Door Industry Journal - Winter 2013

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk In August 2013 Darren Baker, Owner of AlluGuard and MD at JB Doors, stepped into the drivers seat and put his foot down in a race-ready Citroén 2CV for the 24 Hour Endurance Race at Snetterton Race Circuit. It’s not the first car you think of when the terms ‘endurance’ and ‘racing’ come to mind, but the strong following and dedicated entrants make for an entertaining 1440 minutes of on track action. Designed in the 1940s, the 2CV has proven to be a very good car for the difficulties and challenges that endurance racing brings. From simple mechanics through to readily available parts, the straight-forward design allows for body panels and other sections of the car to be removed quickly, which is good given the dangers that can happen when out on a track. Team Somfy Darren isn’t a stranger to the 2CV racing world, but this year he decided that he and 3 other drivers would enter the 2013 24 Hour race, partnering with garage door control specialists Somfy. Team Somfy was born. Painted in bold colours of white and yellow, with distinctive Somfy logos, the humble 2CV looked pristine when it visited the Rotherham based AlluGuard factory in late August, just days before the race. The Race Car Number 90 (driven by Darren Baker, Anthony Wildes, Neil Thompson and Paul Robertson) qualified 8th for the start of the race and within the 1 hour made up 5 places to sit 3rd. The first 3 hours showed what the team could do, leading the race and keeping ahead of the closely packed field. With only 2 seconds covering the top 6 cars in their class, the opening of the race was a classic. Issues pushed them back to 11th but with only 4 hours gone there was plenty of time to make up the lost places. By the half way mark Team Somfy was sitting in 10th place having completed 346 laps and averaging 57mph. The next few hours saw the team rise through the pack and after the full 24 hours Team Somfy finished 6th in their class having covered an astonishing 703 laps of the Snetterton racetrack. Battered and bruised, the 2CV made it home and was not only awarded 6th place but also the ‘Best Presented Car’ Award by the judges. 38 THE door industry journal winter 2013 garage doors ALLUGUARD - POWERED BY SOMFY In More Ways Than One 2CV ENDURANCE RACING: • First 24 Hour Race held 1990 • Held at Snetterton since 2003 • 3 or 4 drivers per car • 2 hours between refueling • Limited fuel (20 litres ) at each pit stop • 602cc Engines • 49bhp • 80mph top speed