Witness the Fire-Spitting Twizy ‘Unsafety Car’ Paving the Way for a 100-Lap Citroen Ami Race on a Velodrome

      Screenshot

      Screenshot via Silvain Lyve's Twitch

      The latest car news and reviews, no nonsense

      Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for the most important stories delivered straight to you every weekday.

      If the headline above seems puzzling, you're not the only one. It’s quite a bit to digest, especially on a Monday. Let’s break it down: a fire-breathing Renault Twizy “monster truck.” Citroen Ami micro EVs competing on a velodrome. One hundred laps. Are you getting it now?

      No, this isn’t AI-generated, and I assure you, several team members initially thought the video below of 10 Amis on a bike track was created by AI. What you're witnessing is an event called L.A. C.O.U.R.S.E., which, as stated in this YouTube video, stands for the L’Ami Challenge Original Ultra Racing Sport Event.

      Since the event was conducted in French, I struggled to grasp much of the Twitch stream, but you don’t need to understand the language to enjoy the race. A Reddit post suggests that this unique race was organized by prominent French YouTuber Sylvain Lyve, who brought together 10 French streamers to compete in the tiny EVs.

      You can watch the full hour-long race here:

      As a fan of the Citroen Ami micro EV—I haven’t driven one, but I own its corporate cousin, the Fiat Topolino—I couldn’t help but cheer when I saw adventurous participants racing against each other. I was even more thrilled to see the racing venue and the fire-breathing safety car. Oh, pardon me, I mean the “Unsafety Car,” which is its actual name. I’m not sure who creates those Twizy monster truck conversions that resemble open-wheel cars, but I appreciate you.

      According to that Reddit thread, the objective of the 100-lap race is not only to win but mainly to complete the lengthy race with at least 10% battery left. Similar to the Topolino, the Ami can achieve an estimated range of 46 miles from its 6 kW single motor and 5.5-kWh battery combo. The top speed I reached in the Topolino was 30 mph downhill, so I’m unsure what speeds were reached on the velodrome, although Lyve's video states that the speed limiters were raised to 70 km/h, about 43 mph.

      I thought the Wiene 500 was amazing, but this… this might surpass that. Thank you, French people.

      Have a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com