Peugeot is about to start its first full season with the 9X8

A first for Peugeot. Already on American soil. Then, a full season with its prototype, the 9X8. The French team made its grand debut in endurance racing with this car at Monza last year. Only car number 94 managed to finish the race, in 33rd place.

The first few laps were complicated as the car had experienced reliability issues. To remedy this, the lion team completed over 10,000 km during winter testing. « We have accomplished a large number of kilometers to improve the performance of the car and validate its reliability,” congratulates Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport. »

Peugeot wants a victory in 2023

Peugeot will therefore have the opportunity to test its improvements at Sebring during the weekend of March 15th, 16th, and 17th for the first round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Two cars will be entered: the 93 and the 94. This challenging circuit puts a lot of strain on the suspension and transmissions. Even though the race is shorter, successfully finishing Sebring is a necessary condition to tackle the 24 Hours of Le Mans, asserts Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport, who aims to compete for victory this season.

“It’s a challenging track for the machines, the grip is generally good, but we have big concrete slabs, holes, and bumps so it’s quite unique, but once again, it’s a great event and it has become an endurance classic,” says Loïc Duval, driver of the Peugeot number 94.

The drivers of the team know that this year will be quite challenging, with tough competition within the Hypercar category. « This season will be interesting as we will be racing against six other manufacturers. We will have to optimize our work, focus on ourselves, and give our best in terms of performance, pit stops, team reliability, and not rely too much on the competition », says Mikkel Jensen from the crew of car 93.