Peugeot 208. Argus on the podium of the Ultimate Cup Series in Estoril!

Like its sudden starts from the World Endurance Championship in 2012, the WRC in 2019 or the Tour Auto in 2020, the ex-PSA group seemed to have sacrificed with a stroke of a pen its oldest program: the Peugeot Sport Meetings. For more than 40 years, this branded cup brought together hundreds of amateur pilots who worked hard on the circuits of France and Navarre on the handlebars of affordable Peugeot. Ultimately ? Another promoter came to the rescue of the feline orphans: the Ultimate Cup Series.

Born in 2019, this championship has hitherto hosted powerful GT-type cars (GT4, GT3, 911 Cup, etc.), prototypes (CN, P3, Renault RS01) and even single-seaters. Quite different machines, therefore, than the valiant Peugeot 208 Racing Cup based on the previous generation: 140 hp, 960 kg, a five-speed gearbox, four Michelin 16 ” road tires. But a price / pleasure ratio remained unbeatable, as we had experienced on several occasions since 2013, the year of its launch.

From RPS to the Ultimate Cup Series

Despite the number of compacted events over an Ultimate Cup Series weekend, nothing has changed for Peugeot 208 drivers. Everyone can still enter Sprint (four races of 25 minutes) or Relay (one round of 4 hours run by several pilots), and take advantage of specific classifications such as the Junior (under 21) or Gentleman (over 50) rewarding their respective champions.

In exchange for a slightly higher cost of engagement than in the Peugeot Sport years (see details at the bottom of the article), the pilots enjoy a canteen on each paddock, a nice media coverage (with races filmed and commented live on social networks) and the pleasure, between each race, of seeing “big” competition cars rolling. It was at the final orchestrated in Estoril, Portugal, that we took part in this new organization behind the wheel of an old acquaintance.

At the wheel of the 208 Racing Cup

In this stripped-down cabin, nothing has changed. The little dashboard rectangular indicates the engine speed in large numbers, the airbag-free steering wheel comes close to the body and the body, in fact, is harnessed in a large winged bucket that keeps you like a straitjacket. Your smile is nevertheless blissful at the wheel of this Peugeot, whose 1.6 atmo sound invades the cabin at the option of five short reports, controlled by this frail rod topped by a basic 208 knob. Typical!

Despite the endless straight line of the Estoril circuit, we still do not feel that we are lacking in power because it is enough to have fun with the chassis, the centerpiece of this emancipated city car. The slightest turn engages the rear axle which relieves the work of its front counterpart, already very incisive. It takes skill to find the right measure: trigger a drift to help yourself turn, but not to brake too much on the edge of the tires. A recipe to be followed to the letter in the long and technical curves of the Estoril route.

The asphalt, quite slippery, requires in fact to apply the placement and then to be patient with the go-around as would a single-seater pilot. Always a great driving school, this GTI of the circuits! After two free practice sessions and a qualifier completed in fifth place out of eleven entered, we are getting ready, with my teammate Thierry Blaise, to start the non-timed night session. A simple training for the Saturday round, scheduled from 4.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. and therefore partially run at night.

It was without counting on the crash of a Ferrari on Friday afternoon, which unsealed 50 meters of rails and canceled the night training, several races of the day, reduced our test from four to three hours and postponed the start to 5:45 p.m. , promising us a start directly in the dark on a very poorly lit track. Bad news never comes alone, Michel, team leader of New Team Competition brooding our black 208 with orange stripes, announces to me that I will have the honor (or the fear) of starting at the wheel. Hmm …

The race

It is 5.45 pm and despite the Portuguese “early-setting” sun, the race finally begins at the last light of day. An advantage for taking your last landmarks and facilitating the gradual dive into the night. Shortly after the rolling start, I take advantage of this light to jump one, then two competitors and find myself third, already at a distance from the two leaders forced to “give everything”: at the end of this very tight season, the one who will finish in front of the other will win the championship!

But the night falls quickly and without pursuing behind nor opener in front, I quickly find myself in the deep darkness, seeking many times to engage full headlights already on the way. Driving precision suffers: the string points are sometimes taken too early, sometimes too late, often beyond the vibrator, earning me, I believe then, a warning for non-compliance with the track limits (difficult to ‘see the flags in the dark night!). I then try to refine my driving and gradually get back to the leading men. In their brawl and multiple overtaking attempts, the fellows indeed lose a few seconds over the laps, sufficient to get back into their bumper. The glow of their headlights are then added to mine, facilitating the reading of the track … and the beginning of the attacks.

Under the growing pressure, the first magnifies its braking at the end of the straight line and here I am second, stuck to the rear bumper of the new first. This then suffers from the suction effect, which increases the health of my 208 in a straight line and allows it to hook up the fifth gear switch before THE big braking … attacked at the same place but faster, in squealing. irregular tires and a butt that sway like a dachshund coming out of the bath. What an explosion! A hair faster than my hare in the first portion but a little less in the last, I still scramble a few hundredths and finally find the opening. Here I am in the lead! Not for a long time… The third thief, having in turn benefited from our fight, overwhelms me with the famous braking.

Dozens of laps followed, swapping positions, knife between teeth and almost without blinking, to the point that after an hour and 35 minutes, our three cars remained grouped in the same second. “The tank is soon empty, return quickly to the pits to refuel”Michel exclaims over the radio. I thought I had been driving for 30 minutes maximum… If the three teams let their first driver run for a long time, they still have to respect the five mandatory stops, transforming the rest of the race into a funny choreography.

After Thierry’s first stint, shortened to less than 40 minutes (sorry, teammate!), I got the wheel back, once passed the timing line as stipulated in the regulations, then already returned to the pit to leave my place again. And so on. A fast ballet which, in the haste, made us exceed the speed limit in the pits of a small km / h and made us bail with a drive through (the car must then return through the pit lane at 60 km / h, without stopping). Considering the tiny differences between each car, this error unfortunately makes us fall to fourth place and mount the rage in our stomachs … before a final twist eliminates one of our competitors.

In this same rush of a jerky end of the race, the n ° 154 crew stopped too late for their last stint and could not resume the track before the waving of the checkered flag. A disqualification for them, a step on the podium found for us… A beautiful emotional lift on the Portuguese slide, which further increases our desire to come back. Can’t wait for the next one!

Balance sheet

A 208 Racing Cup that is always so fun to drive, an organization at the top despite the racing events, the joy of the podium at the finish, or the summary of a magical event that went like lightning. May the Peugeot Sport Meetings continue for a long time to come, in the (good) hands of the Ultimate Cup Series. It remains to take care of these endearing 208, the replacement of which by the new generation has been abandoned … Until the electric? For endurance, we will gladly keep the “granny”, thank you!

Relais 208 results in Estoril

• 1^er : N ° 274 Blancardi / Pasquier (Gemo Motorsport) 75 laps
• 2nd: N ° 409 Marion / Martinez (GM Sport) + 34.717
• 3rd: N ° 213 Blaise / Sentis (New Team Competition) +57.261
• 4th: N ° 609 Hernandez-Felix / Hernandez (GM Sport) + 2: 11.155
• 5th: N ° 346 Bos / Max (PH Racing) + 1 lap
• Etc

The 2022 Peugeot Sport Meetings calendar

• April 29 to May 1: Le Castellet
• May 27 to 29: Navarra (Spain)
• July 1 to 3: Val de Vienne
• September 2 and 3: Albi (to be confirmed)
• October 7 to 9: Magny-Cours
• November 10 to 13: Le Castellet (super final)

The cost of entering a Peugeot 208 Racing Cup *

• Sprint 208: 490 € per car
• Relais 208 commitment: € 990 per car

to be added to the registration cost, set at 290 € for an event or 490 € for the season Are you tempted by adventure? For more information on the 2022 season, visit the