The XJR-6 made its debut late in the 1985 season at the
1000 Kilometres of Mosport in Canada. Two cars were entered and qualified third and fifth. One car retired after 12 laps with a failed wheel bearing, but
Martin Brundle,
Mike Thackwell and
Jean-Louis Schlesser brought the other car home in third place, albeit 19 laps down on the winning
Porsche 962C. At
Spa, Brundle and Thackwell finished fifth while Schlesser and
Hans Heyer retired their ill-handling car. Both cars retired at
Brands Hatch and were withdrawn at
Fuji due to bad weather. At the final race of the season at
Selangor, Thackwell and
John Nielsen finished second. In 1986, with the team now sponsored by
Silk Cut cigarettes and having undergone a major weight loss programme, a full season's campaign was carried out, with the best result being a win at
Silverstone for
Eddie Cheever and
Derek Warwick. All three cars retired at
Le Mans. Cheever and Warwick were second and third at the
Norisring and both shared third place at
Fuji, while Warwick and
Jan Lammers were second at
Spa. The season ended with third place in the Teams Championship, and third place for Warwick in the Drivers Championship. ==See also==