THE INSIDE LINE
Robert Barrie finds out what makes the 2-litre Cup race series such a hit
Ahead of the new season, we put some questions to 2-Litre Cup series organisers and co-founders Patrick Peter of Peter Auto and James Turner of Sports Purpose. What, we asked, was the background to the series and how had it got off to such a strong start? What were the surprises and what are the plans for the future? Here are their answers…
CP: Monotype series are rare in historic racing. What was the thinking behind the 2-Litre Cup and why is the early 911 different?
Indeed, monotype series are rare in historic racing. The idea was not ours. It came from James Turner and Lee Maxted-page. They proposed that we set up a series dedicated to pre-’66 Fia-spec 911s.
Monotype means all cars must be in the same configuration. It’s more popular in modern racing, as it is often monitored by a manufacturer. It’s complicated in historic racing, because the cars come from different preparers and may be in different configurations, with more than 50 years of history and updates. So the key point, in the early days of the series, is to define clear and precise technical regulations and prevent disparities of performance. To have one ‘wrong’ car is the best way to see ten good cars leave the grid.
My inspiration was that I did not think there was a series that met the needs of many historic racers. It was hard to recommend something, especially if you wanted to race on the best circuits with good organisation in strong, reasonably affordable cars. Fortunately, I knew Patrick Peter. He thought the series was an excellent idea, so Lee Maxted-page and I met him. We soon had a joint venture agreement and a commitment from Lee, Richard Tuthill, Kevin Morfett and Marc de Siebenthal to support the series.
As for the early 911, it is still a well-kept secret. Sure, later 911s are bigger, faster and louder etc, but the thrill of driving an early 2-litre car is a pure one – and one that works for the novice and the seasoned racer. We have some very talented modern racers in our series, as well as some experienced
historic racers and they all love these short-wheelbase cars! CP: The series has got off to a good start in terms of grid numbers and the quality of cars, drivers and racing. What are the reasons?
I think the simplest reason is that our competitors are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and supportive. Is that a Porsche thing? I’d like to think so, of course, but it’s also a meeting of minds – the series and the Peter Auto platform is a winning combination. It has also been important to be strict on driving standards. In the races so far we have only had a handful of comings together. For me, that’s a phenomenal statistic. We start every drivers’ briefing with a reminder of the spirit of competition: that we are here to enjoy ourselves. If someone is judged to have caused an accident, they pick up 50 per cent of the cost or they don’t come back. Then there are the cars. They are tough and not too expensive to prepare or race, given the quality of the meetings.
The series depends on clear regulations, close scrutineering and transparency and openness between organisers, preparers and drivers. CP: What has been the biggest surprise so far?
I would say the fact that organisers, preparers and drivers were all very involved in the technical and sporting regulations from the start, with the same spirit and the same goal of making the series a success.
The biggest relief is the atmosphere in the paddock. This is so important. A new competitor this year, a serious and successful individual with involvement at the highest level of motorsport said he had never been in a friendlier paddock. The biggest pleasure has been the quality of the racing up and down the field. When an experienced and successful historic racer has a race-long, door-handle to door-handle scrap with an ex-single-seater star team mate and says it was one of the best races of his life, you know something must be right. A surprise is that we have only had one non-uk prepped car on the podium. We look forward to more strong
performances from the continental European cars and drivers. CP: What problems have you encountered? Have there been any issues with rules and regulations?
Inevitably there have been some teething issues but, on the whole, we have dealt with them as a group and put the interests of the series first. I’m happy with the
Elite/gentleman categorisation. We recognise that everyone deserves a race and a goal. The drivers that are at the front of ‘Gent’ may become ‘Elite’ next year. Hopefully it will continue in that vein for a while to come.
I should also say how exceptional Patrick Peter and his team have been. They do what they say they are going to do, they listen and they care. We are fortunate to have a race organiser who cares about the competitor, be it safety, driving standards, fair application of the rules or the quality of the party afterwards. Really, it has been a dream from start to finish. Merci, Patrick! I have also been fortunate to work with my co-conspirators Kevin, Lee and Richard.
When you’re setting up a new grid, first you have to attract cars. The first year was a test year, with regulations quite ‘open’ and flexible. As soon as we saw that there was a true potential, then it was time to tighten the regs, especially the technical ones, in order for the cars to be as close as possible in terms of performance.
Another issue was how to balance performance between an Elite Driver, racing every weekend, mostly in someone else’s car, sometimes being paid, and a Gentleman Driver, coming with his or her own car at their own expense, just for fun. That’s why in the second year we created a specific classification for Gentleman Drivers. CP: What are your plans for the future? How big can the series become?
We know there are more cars being prepared. We hope to have at least 30 cars at each round next season. The key points are regulations and scrutineering. If everyone knows the racing is fair, the series will continue to be a success.
I hope we can continue to build, to retain existing competitors and attract new ones. For me, the series has so much potential. We can continue to develop off-track and next season we will encourage every competitor to stay in the same hotel at the last race. Surely, nothing could go wrong there. I’d like to add more rounds outside Patrick’s regular calendar, at other great tracks and perhaps we should have a race in the UK, but at a different sort of meeting, like a prestigious modern race meeting.
I hope we continue to listen and bear in mind the needs of competitors and preparers. I think we can do more to engage with spectators and we have various ideas in that direction. I’d like to see more factory drivers, more young drivers and more family teams. I’d like a merchandise range and free beer after qualifying. Above all, I’m keen that we all continue to get on and have a laugh with each other!