Peugeot 9X8 to make competitive debut at 6 Hours of Monza in July

MANILA: Less than a year after the presentation that officially introduced the concept behind the Peugeot 9X8, and just five months after the car's initial track test, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies debuted its thrilling new endurance racing challenger at Portimo, Portugal. The revolutionary four-wheel-drive, hybrid-electric Hypercar will make its racing debut in July at the Round 4 of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in Monza, Italy.

Peugeot is about to enter a new chapter in endurance racing when it heads to Italy for the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10. Following in the footsteps of its Le Mans-winning predecessors, the Peugeot 9X8 will introduce an innovative design concept to the FIA WEC grid.

This revolutionary hypercar, which stands out due to the absence of a rear wing, adheres to the rules that regulate the ACO and FIA's Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) category, which is more accessible than LMP1 but just as competitive. It embodies Peugeot's approach perfectly, with an unique style defined by a cat-like attitude, a uniquely streamlined silhouette, a powerful brand identity, and the same iconic three-claw lighting signature as the manufacturer's road-going models.

As a showcase of Peugeot's technological prowess in hybridization and electrification, it demonstrates the company's dedication to excellence in both its competitive endeavors and its customers. The three Peugeot values that steered this ambitious program, which signifies the brand's comeback to endurance racing, with a particular focus on the Le Mans 24 Hours, are striking designs, a passion for motorsport, and technological excellence.

In a statement, Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson said, “Peugeot’’s participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship is further evidence of the brand’s ingenuity and longstanding passion for motorsport. It will also play a role in the essential transfer of technology from the race track to our road-going vehicles, particularly in the field of electrification. To illustrate how serious we are about energy transition, Peugeot has committed to electrifying its entire model range by 2024. What’s more, if we are to achieve our target of being electric-only in Europe by 2030, we know we need to excel in this domain, and motor racing is crucial to this objective. Even before the Peugeot 9X8 makes its race debut, the program’s engineers have already carried over its hybrid system to one of our road cars — the Peugeot 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered — and other examples are similarly in the pipeline.”

The Peugeot 9X8 is a four-wheel-drive racing prototype featuring a powertrain engineered by Peugeot Sport specialists. The rear wheels are powered by a 2.6-liter, bi-turbo, 520kW V6 internal combustion engine (ICE), while the front wheels are powered by a bespoke, high-performance 200-kW electric motor. The silicon carbide-based inverter, like the motor, was co-created with Marelli. The car's high-voltage, 900-volt battery was developed in partnership with TotalEnergies/Saft, while Michelin provides tires that meet Hypercar class regulations.

The Peugeot 9X8 has athletic proportions and measures 4.995 meters in length, two meters in width, and 1.145 meters in height. It weighs 1,030 kg and has a tank that can contain up to 90 liters of TotalEnergies' 100% renewable Excellium Racing 100 fuel.

The teamwork of the Peugeot Design team, headed by Matthias Hossann, and the Sport team, led by Olivier Jansonnie, has culminated in a distinctive, classy car that truly shakes things up. Many believed that the absence of a rear wing would prove impractical in reality during the unveiling of the car that presented the Peugeot 9X8 concept back in July 2021. However, the interpretation of the ACO/FIA's LMH regulations persuaded Jansonnie's department to continue on this route. Since December, on-track tests at circuits with completely different characteristics have validated this revolutionary concept, and the race car revealed at Portimo ahead of its latest test adheres perfectly to the vision reflected by the car introduced in 2021.

“The Peugeot 9X8 is effectively the physical embodiment of the concept we revealed back in July 2021. The challenge we have faced in recent months has been twofold and has involved forming a team to then produce a car and prepare it for its competitive debut. With only weeks to go until its maiden competitive outing at Monza, the Peugeot 9X8 has been clocking up the kilometers in testing at a variety of circuits. At the end of the day, however, there is no substitute for actual racing and we can’t wait to discover the potential of our hybrid-electric hypercar which was developed in-house to demonstrate our skills in the realm of hybridization and other areas,” Jansonnie stated.

“This bold, sophisticated car wholeheartedly embraces the brand’s DNA and is the product of tireless teamwork involving our Sport and Design departments, boosted by the unstinting support of our key partners whose expertise in their respective fields has been essential,” Stellantis Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot said. “Success on the race track can only be achieved via a fusion of skills.”

Over the course of 25 test days, the Peugeot 9X8 covered over 10,000 kilometers. Simultaneously, the car's homologation was conducted in partnership with the FIA, while the team led by Peugeot Sport Powertrain Director Francois Coudrain worked on powertrain development on the test bench, simulator, and race track.

The accomplishment of these crucial stages, which were all essential in polishing the Hypercar's dependability and performance, resulted in its competitive debut being postponed until after the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2022. The Peugeot 9X8 will thus join the FIA World Endurance Championship field for the 6 Hours of Monza at Italy's famed Temple of Speed, where it will match up among its rivals for the first time.

To succeed both on and off the race track, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies has collaborated with various international partners, all of which are well-known in their respective industries and have contributed significantly to the development process.

For example, artificial intelligence specialist Capgemini and Peugeot Sport collaborated to improve the 9X8's efficiency, particularly its energy management throughout the acceleration and regeneration stages.

Meanwhile, Peugeot Sport and Modex have joined forces to create mutually advantageous synergies by combining their ideas, creativity, technological ambitions, and passion for innovation.

Italian racewear manufacturer Sparco provides the team with essential motorsport safety equipment, while Danish brand Jack & Jones is responsible for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies' official team clothing.

All of these partners are driven to succeed by the same passion for motor racing, innovation, and development.

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies will participate in the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023, competing with various international teams driving LMH cars or Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMdH) machinery. Many analysts have dubbed next year's event as the pinnacle of a new golden age of endurance racing, and it is gearing up to be a truly unforgettable battle.

Even though the 9X8 will not compete at Le Mans in 2022, Peugeot was still determined to attend the event this year in order to meet its supporters before and throughout the race weekend. In collaboration with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), an exhibit titled "Allure-Le Mans" will open on May 21 at the circuit's museum, where the original version of the Peugeot 9X8 will be on display until September.

Spectators of the 2022 race will also be able to visit the Fan Village, which will include a special zone for the Peugeot 9X8, as well as a merchandise store selling official teamwear created by Jack & Jones. The most avid fans may even be enticed to try Kryptonite cocktails, which are inspired by Peugeot Sport's new color signature.

Six drivers, including Paul Di Resta (GBR), Loic Duval (FRA), Mikkel Jensen (DNK), Gustavo Menezes (USA/BRA), James Rossiter (GBR), and Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA), have been selected to comprise the two crews at the 6 Hours of Monza. The particular composition of each trio will be announced in the following weeks after the car's testing program is finished in preparation for its racing debut. The two Peugeot 9X8s will then compete in both the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan in September and the 8 Hours of Bahrain in November.

Photos from Peugeot

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