Peugeot Sport faces the final stretch of its 9X8 development programthe LMH prototype with which the lion firm will compete in the premier category of the World Endurance Championship starting at the next 6 Hours of Monza. The French brand is almost ready to enter the competition after defining his line-up of drivers and distributing them between the two Peugeot 9X8 that he will have at the Italian event. However, there is still a final ‘rush’ in which the 9X8 will have at least two tests with 6-hour racing simulations before Monza.
Those responsible for the Peugeot Sport project in the WEC have confirmed that there is the goal of running at least two six-hour race simulations with one of the two Peugeot 9X8s before the team’s debut at the 6 Hours of Monza in July. The margins are very narrow, but the firm seems to have defined a schedule with two tests on two tracks that have not been revealedbut they do not require a long displacement. Could well fit this description MotorLand and Paul Ricardtwo tracks with profiles similar to Monza.
Olivier Janssonnietechnical director of the Peugeot Sport LMH project, has been in charge of defining these plans for the French firm before its debut in Monza: «In the purest development phase, the entire team focused on a single car. Now the idea is that each of the cars can have a race simulation, so that each team has the opportunity to shoot. We will have to see how much we can achieve. Each test will be carried out with a specific team of drivers, engineers and mechanics that they will work together in the races.”
In this line, the person in charge of Peugeot Sport has added: «The objective is that each simulation serves so that the pilots, engineers and mechanics can strengthen ties, since they are going to work together in competition. In the end, it is about looking for a test in the best possible conditions. We have met our objectives, there has been no blocking point in the construction and development process of the Peugeot 9X8 that threatened to prevent us from being in Monza. Now we just have to take the last steps».
It should be remembered that the first chassis of the Peugeot 9X8 has covered a distance of more than 10,000 kilometers during the test phase before its official presentation in Portimao, although it also had two days of tests after its premiere in society. Work that should allow Peugeot to start this new stage of the WEC with guarantees and a certain stability, since except for a last-minute change, James Rossiter will repeat in the #93 with Loïc Duval and Gustavo Menezes in Fuji after going from tester to official driver after the departure of Kevin Magnussen.
Photos: peugeot sport