The publication of the provisional WEC entry list has confirmed the growth of its grid to 39 vehicles. Among the ‘new’ faces of the championship is Peugeot on his return to the premier category of endurance with his new Peugeot 9X8. The LMH prototype of the lion firm will debut in 2022, but the release date is not yet known. It seems totally unlikely that Peugeot Sport will compete in all the events on the calendar, since the brand will rush the deadlines to develop and homologate its 9X8.
One of the options that Peugeot managed was to skip the 1,000 Miles of Sebring and the 6 Hours of Spa to make his 9X8 debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the epicenter of the WEC and the queen of endurance. However, those responsible for the World Endurance Championship have warned Peugeot that this cannot be the case. The Peugeot 9X8 must compete before Le Mans in order to establish the ‘Balance of Performance’. For this reason, the 6 Hours of Spa is drawn as the most likely place for the debut of the Peugeot 9X8.
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Frédéric Lequien himself, responsible for the WEC, has been in charge of announcing the mentioned requirement, ensuring that Peugeot’s two entries for the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 11 and 12 are subject to the team’s participation in at least one of the two tests prior to the French round. In this regard, Lequien has pointed out: «They have to run an event before so we hope to have them at Spa. I don’t work for Peugeot so it would be better to ask them if they will be ready for Sebring. It will be very difficult for them to be in Sebring, but after».
In this line, the person in charge of the WEC has added: «We need to see the car in competition before the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s just a technical question, because we need to see the performance of the car to build the ‘Balance of Performance’ and analyze the data derived from its presence on the track. It is a purely sporting issue, it is far from being a commercial issue».