Speeds don’t get much higher than 15 mph, but it’s still more fun to watch than other big racing series.
Formula 1 and most other forms of professional motorsport have almost become too good. The faster, more reliable, and more capable race cars get, the less exciting they can be to watch—which is why Max Verstappen’s recent mechanical failure in Australia made the race considerably more exciting. Instead, I could use some low-speed, low-grip racing with DYI race cars, such as this hilarious Citroen 2CV ice racing in France.
In this new episode of The Late Brake Show, host Jonny Smith goes ice racing in the French Alps in heavily modified Citroen 2CVs, and it’s equally some of the slowest and funnest racing you can watch. None of the cars ever really go faster than 15 mph, but since they’re driving on packed snow on top of ice, they’re sideways almost the entire time. And despite going so slow, it’s actually incredibly difficult—since drivers have to be judicious about their throttle, steering, and braking inputs.
The Late Brake Show
All of the 2CVs in the race are modified to some degree. Some use stock engines but are just stripped out to be lighter, some have engine mods like superchargers, and some are even electric. Smith drove both a gas and electric version on the ice and they look incredibly fun. It’s also nice to see the different 2CV builds on different budgets. Some of them don’t even have the budget for studded ice tires for all four wheels, so they just run two at the front, making them extra tail-happy through corners.
I would love to see this sort of racing but with ultra-talented and competitive racing drivers behind the wheel. Can you imagine Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen going head-to-head in Citroen 2CVs on ice? Watching competitors like them sliding, overtaking, and even crashing would be infinitely more fun. And since the speeds are so low, crashing isn’t nearly as dangerous as it is in other forms of motorsport.
If ESPN, Sky Sports, or any other network decided to put Citroen 2CV ice racing on the weekend, I’d totally watch.
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