Justin Law, a car builder and veteran Goodwood driver of various Don Law Racing Jaguar race cars, took a XJR-12D Group C into the hay on Sunday. Footage of the crash from the Goodwood Festival of Speed livestream captured the crash, as well as the driver exiting the car afterward seemingly without serious injury.
The XJR-12D was headed down the Hillclimb course just beyond the Flint Wall in Goodwood’s timed shootout when the vehicle lost control, spun into the grass and crashed into a barrier, heavily damaging the rear-end of the car. The incredible-looking Jag features a 7.0-liter V12 engine, and this configuration was a Group C heavyweight for a couple of years in the late-1980s and early-1990s.
Law’s timed run was said to be a favorite to take the top place in this year’s competition. If successful, it would have been Law’s second win at Goodwood in this very car, which managed the best time back in 2017.
Sadly, as Road & Track pointed out, Don Law Racing weren’t the only Festival-goers to lose a V12-powered Jag. The front end of the XJR-15 street car, which is incredibly rare, was completely smashed-in after losing grip and crashing racing up the hill. Fortunately, it appears that driver also managed to escape without serious injury.
I’m sure Don Law Racing and the XJR-12D will be back soon enough if they want to be, and I hope they offer a very friendly call to the owner of the XJR-15 for help if they can, too.