Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA

Peugeot 2009 season preview

OBJECTIVE: LE MANS Despite today's difficult economic context, Peugeot has chosen to pursue its different motor sport activities in 2009. These range from its high profile endurance racing programme to the promotion of its products through its ...

OBJECTIVE: LE MANS

Despite today's difficult economic context, Peugeot has chosen to pursue its different motor sport activities in 2009. These range from its high profile endurance racing programme to the promotion of its products through its various single-make series. The current crisis has led Peugeot's management to seek synergies within Groupe PSA Peugeot Citroen with the appointment of Olivier Quesnel at the helm of Peugeot Sport.

Peugeot Sport suffered a huge disappointment in 2008 after coming so close to winning the Le Mans 24 Hours with the 908 HDi FAP which, even so, demonstrated its competitive potential with a score of four wins from five races in last year's Le Mans Series.

The entire team is today fully focused on this year's programme, beginning with its efforts to iron out the shortcomings that handicapped its bid for victory last year at Le Mans. These areas include optimisation of the traction control system, preventing the radiators from getting choked up and improvements to the fitment of the wheels with a view facilitating their replacement by the mechanics. Meanwhile, it has been a case of adapting the 908 to the latest ACO regulations which target a significant curbing of performance.

"The engine settings have been completely revised to take onboard the new air restrictor dimensions and the lower turbo pressure which has resulted in a fall in power of approximately 10 per cent," explains Peugeot Sport's Technical Director Bruno Famin. "Significant work has gone into the 908's aerodynamics, too, in order to re-optimise the car's balance following the notable reduction in the width of rear wings which has been cut from two to 1.60 metres. We are also continuing with development work aimed at putting air-conditioning in the cockpit with a view to ensuring that the temperature inside the car stays within the regulatory threshold.

"At the same time, we are working on enhancing the car's performance potential. This includes ongoing work on weight reduction in a bid to get close to the minimum limit, even with air conditioning, as well as optimisation of the diesel engine's combustion, particulate filters (in association with Dow) and fuel injection (with Bosch), plus research into defining best possible chassis/tyre package (with Michelin)."

As stated above, the 2009 season's overriding objective is the Le Mans 24 Hours and, as Olivier Quesnel explains, Team Peugeot Total has defined a particularly active programme as it builds up to the celebrated endurance race: "Our busy test programme notably includes endurance simulation tests at a variety of circuits, and we will take part in two races upstream of Le Mans which will serve as full- scale dress rehearsals for everyone in the team. We have consequently chosen to compete in March's 12 Hours of Sebring, which is the opening round of the American Le Mans Series, with two cars and six drivers. We will then take three cars in Belgium for the 1,000km of Spa- Francorchamps in May (8-10). We haven't yet decided what our programme after the Le Mans 24 Hours will be. We are looking at the different options to ensure the best possible exposure for the brand in promotional and media coverage terms, and also as a function of the level of competition. Last but not least, the livery of the 908 HDi FAP has changed. All the cars will now be predominantly blue, with the cockpit covered in a reflective chrome- like aluminium covering aimed at keeping the temperature inside the car to a minimum. This endurance programme is only possible thanks to the assistance of our partners."

The Peugeot Sport line-up features 9 drivers, with the team's confidence going to the drivers who have made such a satisfactory contribution to the first two years of its current endurance programme:

Sebastien Bourdais (France), 30.
David Brabham (Australia), 43.
Marc Gene (Spain), 35.
Christian Klien (Austria), 26.
Pedro Lamy (Portugal), 37.
Nicolas Minassian (France), 36.
Franck Montagny (France), 31.
Stephane Sarrazin (France), 33.
Alexander Wurz (Austria), 35.

The crews of the two cars for Sebring (March 21) are:

No.7908 HDi FAP
Nicolas Minassian/Pedro Lamy/Christian Klien

No.8908 HDi FAP
Franck Montagny/Stephane Sarrazin/Sebastien Bourdais <pre> 908 HDi FAP TECHNICAL DATA

CHASSIS Type Le Mans Prototype LMP 1 Structure Monocoque Body Carbon fibre Windscreen Polycarbonate

TRANSMISSION Gearbox Six-speed, longitudinally-mounted Gearbox casing Cast aluminium Gear shift Sequential Clutch Cerametallic multi-plate clutch Differential Limited slip differential Lubrication Total

SUSPENSION / STEERING / BRAKES Suspension Double wishbones, pushrods and rocker arms all-round Springs Torsion bars Dampers Pressure dampers Anti-roll bars Blade type front and rear Steering Power steering Brakes Double hydraulic circuit, one-piece light alloy callipers Discs Vented carbon discs all-round Diameter: 380mm (front), 355mm (rear) Brake bias adjustable by the driver

WHEELS Rims Magnesium Front wheels 13.5" x 18" Rear wheels 14.5" x 18" Tyres Michelin radials. Front: 33/68-18. Rear: 37/71-18

DIMENSIONS Length 4,610mm Width 2,000mm Height 1,030mm Wheelbase 2,950mm Front overhang 910mm Rear overhang 750mm Fuel tank capacity 81 litres Weight 900kg

MOTEUR Position Mid-rear, longitudinally-mounted, all aluminium Cylinder casing Machined aluminium Pistons Steel Cylinders V12 ('vee' 100o.) Capacity 5.5 litres Fuel injection Bosch, direct commonrail injection Turbo Twin turbochargers, each with 38.3mm air restrictors Particulate filters Two (Dow Automotive) Engine management Bosch MS17 Maximum power 700hp Maximum torque 1,200Nm Lubrication Total

-credit: peugeot

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Peugeot confirms Sebring, adds Brabham, Bourdais
Next article Audi announces two R15 TDIs for Sebring

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

USA