The new version of the Peugeot 208 ready for Höljes

Peugeot Sport sends its brand new weapon to Sweden for the World Championship of Rallycross (WorldRX). The Höljes track will see this weekend (June 30-July 1) the French team debut two Peugeot 208 WRXs that have been significantly revised compared to the version used during the spring.

Sébastien Loeb and Timmy Hansen will indeed drive an improved car in terms of the chassis, engine, suspensions and transmission. In summary, if the coat does not change, the organs are mostly new. The third man of the French team, Kevin Hansen, recovers the 2018 version from the start of the season.

« It's always difficult to predict how this will go, even if the tests have been encouraging, relates Kenneth Hansen, team manager and also 14 times European champion. It is during the race that we will be able to see the concrete results and verify the direction that has been taken. We will have to quickly find the right car settings for this very special track. »

His son Timmy Hansen is not getting carried away despite the progress noted by the 208 WRX. “We are still going to go from a package that had worked and that we knew by heart to something that we have not yet mastered, especially not in competition. We will therefore have to stay very focused in Höljes and make sure we make the right adjustments”, explains the man who virilely overtook Mattias Ekström in 2015, which earned him an exclusion.

This move from @timmy_hansen at #HoljesRX 2015 wasn't deemed legal, but showed the huge fight of the young Swede! pic.twitter.com/0um8Bg809A

— FIA World Rallycross (@FIAWorldRX) 27th June 2018

Ranked second overall after five rounds, Sébastien Loeb attests that the developments “make it a very different car. We will have to adapt several things, like our starting strategy for example, which is a very important element in rallycross. All this comes at a crucial time in the season” analyzes the Alsatian, who is 31 points behind leader Johan Kristoffersson (Volkswagen).