Peugeot worked on the 208 before Portugal

Peugeot learned lessons from the opening of the World Championship season Rallycross (World RX) in Barcelona (Spain). If Sébastien Loeb was able to reach the final stages thanks to the team instructions passed to Kevin hansen (12th in series, the Swede had given way to the nine-time WRC world champion), the Lion men worked on the reliability of the 208.

On the Catalan circuit, the French sedan had indeed suffered mechanical and technical problems, as explained by Bruno Famin, Director of Peugeot Sport. “The cars will be in the same definition in Montalegre (Portugal, next round on April 28 and 29) than in Barcelona. However, we focused on analyzing the problems encountered in order to provide solutions. For example, we reinforced the rear axle following Sébastien's disappointments and worked on the electrical problem with Timmy's car. (Hansen, eliminated while leading his semi-final). »

Ranked third in the Teams' championship, Peugeot definitely doesn't want to catch fire. “The start of the season is positive but I'm not sure if the Portugal circuit is suitable for our car as much as that of Spain, especially if it rains. In this case, conditions quickly become very difficult”, continues Bruno Famin.

In 2017, Sébastien Loeb finished on the second step of the podium. “It's a circuit with more dirt, it's more slippery and I can't wait to see how the car performs in these very different conditions. Last year, we saw that the car was quite competitive when there was a lot of grip, and less competitive otherwise., analyzes the wearer of number 9.