RISING circuit racing star Tabitha Ambrose will race a V12-powered, ex-Roland Dane Group A Jaguar XJ-S at the upcoming RaceFuels Winton Festival of Speed 2026 from July 24 to 26.
The privateer Jaguar was built from a road car in New Zealand in the 1980s and raced by Allan Prince and Mike Hourigan.
The car competed in the Wellington 500 street race in the late 1980s, before it was acquired and restored by Kiwi racing identity Angus Fogg.
Dane then purchased the Jaguar in 2020, steering it in Super Sprint heats at the Townsville 500 before selling the car to a private collector in late 2025.
Meanwhile, in short order, Ambrose has amassed considerable experience behind the wheel of multiple race cars.
It will be Ambrose’s second year in a row on track at the festival, having sampled Warren Cullen’s 1977 Holden A9X Torana four-door in Touring Car Legends last year.
She has been a regular in the Bathurst 6 Hour, has sampled her father Marcos’s NASCAR Ford Fusion, an Allan Moffat-tribute Falcon Hardtop, and speedway Mircrosprints.
Elsewhere in 2026, Ambrose is competing in the Australian Formula Ford Championship aboard an Australian-developed and built Spectrum 015.
Tabitha Ambrose. Pic: Mark Walker
“I jump at any chance to sample Group A racing machines, and the Jaguar is going to be an incredible experience. Huge shoutout to the WFOS organisers and the owner of the Jag for making this all happen,” said Ambrose.
“It has three times the number of cylinders as my Spectrum Formula Ford, and the honour roll of previous owners fills me with assurance that it has to be one of the best-prepared Group A cars on the planet.
“The V12 will sing and certainly be a standout from the V8 crowd in Touring Car Legends, and it’s going to be a great weekend.
“I had an incredible time in 2025, and this year’s festival looks bigger and better.”
Tickets for Winton Festival of Speed are currently available online.
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