During 2014, the Club will celebrate its 25th continuous year of racing the iconic Citroen 2CV, with drivers and teams competing in the 2CVParts.com Championship.
Our race programme is organised in conjunction with BARC and features four sprint race meetings, concluding with the 24th running of the unique 2CV 24 Hour race. In total, it is a ten-race season at five meetings:
29 March – Oulton Park, Cheshire – 2 x 20 minute races
26/27 April – Croft, North Yorkshire – 2 x 20 minute races
17/18 May – Pembrey, Dyfed – 2 x 20 minute races + 2 hour endurance race
26/27 July – Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire – 2 x 20 minute races
30/31 August – Anglesey – PMWE / Dodo Juice 2CV 24 Heures d’Anglesey
The cars are all Citroen 2CVs, prepared to meet the technical regulations evolved over many years by the Club. The regulations are designed to encourage close, low-cost, motor racing. Top speed is around 85mph, and the racing is famously close – check out 2CV Racing on You Tube.
Entry fees are around £350 for two 20-minute races, and you can do just one meeting. If you enter and pay for the full Championship sprint series, there is a discount.
The 24 Hour Race is the final round of the Championship and is extra, with the entry fee being around £2,500 for a car. That, and the running costs, are typically shared between four drivers. This is by far the lowest cost of any European 24-hour motor race.
To enter the 2CVParts.com Championship, you can:
:: Buy a defunct 2CV and build it up into a race car. There is lots of advice available from the Club technical committee and parts are readily available. Some motor engineering and welding skills are required. A number of specialists can prepare engines. There is a special Economy class for newcomers to Classic 2CV racing – safety equipment is the same as in all the 2CV race cars, but in this class, performance modifications are much more limited. Depending on how much work is outsourced, an Economy class car can be built for around £2,000.
:: Buy a ready-made 2CV racer. Occasionally, a race-prepared 2CV becomes available on the Club website or on Ebay. Expect to pay around £3,000 for a good chassis and £1,000 for each good engine. You will need at least two engines. Once it has been checked and brought up to current spec, you are ready to go racing. And then the fun and the learning for drivers and crew really starts.
:: Rent a seat in a car being run by another driver or team. In a sprint race, this is by negotiation, but might typically cost £350 for a 20-minute race. Plus damage and engine blow-ups. In the 24-Hour race, a seat might cost £1,500 to be one of four drivers. There, a session lasts around two hours, and you would normally get three sessions. There is a tow-in rule, which means that nearly all cars finish.
If you do rent a seat, please take time to get to know the car and the team. Manage your expectations while you develop the special skills needed to maximise your speed in a racing 2CV.
Although the cars are a classic design and not as quick as many other racing classes, don’t under-estimate how challenging they are to drive. With only 602cc and about 40hp, the skill in getting a good result is to minimise braking. Drafting (as they say in NASCAR) is another skill to learn. In the 24-Hour, a train of several cars can help each other around that little bit faster, for lap after lap.
2CV Racing enquiries:
Please visit: www.2cvracing.org.uk, or send an email (with an evening phone number) to: [email protected].
Journalists and commercial enquiries:
Martin Harrold: [email protected]
