Auto Trader, Britain's biggest selling motoring magazine, announcd on Friday 16 May2003, that it was to sponsor the 2003 Citroen 2CV 24-Hour Race, the only 24 hour motor race in the UK. The eccentric twice-around-the-clock marathon - to be known as the Auto Trader 2CV 24-Hour Race - brings Le Mans-style 'through-the-night' racing back to the UK for the first time in nearly a decade and has attracted a full grid of more than 40 race-prepared Citroen 2CVs.
Matt Thompson, marketing director of the Trader Group says: "The Auto Trader 2CV 24-Hour Race promises to be a hugely popular and entertaining event which is sure to catch the imagination of competitors, public and media alike. That's what attracted Auto Trader. As the market leader in such an important automotive sector and with a strong motor sponsorship heritage, Auto Trader is an obvious target for sponsorship proposals. Our marketing focus, however, is currently concentrated on our high-profile 'Perfect Partner' TV and radio campaigns and motor sport is not an integral part of this strategy. That said the potential of this 'quirky' yet high-profile 24-Hour race was an opportunity we just couldn't ignore. The Perfect Partner advertisements are aimed at highlighting the relationship between owners and their cars and few cars are more lovable than Citroen's iconic 2CV. The thought of 40 of these Gallic snails racing bumper-to-bumper through the night will need to be seen to be believed!"
In the past the evocative 2CV enduro has been staged at the Mondello Park circuit near Dublin in Ireland. However, for its 12th running, the hugely popular and charismatic endurance classic moved to mainland Britain for the very first time. The 2003 Auto Trader 2CV 24-Hour Race was staged at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk over the weekend of 14/15 June - intriguingly that's exactly the same weekend as the Le Mans 24hr race.
"We are thrilled that a company of Auto Trader's stature and motor sport pedigree will be helping us to promote what's already well on the way to becoming one of this country's most intriguing sporting events," enthused Martin Harrold of the 2CV Racing Club. "The race has a proven track record and the level of professionalism among the event organisers and race teams is sure to provide a safe and exciting weekend for all involved. 2CV racing is firmly established as one of this country's best forms of low-cost motor sport and it's always been our objective to make the 24-hour race very easy to enter yet very hard to win. Now, with Auto Trader's enthusiastic support, we aim to build on our current success and ensure the event becomes a major attraction on the UK motor sport calendar."
The 2003 Auto Trader 2CV 24-Hour Race was run by the British Automobile Racing Club who were assisted at Snetterton by more than 100 volunteer marshals working around-the-clock in shifts. To ensure close competition, all the racing 2CVs were prepared to meet tight technical regulations that permited only minor modifications to the standard car's specification, mainly on grounds of safety. The rules permited teams to run either three or four drivers per car.
