Peugeot reveals pictures of wingless Le Mans Hypercar on track – gallery

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Peugeot has revealed more images of its radical 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar, which is confirmed for entry at an unspecified point this year in WEC

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Peugeot has revealed images of its radical new 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar on track, continuing to show a prototype which has no rear wing.

The French marque is set to return to elite-level endurance racing after an 11-year absence but, whilst being listed on the 2022 WEC entry list, it has confirmed that the new car will not be ready in time for the opening round in Sebring.

The prototype’s unusual appearance owes to the flexibility of the new Hypercar rules, with Peugeot opting to go down a ground-effect route, exploiting its floor and underbody to generate the 4:1 downforce ratio required in the new regulations.

“This configuration is permitted by the ACO/FIA hypercar regulations,” said Peugeot Sport’s Olivier Jansonnie, the Technical Director of ’s WEC programme. “Our calculations and wind tunnel work have confirmed the pertinence of our decision to run without a rear wing. Along with the developments and settings this option calls for, we expect it to be validated as we test at different circuits with differing characteristics.”

Similar to Glickenhaus and Toyota, Peugeot will power its Hypercar with a twin-turbo, 2.6-litre V6 engine.

Whilst the rear axle will be powered by the 671bhp petrol unit, the front-wheels will be turned by a 268bhp electric motor.

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Current ACO rules say that Hypercar entrants must commit at least one car to a full season in WEC to prevent teams just entering for just Le Mans, but it appears Peugeot may be given a dispensation – the French marque will be reluctant to make its debut until it feels the prototype is ready for homologation, meaning it cannot make fundamental changes from that point onwards.

“The 9X8 will make its race debut based on its level of readiness, reliability and competitiveness as agreed with the championship’s organisers who we will keep regularly updated as our development programme progresses,” notes Stellantis Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot.

“We could have opted for attending selected races only without committing to the season. That would have been possible but less coherent. Instead, we have chosen an approach that will enable the team to be fully immersed in the discipline, resulting in much closer collaboration with the organisers even if the 9X8 doesn’t contest every race as our development work and the homologation process continue.”

Gallery
Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar
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The 9X8 features no rear wing, instead exploiting underbody ground-effect downforce

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Peugeot has not yet confirmed when the car will make its debut

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Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar overhead shot

Peugeot is looking for more Le Mans success with its 9X8 Hypercar

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Driving for the team will be ex-F1 drivers Kevin Magnussen, Jean-Eric Vergne and Paul Di Resta along with Loïc Duval, Gustavo Menezes and Mikkel Jensen.

Peugeot will be joined in the WEC Hypercar class – and concurrent LMDh category – by Ferrari, Porsche, Audi and Acura next year, with Alpine joining the LMDh ranks from 2024. BMW is confirmed only for LMDh in IMSA at present.

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