Peugeot Sport made the difficult decision not to contest the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in order to optimize the development of its new LMH prototype, the Peugeot 9X8. Having accepted his discharge from the French resistance classic, the work team of the lion’s firm has taken a step forward, speeding up the tests of his new car. The French prototype has lapped in recent weeks at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but also on a much narrower track like Magny-Cours.
The test held on the small French track has served to discover new details of the Peugeot 9X8 and the project in the queen class of the WEC that will surround this prototype. Despite the rain present in the early hours of the first day of testing, the drivers and engineers of the French brand managed to take advantage of every minute on the track in Magny-Cours both on that day and on the following days, all under the watchful eye of Jean-Marc Finot, head of Stellantis Motorsport. And precisely Finot has been the one that has offered several details to take into account.
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The head of competition for the Stellantis Group has pointed out that the debut of the Peugeot 9X8 in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring was never under consideration, but that yes, there was a phase of the project in which work was carried out with a view to competing in the 6 Hours of Spa as an advance of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since the presence in Belgium was mandatory to carry out the adjustments of the ‘BoP’ of the queen event of the WEC. Discarded this option, The Peugeot 9X8 aims to have its long-awaited debut at the 6 Hours of Monzaalthough even this point is still not 100% confirmed.
Nevertheless, The great point of uncertainty, speculation and doubts about Peugeot’s return to the queen class of the WEC is in the aerodynamic concept of its prototype. The bet of the French firm to compete with a Peugeot 9X8 without a rear wing is very risky, but the tests of the prototype on different tracks are validating the path taken by the brand. Although the final result of the homologation is not yet known, the 9X8 rolled again without a rear wing in Barcelona and Magny-Courstwo antagonistic tracks as far as aerodynamic demands are concerned.
If the debut of the Peugeot 9X8 finally takes place at the 6 Hours of Monza, as it seems it will, doubts about the aerodynamic concept of the French manufacturer’s LMH prototype will not last long, since the homologation of the vehicle should take place at the latest at the beginning of July. It should be remembered that the WEC round on the Italian track takes place the weekend of July 10so the room for maneuver begins to be smaller and smaller.
Photos: peugeot sport