Here's finally what the new Peugeot 9X8 looks like, which will take part in the 2024 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship starting from the 6h of Imola.
The House of the Lion has worked throughout the winter on the evolution of its Hypercar to try to make it more competitive, after the futuristic version presented in 2021 and taken to the track for the first time in 2022 had shown several shortcomings, first in terms of technical and then obviously also in terms of performance.
The absence of the infamous rear wing has now been made up for by the addition of the aerodynamic appendage fixed to the bulkheads which had already been applied above the rear wheel arches. The position remains very low compared to the standards of other rival cars, but at least there is something now, with the hope that this will give that something extra even on tracks of a different nature compared to Le Mans and Monza.
The other big news concerns the size of the wheels, which on the previous model dating back to the first generation Hypercar regulations (2020/2021) were 31″ on both the front and rear. Now the 29 size has been adopted for the front ones. “, while at the rear we switch to 34”, an almost common choice for all prototypes in the category.
These two modifications also involved a revision of the design of the car floor, clearly created to generate the aerodynamic load absent due to the lack of the rear wing, and of the entire bodywork in the rear part for 90%. Curiously, for now the number of homologation tokens (the so-called 'Evo Jokers') spent in Peugeot to have approval from the FIA and ACO has not been specified, although clearly there was something.
Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8
Photo by: Peugeot Sport
“We have made choices that are now no longer the right ones and this difference in performance has not been sufficiently compensated by the Balance of Performance in 2023,” explained Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport.
“The idea was therefore to return to a car design that was similar to that of our competitors, so that it could then receive equivalent treatment from the BoP. For this reason we decided to abandon the use of identical tires from 31/31 cm on all wheels, choosing to fit 29 cm tires at the front and 34 cm at the rear”.
“Strictly speaking, it is not a new car, as it has the same chassis, but there are many upgrades. For the tires to work effectively, we had to change the center of gravity of the 9X8, which meant moving some components and working to make others lighter.”
“And to have a better aerodynamic balance, we also had to try to redistribute the aerodynamic loads, which led us to redesign around 90% of the body components, in particular adding the rear wing.”
“On top of all this, we have decided to use this new homologation to add some reliability and performance upgrades that will give us the best chances in the championship.”
Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8
Photo by: Peugeot Sport
Planning began in March last year, in parallel with commitments in the WEC where the 9X8 managed to take the podium at the 6h of Monza last July, but suffered terribly in the other races.
So the real operations on the track started after the summer, arriving today with a car that – on paper – should be able to have its say anywhere.
“It was a project within a project, which significantly increased the team's workload. But we could count on the team's constant commitment and now we can't wait to show the result of their hard work. The goal is clearly that of returning among the leaders, fighting regularly in the race for the podium and also for the victory”.
Lions ready to roar
Then there is a third livery change for the 9X8, always with a very careful eye on the part of the Leone design department who wanted to insert the ferocious animal as a strong presence on their Hypercar.
From the dark grid with black inserts of 2022 we moved on to the multiple coloring created by the artist J.Demsky for the 24h of Le Mans 2023, also maintained in the subsequent outings until the unfortunate last race in Qatar, where the deserved podium faded right at 'last lap.
“After an elegant and understated design to celebrate Peugeot's return to Endurance racing in 2022, the 2023 livery produced by visual artist Demsky, celebrating both the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 30th anniversary of Peugeot's one-two finish at Le Mans, this time we came up with a design that uses the 'lion's head' in different scales,” explained Matthias Hossann, Design Director.
“This graphic, symbolizing a 'flock of lions', conveys the sense of community that perfectly reflects the values of Endurance racing. We wanted to highlight this team spirit and the wealth of talent in the team.”
“The design is produced in different sizes and different colors taken from the Peugeot Sport color palette, including black, grey, white and kryptonite. This theme is also found in the lifestyle merchandising products developed by the Peugeot graphics team.”
Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8
Photo by: Peugeot Sport
The 2024 version of the Peugeot will make their first public appearance in Imola, with the hope that the crews of Nico Müller/Mikkel Jensen/Jean-Éric Vergne (#93) and Paul Di Resta/Stoffel Vandoorne/Loïc Duval (#94 ) can concretely and stably be in the fight for the top.
“2023, the first full year that Peugeot has competed in the FIA WEC, has been a rewarding experience for everyone involved, taking shape and showing its determination and passion, even if there have been difficult moments” , admits Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson.
“For 2024 the objective is still the same, to win races! We know that this year the competition will be even fiercer, but our team has worked very hard to develop a 2024 version of the Peugeot 9X8 that perfectly reflects the values of brand name”.
“The energy and commitment put in by the team has been invaluable. We are proud to be part of this new era of Endurance racing and want to make our mark on the sport.”
Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8
Photo by: Peugeot Sport
Jean-Marc Finot, Vice President of Stellantis Motorsport, comments: “First of all, I would like to congratulate and thank the entire Peugeot Sport team for the excellent work carried out. It is truly no mean feat to have managed to redesign part of the car in record times and managed to compete in the 2023 season.”
“The Peugeot 9X8 was originally designed to meet the 2020/2021 regulations, when LMHs had to be fitted with equal sized front and rear tyres. The regulations have since evolved, allowing some of our rivals to fit larger tires to the rear”.
“We thought the BoP would be sufficient to compensate for our structural design handicap, but this was not the case. It was therefore necessary to redesign part of the car to adapt to the new tire sizes.”
“We had to move the car's center of gravity, change the distribution of aerodynamic loads, add a rear wing, produce lighter components and so on.”
“Our simulations and the first test sessions on the track have shown that the car has more performance. We therefore hope to remain among the leaders without approaching the BoP limit, with minimum weight and maximum power.”
#WEC #Peugeot #9X8 #revealed #wing #wheels #big #news
