World RX – Peugeot unveils its three official 208 WRXs

For its first official season in the world championship of Rallycross (World RX), the team Peugeot Sport has prepared a new version of its 208WRX. Three models will be entered in the twelve events in 2018, with the same trio of drivers as the previous year within Team Hansen: Sébastien Loeb, Timmy and Kevin Hansen.

The supercharged city car (560 horsepower) has been redesigned in the areas of weight, engine, damping, suspension, and gear shifting. Over the year it will receive various mechanical developments relating to the chassis and engine torque. Aesthetically, new wings and a unique rear shield have been developed. The 208 WRX should therefore be more maneuverable, quick and easy to take on half-dirt, half-asphalt tracks.

Leader of French training, Sébastien Loeb (n°9, navy blue sides) feeds on “very big ambitions for the coming season. The arrival of Peugeot as an official team is exactly what we needed to take a step forward and allow us to fight for the title. We used to be close, but there was a little something missing. »

“Peugeot’s official commitment gives us that extra. We will not be able to count on all the developments from the start of the season. It will be complicated to fight for the title from the first races, but you never know how the championship can turn out”, says the nine-time world rally champion (WRC).

The Hansen brothers will also be there. Timmy hansen (n°21, gray sidewalls) finished on the World RX podium in 2015 (2nd). “We expect to have a more competitive car this year, with all these developments imagined by Peugeot Sport engineers. Our chances of performing well will only be greater, even if we must remember that we will face formidable competitors in this championship. »

His younger brother (19 years old) Kevin hansen (n°71, yellow sides) will experience its second season in the Supercar class (8th in 2017). “Maybe some will be surprised by this, because my 2017 season wasn't fantastic, but I learned a lot and I'm sure I can come back stronger. My goal is to qualify for the final more often than last year. If I achieve this goal, we can maximize our chances”, believes the Swede.

The director of Peugeot Sport, Bruno Famin, displays realistic ambitions for his men. “Even if we have knowledge of the discipline through the Peugeot-Hansen team, we must remain realistic. Our competitors are very experienced while we take things in hand from A to Z, so it will take time to get used to it! It's a challenge. We are aiming for victories this season, and even more in the years to come. »

“We decided to enter the World Rallycross Championship, because we believe in the future of the category: for its format, fast and intense, for the public, younger than in other motor sports and which is more and more numerous, and, above all, because we are convinced by the electric future of this championship. We are already preparing the development of the next generation with electric engines, to address a new audience with the objective of promoting the Peugeot 208.”

>>> Photo gallery of the 208 Peugeot 2018 WRX <<