Snetterton Liqui-Moly 2cv 24 hour 2017

Team Lion’s Peter Sparrow, David O’Keeffe and Alec Graham took top honours for the 28th 2CV 24hr race. This time at the return to the MSV Snetterton circuit. Gadget Racings Lien Davies was also secured as the overall 2cv parts.com champion for the second successive year. Are both teams and the drivers lucky ?

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

The preparation for the 2018 2cv 24 hour race had started before the 2017 race had even ended and it will continue until the starting lights go out next year.

The whole event is a real show of team effort with the people behind the scenes playing vital roles that enable the drivers to race in the cars for 24 hours.

The paddock during the race was the usual mix of team members asking other competitors for spares to keep the cars going following unforeseen incidents, usually foam air-filters catching fire. The usual teams helping others out with spare parts and mechanics was a pleasure to watch – well done MIM Racing, Gadget Racing, Tete Rouge and Hollis Motorsport.

The great thing about an event like this is that anything can happen, the winners could be a team that has taken part in every round of the 2CV Championship, travelling the length and breadth of the country and suffering the weather (appalling weather in the early part of the season)…Or maybe a ‘once a year team’, one that has put all of it’s effort into this meeting and planned every fine detail. But at the end of the day its all about good preparation and a fair dose of lady luck.

Luck always has a large part to play in motorsport, some teams had three engines changes, some teams even more and some less, always good to better your odds and prep is the key.

This race also has the invited Mini Grand 24 cars, which are 998cc classic Mini’s. These have been racing at the 2CV 24HR event since 2012 and lap within a second of the 2CV’s and certainly it makes for a fantastic spectacle of classic cars competing over 24 hours. This years race had the Mini’s completing 680 laps whilst the wining 2CV completed 673 laps. The fastest Mini lap time was 1:49.365 compared to the fastest 2CV lap time of 1:50.832 and that’s not bad considering the CVv’s only have a little 602cc engine. The Mini was car 171, Team Mini-Uns finishing 5 laps in front of Andy Slades Team Toyshed Mini.