Peugeot presents its new 9X8 with spoiler

La nouvelle Peugeot 9X8 has arrived. This Monday, March 25 at 11:00 a.m., the French manufacturer presented the evolution of its French Hypercar, now equipped with a rear wing. This new version will make its competitive debut at the 6 Hours of Imola on April 21, the second round of the World Championship season.Endurance of the FIA.

To take full advantage of the evolution of the regulations authorizing the more efficient fitting of 29/34cm tires differentiated between the front axle and the rear axle, the Peugeot Sport team adapted the aerodynamics of the PEUGEOT 9X8 and designed 90% of the bodywork, now featuring a rear spoiler.

In its first version, the PEUGEOT 9X8 was designed according to specifications which met the technical regulations established in 2020/2021. But between its study phase and its racing debut in the summer of 2022, the regulations have evolved, freeing up performance potential and certain design parameters have been revised to make the most of them, and achieve the ambitious objectives set by the Team. Peugeot TotalEnergies.

« We made choices that are no longer relevant today and this performance gap has not been sufficiently compensated by the BOP (Balance of Performance) in 2023, explains Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport. The idea was therefore to return to a choice of car concept much closer to what our competitors are doing, so as to then be balanced in an equivalent manner by the BOP. Hence in particular the abandonment of the fitting of 31/31cm square tires, to instead adopt rubber measuring 29cm in size at the front and 34cm at the rear. It's not strictly speaking a new car because the entire chassis part has been preserved, but there are a lot of changes.

To make the tires work properly, it was necessary to modify the center of gravity of the Peugeot 9X8, therefore moving parts, also working on reductions... And to to have a well-balanced aerodynamic balance, we also reviewed the distribution of aerodynamic forces, which led us to redesign around 90% of the bodywork elements, notably including the grafting of a rear wing. In addition to that, we took advantage of this new approval to include a certain number of reliability and performance developments to put the odds on our side. »

A decision taken at Sebring

The decision was taken in March 2023 after the rout of 1000 Miles of Sebring. The entire Peugeot Sport team has therefore worked hard to redesign a car in parallel with its participation in the 2023 global campaign. “ This is a project within a project, which added a significant workload for the team, continues Olivier Jansonnie. We were able to count on the total commitment of Team Peugeot TotalEnergies and we can't wait to demonstrate the results of these efforts. The objective is clearly to get back into the match and regularly play for the podium, or even victory. » And thus continue its momentum of the 1812 km of Qatar where the French manufacturer almost obtained a podium.

« I would first like to congratulate and thank the entire Peugeot Sport team for their excellent work, adds Jean-Marc Finot, director of motorsport at Stellantis. It is a real feat to have been able to redesign part of the car in record time while ensuring operation of the 2023 season. The PEUGEOT 9X8 was designed according to the 2020/2021 regulations when the LMHs were necessarily equipped of “squared” tires. Then the regulations evolved to allow certain competitors to fit larger tires at the rear. We thought that the BOP would be enough to compensate for our architectural handicap, but that was not the case. It was therefore necessary to redesign part of the car to adapt it to the new tire dimensions. We had to move the car's center of gravity, review the distribution of aerodynamic forces, add a wing, work on weight reductions... The simulation and the first runs demonstrated that there was more performance. Consequently, we hope to stay in the leading group without being at the BoP limit with a minimum weight and maximum power. »

Come to the 6 Hours of Imola to see this new 9X8 in action.

Gallery – The Peugeot 9X8 2.0 from all angles:

(Photos: Peugeot)

ALSO READ > Vettel testing with Porsche, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in sight?