Peugeot unveils the racing livery of its 9X8

The entry into competition of the Peugeot 9X8 is approaching. Expected at the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10, the French Hypercar will be the big attraction of this fourth round of the season. WEC, confirmed Linda Jackson, general director of Peugeot, Jean-Marc Finot, boss of Stellantis Motorsport. The French manufacturer took advantage of a test session carried out at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão (Portugal) to reveal the livery that the brand will use for its big return to the world of racing.Endurance, 11 years after his last appearance. James Rossiter, who was at the wheel of the LMH this Friday afternoon in the Algarve for the presentation, will be the team's sixth driver on the grid at Monza, replacing Kevin Magnussen, back in Formula 1 with Haas this season.

The 6 drivers for the 2022 WEC season where Peugeot Sport will start at Monza. ©Peugeot Sport

Peugeot presented the livery of its 20X9 this Friday, May 8. ©Peugeot Sport

Linda Jackson, CEO of Peugeot: “ PEUGEOT's entry into the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship is further proof of the brand's inventiveness and its innate passion for competition. It also contributes to the essential transfer of technologies from racing to production cars, particularly in terms of electrification. To participate in the energy transition, PEUGEOT is committed to producing a 100% electrified range by 2024 and, to take the next steps towards a 100% electric European offer in 2030, we want to excel in this area. Competition helps us do this. Before the PEUGEOT 9X8 even made its racing debut, its engineers transferred its hybrid system to a production car – the PEUGEOT 508 Peugeot Sport Engineered. And other applications of lessons learned from the PEUGEOT 9X8 are in preparation »

Jean-Marc Finot, Stellantis Motorsport director: “ Today, in Portimao, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies presents the PEUGEOT 9X8, prototype Le Mans Hypercar. This sleek and extreme car, which carries the brand's DNA, is the result of intense teamwork between our Sport and Design structures, with the valuable support of our major and crucial partners in their respective areas of expertise. Success in competition can only come from the fusion of skills »

As a reminder, Peugeot Sport, which was due to make its return to Endurance at Sebring at the start of the year, has postponed its arrival in the premier category. If the 24 2022 Hours of Le Mans were to launch this program, the French manufacturer has decided to give up on the Le Mans classic to arrive in the best conditions at Monza for its debut.

“This simply gives us time to achieve the required level of reliability, explained Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of the Peugeot WEC program at the time. For obvious reasons of BoP settings, participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans would only have been possible on condition of participating in the previous race of the championship, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in this case. (May 7, 2022). Our schedule allows us to concentrate our teams and resources on our testing sessions, which will not be interrupted by participation in the Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans races. Le Mans is the most difficult race in the championship, particularly in terms of reliability and operation. We will start with shorter races, which will allow us to gradually get started in the discipline. As with our production cars when we have to choose between deadline and quality, we choose quality”.

Despite the absence on the track, fans will still be able to see the 9X8 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans village this year. The Lion's LMH will be displayed in a “dedicated space” where they will also be able to purchase official outfits and other goodies in the store.

ALSO READ > Peugeot announces that the 9X8 will not be at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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