1962 to 1964, the service competition of Simca is Italian, it is of Simca 1000 Abarth, the sporting program stops in 1964, following a major dissension between M.Pigozzi chairman of SIMCA and M.Carlo Abarth, which reproached this one the side too typified Italian of Simca 1000.
The service competition of SIMCA became completely embryonic then, until 1968, date on which CHRYSLER enters mainly the capital of SIMCA. The objective of Chrysler is to start again this mark. For the renovation of the models, it is necessary to change the old image of this mark. Whereas Renault, has a name in the French automobile sporting medium, Simca stand by.

William Reiber and Henri Chemin: creation of a true service competition in 1969

A man had a determining action on the image of SIMCA, it is William Reiber. Defector of Ford, it took part in Ford in his search of notoriety in the sporting medium, at the beginning of the Sixties. It is at that time that it met Henri Chemin both, following dissensions with Ford France (you can remenber this men because he played with jean Louis Trintignant in the Claude Lelouch picture Un homme et une femme), will leave this mark to join SIMCA CHRYSLER in 1969.
William Reiber and Henri Chemin form a terribly effective tandem then. The service competition takes form at this time. William Reiber with the directory of the mark and Henri Way responsible for the service competition.
Henri Chemin then seeks traces of the period of Simca Gordini, records in any kind with the Swallows. But there remain nothing of all that, simply a car and a pilot: Proto SIMCA 1200S engine 1800 body Aluminium, and Bernard Fiorentino, as official pilot.
It is well little in confrontation with the Alpine Renault.
Henri Chemin recreates the service competition completely. He launches the program of the prototypes CG, frame MATRA, driving SIMCA 2156 DC JRD, in rally. Bernard Boyer (MATRA) signs the design of it. The Circuit program is reserved for him for MATRA SIMCA, with the prototypes of Mans and F1.

1971 creation of challenge SIMCA SHELL

In 1971, Henri Chemin creates challenge SIMCA SHELL. In fact prototypes run in circuit and hill climb. Michel Pignard (champion of France of the mountain in the Eighties), as well as Grizzly of the plate of Langres Guy Fréquelin (which one does not present any more, Team Manager of CITROEN WRC with Sébastien Loebs) took part in this championship.
In parallel it is necessary to give a younger image to SIMCA CHRYSLER. Simca 1000 is with the catalogue, the idea to develop it and to make it more powerful makes its way (without pun), birth of the 1000 rallye in 1971 of Rallye 1 in 1972 of Rallye 2 in 1973, which will give birth by following the Rally 2 Kit car in 1977, and Rally 3 in 1978.

In the history of the development of Rally 2 one should not especially forget Jean Claude Vaucard who finished directing technique of Citroen Sport, and which took part in many Rallys with Hubert Arnoux as navigator (current President of museum CAAPY and old directing of the service driving tests of Poissy) One remembers Rallye 2 with compressor which foamed in the French Rallys. Remember to bernard Fiorentino Team driver test for all the 1000 Rallye

1972 creation of SIMCA RACING TEAM

In March 1972 SIMCA a: a car, Rally 1, a service Competition in Rally with the CG, of the cars which run in F1 and Championship of the world of endurance with MATRA, it is necessary to close the loop.
Henri Chemin thinks whereas it was high time to do something for the young people. It is necessary to provide them an organization to their measurement. He then launches the SIMCA 1000 RACING TEAM which became thereafter, with the advent of Rally 2, SIMCA RACING TEAM. Chrysler France helped of its companies partners: Kléber Doves, Cibié, Bosch, Abex, Shell, Comodite,ABEX, Wynn' S, and of Simca 1000, makes it possible to the young people to launch out in the great bath of the automobile competition.

Structures of SIMCA RACING TEAM

The SRT is a sports association, which envisages in its rules of procedure three categories of active members, the TEAM 1, and the members practising the TEAM 2 and TEAM 3.
To become TEAM 2, it is necessary to be in possession of its driving licence and a licence of the regional or national federation of the FFSA. The TEAM 3 feed the service competition of the SRT.
Is needed a recognizable and easily identifiable Logo. It is the green Dragon with the letters of Simca Racing TEAM. These initials are still known at the present time.
There was to 5000 members with the SRT. Imagine at the present time a club of 5000 members turned on the automobile sport and only one automobile mark?
Completely improbable!!
The members are gathered in regional SRT (more than 100 local points and clubs) like those of the SRT of the city Lille, Dijon, Nimes, Villemomble, Morsang on Orge, Corbeil, Chambourcy, Bastia, Pau, Strasbourg, Vierzon, Paris Frémicourt, Villeneuve Saint George, La Rochelle, Cormeille, Albi, Clermont Ferrand etc. I forget some heard well. All these regional clubs have their own operation, they are lodged in dealers SIMCA CHRYSLER. They communicate between them by the means of a newspaper which appears in the pages of the Echappement review, the Bulletin of the Dragon. This bulletin is then distributed to the members free, as with the people claiming it in the concessions.Un club is composed of more than 20 members, a point less than 20.

The budget of the SRT at the time is 5 million francs with 5 to 6 permanent and its seat is located which occurred Avenue de la Grande Armée in Paris. In the permanent ones much of remember Claude Michel and of Michel Julien (this last still officiated in Peugeot Sport, not far from the retirement I suppose) a small hello would make us good pleasure!!

All these clubs one should not especially forget the foreign SRT like those of Belgium (SRT Vilvoorde), of Germany, of Holland.
The price of the contributions is moderate, 50,00francs by member for the year.
The presidents of the national SRT were Jacques Ménard until 1979 completion date of the SRT and Olivier Quesnel ( Hebdo-Hebdo edition now )de 1979 to 1981 with TALBOT RACING TEAM,

It is necessary to add to all these clubs, a club which marked the spirits: it is STAR RACING TEAM with incomparable Moustache, like organizer. At that time one met the stars of the moment, Johnny Halliday, but also Remi Julienne, Henri Pescarolo, Guy Ligier, Godasse de Plomb (alias Jarier F1 Driver ), Jabouille (F1 driver), Jacques Lafitte (F1 driver) Maurice Trintignant (Pétoulet F1 Driver ), Jean Louis Trintignant etc.

	Jacques Ménard SRT National chairman	24 hours of Mans 1974 equip Matra Simca, animation with the SRT

Death of William Reiber

April 11, 1973, William Reiber dies of a long disease, it is a terrible blow for all the service competition from Simca Chrysler. It should be known that Jean Luc Lagardere (Matra automobile) and William Reiber, had outlined projects of fusion of the services competition. The only actor living of this period, is Henri Chemin, whom one could still see with the French TV emission "Auto-Moto on TF1" in 2004. It would be necessary that one day it tells us this histoire.D' another share one can think that if William Reiber had not left so early, the destiny of the mark Simca Chrysler would have been very different!

Operation of SIMCA RACING TEAM

Good but beyond will these structures say to me, how functioned Simca Racing TEAM?
The SRT National organizes challenges in circuit, like in Rally and hill climb.
As regards the challenges in circuits, All the federal organization rests on the SRT Nationale, and for the organization of the days, it is with the local clubs to take care some.

There is first of all the " Challenge Speed". That Challenge is opened at the beginning with Rally 1 then then with Rallys 2. We can count to 250 candidates by concentration (Magny Court 76 and Monthléry 77). There is up to 10 series of eliminatory races which emerge for the four first of each series on a final.
You can imagine without sorrows the battles that there was. When one was finally, one was a "good", one had a certain notoriety then. A final classification is then proclaimed with a number of points by races, the profits at the end of the season are interesting.

The SRT Chambourcy In Short Magny

There are also the races of endurances, called "Chalenge William Reiber" in homage to that which had made so much for the competition at Simca. This challenge is organized in championship with races of 4 hours endurance on circuit with rally 2 groups 1 strictly controlled. Climax of these challenges, they are the 24 hours by team of SRT.
There were 4 great 24 hours competitions, the 24 hours of Mans 1974, the 24 hours of Albi 1975, the 24 hours of Nogaro of 1976 and 1977. In 1978 and 1979 these 24 hours races are abandoned, with the profit of great finales like that of 1978 in Clermont Ferrand, (see on the site of the Club Simca France the retrospective of this demonstration) and 1979 in Nimes Ledenon.
Engagements are done by club and not by pilots, one can have to the 6 pilots and two cars for these races of endurance. Many dealers engage themselves of the vehicles of their companies like Lille with M.Clément Martin (directing of Subsidiary company SIMCA LILLE Centre): cf to see articles and 24 hour old photographs of Nogaro of 1977
In addition throughout the various concentrations during the season are held some 4 hours races with a car and 4 pilots to the maximum.

Clement Martin Filliale Simca Chrysler Lille

Concerning the "Challenges Rally", the points are deducted with the results in the national and regional rallys. The members of the SRT engage on a purely personal basis in these competitions and according to the results which they obtain, they mark of the points to challenge SRT of the Rallys. They represent at the time of these competitions their club SRT.

Same operation chairs in "Challenge hill climb", like in 1978 in "Challenge Rally-Cross-country race". I do not have many elements over this period in rally cross-country race, if they are not some photographs.

Small anecdotes

Cherry on the Cake: In 1978 Simca Racing TEAM was invited in opening of the Great Price of France of Formula 1. I've took part in this race behind 50000 spectacteurs. To celebrate this arrival of the SRT on the circuit, the sky fell to us on the head, 10 minutes before the departure, July 4, there was a storm the circuit was flooded, the SRT made a spectacle of any beauty, there were cars in all the directions!! Rallye 2 left 30 seconds before their rivals Rallye 3. All that much more with the spectators present

Tighten Chevalier 1979 : Concentration and races on the ice's circuit . Before taste of the "Andros Trophy".

Photographs of the SRT Morsang in front of the Mr AMIEL's Concession City of MORSANG sur ORGE near Paris

Rally 2, Rally 2 Gr2, Rallye3 Champion of France of Régional Rally (Gerard Goudeaux), "Coupe de l'avenir" sport proto ARC MF 6, GERI RB2, as well as a part of the team.

Image of the SRT CORBEIL

End of the history

The repurchase of Simca Chrysler by PEUGEOT involves a deep modification of the structures. Moreover Simca Racing TEAM is called at the end of 1979 the TRT (Talbot Racing TEAM) there was even, since 1979, introduction of Chryler Sunbeam TI (UK) into the challenges.
The spirit even of the SRT then starts to change, the put hand of Peugeot is felt, the service competition since 1981 is taken again by Jean Todt for the sporting program of the 205 Turbo 16. All the other projects such as the prototype Of Chrysler UK Horizon with central engine (talk with the museum of the CAAPY) and the project Matra Muréna groups 4 (Politecnic with JP Beltoise) are abandoned. Peugeot tries all the same to launch the cut Talbot SAMBA during three seasons. Then all was abandoned. Local clubs SRT close the ones after the others. Many Pilots of the SRT from 1980 launch out in the sport proto "Coupe de l'avenir" which uses the power unit and the suspensions of back overhanging Rally 2. Philippe Streiff ( F1 Driver) passed by the SRT Grenoble then by the "championship cups of avenir "which it gained in 1978.
Only currently the SRT DIJON chaired by Didier Gachot (All the years until now there is concentrations near de town of Dijon Flageay Achezaux city) remains who tries to make perdurer this state of mind which made it possible a great number of young people to launch out in the great bath of the automobile competition with this small car if attaching and so much discussed.
Didier Auriol (Word championship WRC) even began in Rally on a Rallye 2 groupe2.
It should be known that in 2005 still, in group F and F2000, it is quasi the monopoly of Rally 2 and Rally 3. Not less than 350 of these cars are still registered in competitions in France far in front of the turbo Samba Rally and R5, and this 27 years after the end of the production of the car.
I was agreeably surprised all the same last year by the comment of a person in charge for Peugeot, interviewed on a meeting Peugeot Sport, which spoke about the races of endurance of the 206, it clearly announced that these automobile types of competition had been born from the time of the SRT!!!

Race Relays 206 PEUGEOT SPORT Val de Vienne 2005 150 Racing racing cars Relay 206! It has ever been seen for more than thirty years of existence! The number of the registered voters does not cease growing at the point to force Peugeot Sport to limit the volunteers and to create waiting lists. Small the 206 S16 of series achieve the unanimity. To two pilots even three maximum by car... it is nearly 400 competitors which furnish the group. The level is very recorded and guarantees a tight championship. Each car is registered under the name of a Club Peugeot Sport or of a Site of Production PSA and taking into account the number, two comforting are orchestrated before the final show, also 3 hours, animated by the best of the category. Among them, the brothers Gomez (Club of Nimes) give their title concerned. They had been essential last season on this layout of Vigeant. Vis-a-vis with them, the Club of Vierzon (Pallet-Lenoir), 3e in 2004 front Clubs of Mans (Bumblebee-Pale), Bordeaux (Rambeaud brothers) and Clermont-Ferrand (Put-Bellinato), all at the beginning of this new year. To also follow some Clubs such Amiens "2" (Greuet-Comis) or the Meeting "2" (Buzeau-Jolivière) and Sites of Sochaux, Poissy (champion 2004) and Mulhouse, all armed to the teeth. http://www.peugeot-sport.fr/rencontre/