The entry into competition of the Peugeot 9X8 is approaching. Expected at the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10, the French Hypercar will be the big attraction of this fourth round of the WEC season, confirmed Linda Jackson, general manager of Peugeot, Jean-Marc Finot, the boss of Stellantis Motorsport. The French manufacturer took advantage of a test session at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão (Portugal) to reveal the livery that the brand will use for its big return to the world of Endurance, 11 years after its last appearance. James Rossiter, who was at the wheel of the LMH on Friday afternoon in the Algarve for the presentation, will be the team’s sixth driver on the grid at Monza replacing Kevin Magnussen, who returns to Formula 1 with Haas this season.
The 6 drivers for the 2022 WEC season where Peugeot Sport will start at Monza. ©Peugeot Sport
Peugeot presented this Friday, May 20 the livery of its 9X8. ©Peugeot Sport
Linda Jackson, CEO of Peugeot: “ PEUGEOT’s entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship is further proof of the brand’s inventiveness and its innate passion for competition. It also contributes to the essential transfer of technologies from racing to production cars, particularly in terms of electrification. To participate in the energy transition, PEUGEOT has undertaken to produce a 100% electrified range by 2024 and, to pass the next stages of a 100% electric European offer in 2030, we want to excel in this area. Competition helps us do that. Even before the PEUGEOT 9X8 made its racing debut, its engineers transferred its hybrid system to a production car – the PEUGEOT 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. And other applications of lessons learned from the PEUGEOT 9X8 are in preparation. »
Jean-Marc Finot, Stellantis Motorsport Director: “ Today, in Portimao, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is presenting the PEUGEOT 9X8, Le Mans Hypercar prototype. This sleek and extreme car, which bears the brand’s DNA, is the result of intense teamwork between our Sport and Design structures, with the valuable support of our major and crucial partners in their respective areas of expertise. Success in competition can only come from the fusion of skills. »
As a reminder, Peugeot Sport, which was due to make its return to Endurance at Sebring at the start of the year, has postponed its arrival in the premier category. If the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans were to launch this program, the French manufacturer has decided to give up on the classic Le Mans race to arrive in the best conditions at Monza for its debut.
“It simply gives us time to achieve the required level of reliability, explained Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of the Peugeot WEC program at the time. For obvious reasons of BoP settings, participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans would only have been possible on the condition of participating in the previous race of the championship, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in this case. (May 7, 2022). Our schedule allows us to concentrate our teams and our resources on our test sessions, which will not be interrupted by participation in the races at Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans. Le Mans is the toughest race in the championship, especially in terms of reliability and operation. We will start with shorter races, which will allow us to start gradually in the discipline. As with our production cars when we have to choose between time and quality, we choose quality”.
Despite the absence on the track, fans will still be able to see the 9X8 in the village of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. The Lion’s LMH will be on display in a “dedicated space” where they can also get official outfits and other goodies in the shop.
READ ALSO > Peugeot announces that the 9X8 will not be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
More information to come…