The 908 HYbrid4 in competition from 2011?

A month ago, Peugeot took everyone by surprise by presenting its 908 HYbrid4 at the Geneva Motor Show. The Lion firm has been working on this project for quite some time now, and had also presented a hybrid version of its old prototype at Silverstone in 2008.

“The hybrid project is a very interesting internal challenge for us, says Bruno Famin to the Speed.com website. We cannot test at Le Mans, except during the test day. For the race, the project is not yet sufficiently developed. But it?s very interesting to do tests on the real circuit to see if the system works well, and how it fits into the whole. »

Due to its length and the time during which the engine runs at full speed, the Le Mans route is indeed very special. During the presentation, it was announced that the new lioness could participate in the test day of 24 Hours of Le Mans on April 24, in place of one of the three “classic” 908s. This commitment would depend on the results of its first laps (scheduled for the beginning of April), and on the progress of the development of the 908 which will be aligned with the next edition of the Le Mans classic.

Whatever happens, the 908 HYbrid4 will not be at the start of the Le Mans event on June 11. However, according to our American colleagues, the Technical Director of Peugeot Sport would not rule out fielding it in competition by the end of the year. And why not at the Chinese leg of the ILMC? Everyone knows the commercial interests of the French manufacturer in the Middle Kingdom. Of course, arriving with a hybrid car in China would cause a lot of noise.

“Nothing is finalized at the moment, confides Bruno Famin. There are still many unanswered questions, even until the test day. There is a 50% chance of testing it at Le Mans. Let's see how it goes during this test day, then we'll decide. »