celebrates another National Day, this year at a new venue, we bring you a taste of what to look forward to.
This year’s JDC National Day heads for Northamptonshire and Whittlebury Hall, just a stone’s throw from Silverstone, on 13-14 July. For those wanting to make a weekend of it, festivities start on Saturday night with a gala dinner, followed by the main event on Sunday.
Sitting in hundreds of acres of ancient parkland, Whittlebury Hall is just a 10-minute drive from Junction 15a of the M1 and 20 minutes from central Milton Keynes. This award-winning fourstar hotel offers a three-AA Rosette restaurant, luxurious spa and excellent event facilities, including the Pavilion, where we will be hosting our event.
The highlight of National Day on Sunday 14 July will be the opening rounds of the JDC’s annual concours. Dating back more than 40 years, this is undoubtedly the world’s most prestigious Jaguar-only contest to find the finest examples. It begins with the Register Concours heats, which will see vehicles of an incredibly high standard from each eligible model category put under the scrutiny of our esteemed judges. From the winners of the National Day heats, just seven cars will be selected to move forward to the final at the Champion of Champions on 22 September in the Jaguar Collections Centre, Gaydon, where just one will achieve its goal of securing this illustrious title.
Previous winners include Stuart Cardell’s Series 1 E-Type in 2017, Nigel Butterworth’s XJS 3.6 Coupé in 2018, David Fisher’s XK8 in 2019, Gareth Jones’ S-Type R in 2021, Mike Birtwhistle’s XK120 in 2022 and, most recently, Paul Crowther’s Series 1 E-Type roadster in 2023.
Each Register has its own trophies but will run the concours to the Club’s high judging standards and the winning car in each category will receive the appropriate trophy. And talking of trophies, the concours accolades are not the only prizes on offer. There are three others handed out on the day: the Chairman’s Trophy, awarded by Roger Kemp; the Stephens & George Trophy, donated by the magazine’s printers and awarded by the Editor, Gaynor Cauter; and the Norwich Union Trophy which, this year, will be up to you, the visitors, to decide upon the recipient. The JDC would like to invite every member and visitor to vote for the car that steals their hearts on the day to the point of wanting to take it home.
In addition to the main Club trophies, the XK Register will be holding its annual day, with a raft of prizes on offer, from Best XK in Show to the Oily Rag award for the most ‘patinated’ XK. Aside from the concours, members and guests can choose to park alongside their chosen Register and/or Area so that they can enjoy time with friends and likeminded owners, to share stories, technical knowledge and their Jaguar journey.
Members new to the Club and to National Day will be welcomed with open arms. There will be a timetable published on the Club’s website – at www.jaguardriver.co.uk – before the event, which will include a chance for first-timers to meet up and be introduced to the Club’s Directors.
Club stalwart Bob Beecham will once again be on the microphone interviewing guests throughout the day as well as talking to owners. And there will be an the usual array of trade stands to browse and enjoy.
For those looking to make a weekend of it, there are some daytime activities being planned for the Saturday before a gala dinner at Whittlebury Hall in the evening. Some members have already booked into the hotel for the night but should you wish to book a room and join us for the dinner, you will need to contact the hotel directly by 10 July. Call 01327 857857 or go online to www.whittlebury.com. These details are also available in the Events section of the JDC website at www.jaguardriver.co.uk. Once you have booked your dinner, bed and breakfast with the hotel, please let JDC Head Office know so that we can add your name/s to the dinner list for menu purposes on the Saturday evening. Call 01582 419332 or email enquiries@jdclub.co.uk.
PHOTOS: 1 Whittlebury Hall – the new and exciting venue for JDC National Day 2 The stylish Pavilion, where the gala dinner will be held 3 Classic or modern – all Jaguars are welcome at JDC National Day 4 Cars can park with their Registers or Areas in the spacious grounds 5 Dogs are welcome outside and on a lead 6 Gladrags on – it’s time to dress the part for Saturday night’s dinner 7 Paul Crowther with last year’s Champion of Champions winner – his 1964 Series 1 E-Type roadster
