Autoblog

Intercontinental Le Mans Cup hits Spa-Francorchamps [spoilers]

Jonathon Ramsey — Mon, 09 May 2011 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot, Racing

The second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup took place in Belgium, and even though the Audi R18 took to the starting line for the first time, Peugeot was able to take the top two spots on the podium after six hours of racing.

Interestingly, the qualifying results were the opposite of the race results: Audi racers occupied the first three positions on the grid, and although a Peugeot 908 was in fourth, it wasn't a team car, it was that of the Oreca squad. Due to an incident-strewn and red-flagged qualifying session, the first Peugeot Sport Total car was back in 13th, the second was in 18th, and the third wasn't even classified and started at the back of the grid.

In the race, however, it was Audi's turn for bad juju. The pole-sitting car spun at the first corner on the first lap, one of the drivers accidentally hit the pit-lane speed limiter button during the race, unscheduled stops for new tires and collisions ate away at their positions. Come the checkered flag, team Audi rallied to take third, fourth, and fifth positions, but first and second went to The Lions - that second-place car being the one that started at the back of the grid.

Even with the copious amounts of shenanigans pre-race and in-race, the results aren't totally surprising: Peugeot has a knack for emerging victorious at Spa - this was the team's fifth consecutive win in the Ardennes. Have a look at some of the action in the high-res gallery below.

Intercontinental Le Mans Cup hits Spa-Francorchamps [spoilers] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot announces next-generation 90X Le Mans Prototype

Noah Joseph — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot, Racing

Peugeot 90X - Click above for high-res image gallery

French automaker PSA's assault on Audi is never-ending. As if the likes of the Peugeot RCZ and Citroën C5 weren't enough to challenge their German rival in the showroom, Citroën is striving to eclipse Audi's achievements on the rally stages. But arguably the most exciting battle has been the challenge which Peugeot has mounted against Audi on the endurance racing circuit.

After years of dominating Le Mans with the R8 (the racing prototype, not the street-legal supercar), Audi took on a new challenge with the diesel-powered R10 TDI. Peugeot joined the race both literally and figuratively with the 908 HDi FAP, so Audi fired back with the R15 TDI. This season, Audi is upping its game yet again with the R15 TDI Plus, but while the 908 soldiers on, don't think for one minute that the French team doesn't have a trick up its sleeve.

That trick comes in the form of the 90X, the next-generation Le Mans Prototype from Peugeot Sport. Designed to meet the 2011 regulations being set out by race organizers ACO, the 90X has been undergoing testing at undisclosed tracks in Europe. Peugeot's only released limited information on the car's development, saying little more than that it incorporates a new "shark fin" over the engine cover designed to keep it on the ground in case of a crash.

Word has it that the 90X will incorporate a ~~more comprehensive~~ hybrid drivetrain ~~than the KERS-style regenerative braking system in the current 908~~, but for now we'll just have to get by on Peugeot's statement (after the jump) and the trio of images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Peugeot 90X Le Mans Prototype

[Source: Peugeot]

Continue reading Peugeot announces next-generation 90X Le Mans Prototype

Peugeot announces next-generation 90X Le Mans Prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot finishes analysis of four car Le Mans failure. Conclusion? They drove too fast.

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot

#1 Peugeot 908 powers through the night at Le Mans - Click above for high-res image gallery

This year's 24 Hours of Le Mans was shaping up to be a second straight flag-to-flag romp for the Peugeot 908 diesels, right up to the point where they all started dropping like flies. Needless to say, the Peugeot Sport engineers have taken a long, hard look at why all four cars failed to finish - and in the case of three of them, it basically comes down to perfect race conditions leading them to be running too fast.

The first car to go out was the #3 entrant that was built up from the tub that won the 2009 race. After two-and-a-half hours of racing, a suspension mounting point separated from the carbon fiber tub as the result of an undetected structural problem.

The other three cars all went out later in the race with what turned out to be an identical connecting rod failure. A combination of circumstances led to all of the cars running faster this year and putting increased stress on their engines. Not mentioned by Peugeot in its report is the fact that the new Audi R15+ ran considerably faster in 2010, pushing the Peugeots to the limit. At the same time, cool temperatures and a grippy track, blended with air-to-air intercoolers that didn't clog up as much as they did in the past led to more air going into the combustion chamber. More air means more power and an increased load on the pistons - especially late in the race. No doubt Peugeot will be looking to increase its safety margins as the engineers prepare their all-new 2011 challenger.

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: The Race

[Source: Peugeot]

Continue reading Peugeot finishes analysis of four car Le Mans failure. Conclusion? They drove too fast.

Peugeot finishes analysis of four car Le Mans failure. Conclusion? They drove too fast. originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Le Mans 2010: To finish first, first you must finish

Sam Abuelsamid — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:52:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

#1 Peugeot 908 powers through the night at Le Mans - Click above for high-res image gallery

It's the most important axiom of motorsports: If your car isn't running at the checkered flag, it really doesn't matter how fast you run. Nowhere is that more true than at Le Mans. The field that began with 55 cars gradually dwindled through the night. At the midway point, the #2 Peugeot led two of the Audis with the #1 car battling back from a mechanical malady. For those of you who aren't planning to watch the race on your DVR, continue reading after the jump.

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: The Race

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: Qualifying and practice

Continue reading Le Mans 2010: To finish first, first you must finish

Le Mans 2010: To finish first, first you must finish originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Jun 2010 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Le Mans 2010: Peugeot grabs first four grid spots, Corvette on GT2 pole

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Chevrolet, Honda, Jaguar, Ferrari, Peugeot, Diesel, Racing

Peugeot 908 HDi qualifying for Le Mans 2010 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Qualifying for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is getting quite predictable, with the big question being which of the Peugeot 908s will come out on top. After three timed sessions over two days, the No. 3 Peugeot of Pedro Lamy, Sebastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud came was quickest as the four French diesels filled the first two rows on the grid. Right behind them are the three factory Audi R15+ TDIs and then the two Aston Martin-Lolas.

Down the field in the LMP2 ranks, the Honda powered ARX-01c campaigned by UK-based Strakka racing lapped the eight-mile circuit 1.46 seconds faster than a similar car being run by defending American Le Mans Series champs Highcroft Racing. 2010 is the final year of eligibility for the GT1 class at Le Mans and Aston Martin hopes to go out in style. The DBR9 driven by Tomas Enge, Christoph Nygaard and Peter Kox edged out a pair of Ford GTs and the ex-factory GT1 Corvettes.

In GT2, ALMS regulars ruled the roost. The No.82 Risi Ferrari ran fastest but its time was disallowed because of an unknown technical infraction. As a result, the two Corvette C6.Rs will lead the GT2 field to the green flag with Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Emmanuel Collard on the pole. Unfortunately for the JaguarRSR team, the cool green-and-black leaping cat livery has not translated into much speed with the XKR finishing dead last in qualifying, nearly 13 seconds slower per lap than the lead Vette. The green flag falls at 3PM CET on Saturday, so stay tuned.

Gallery: Le Mans 2010: Qualifying and practice

[Sources: Le Mans, Corvette Racing, Audi, Peugeot]

Continue reading Le Mans 2010: Peugeot grabs first four grid spots, Corvette on GT2 pole

Le Mans 2010: Peugeot grabs first four grid spots, Corvette on GT2 pole originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Red Bull to place Raikkonen, Loeb and Coulthard in Peugeot 908 HDi at Le Mans

Noah Joseph — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot, Racing

Peugeot 908 HDi - Click above for high-res image gallery

Motorsports of late have been gripped by the crossover of racing drivers from one discipline to another, but one of the most established migrations in motor racing has always been between Formula One and Le Mans. The great (but unrelated) Hills - Phil and Graham - both won the F1 championship and Le Mans, but none have done so since Jochen Rindt in 1970. Lately, Peugeot especially has been seeking F1 drivers to pilot its 908 HDi against the venerable Audis at the famous 24-hour race, but that could step up a notch if the latest rumors from France hold any Evian.

Peugeot has registered three factory works cars to challenge Le Mans next year, plus one mystery car that has only been listed as a privateer entry. According to the latest reports, that entry could be fielded by Red Bull. The energy drink company has one of the most comprehensive networks of racing talent under its wings, but what's catching the most attention is three of its most prominent drivers.

Six-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, whose Citroen C4 rally car is sponsored by Red Bull, has raced Le Mans previously, and has been linked to a return to the endurance race. 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen will likewise be driving next year in a Red Bull-sponsored C4 fielded by Citroen (Peugeot's sister company). Finally, David Coulthard was largely responsible for Red Bull's foray into F1, and though retired from actively racing, remains an advisor and test driver for the team.

While these rumors could prove nothing more than exactly that, if Red Bull were to bring these three talents to La Sarthe, they would surely be a force to be reckoned with.

Gallery: Peugeot 908 HDi

[Source: AUTOhebdo via Le Blog Auto and Axis of Oversteer]

REPORT: Red Bull to place Raikkonen, Loeb and Coulthard in Peugeot 908 HDi at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Mike Rockenfeller guides a tour of the Audi pit at Petit Le Mans

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Audi, Diesel

Click above to view the video after the jump

With the American Le Mans Series returning to Road Atlanta this weekend for its flagship event, the Petit Le Mans, Audi has returned to take on the French. Peugeot, of course, won this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans after a multi-year battle with the diesel-powered Audis. So far, in the first three open practice sessions on Thursday, Peugeot's diesels continued to have a speed advantage over the Audi entries, with Frank Montagny setting the fastest time of the week so far during the night practice session at 1:07.912, three-quarters ahead of the second Peugeot, and the Audis also running third and fourth.

Earlier on Thursday, one of Audi's reserve drivers for the ten hour race, Mike Rockenfeller, conducted a backstage tour of the Audi paddock where the crew were preparing the cars for the first practice. This is back in an area that spectators don't get to see much of. As the cars were being taken out to the track, Rockenfeller went into the big tent behind the pit where the engineers were pouring over telemetry data on their screens trying to figure out how to make the R15 faster. Check out the videos after the jump.

Gallery: Audi R15 TDI

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mike Rockenfeller guides a tour of the Audi pit at Petit Le Mans

VIDEO: Mike Rockenfeller guides a tour of the Audi pit at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Peugeots are coming to Petit Le Mans! Now, about those Audis...

Sam Abuelsamid — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot, Diesel

Peugeot has confirmed that for the second year running it will be sending its 908 HDi prototypes to Atlanta in September for the Petit Le Mans. Peugeot will be looking to follow up its victory at Le Mans last June with its first win at the ALMS flagship race. In France, Peugeot had a resounding victory over Audi's new R15 TDIs but so far the biggest competition in Atlanta will come from the LMP1 Acuras. Peugeot will be bringing two of the 908s to Georgia for the race that joins Sebring in becoming increasingly known as a warmup for the 24 hour race in France.

There have been repeated rumors that the R15s would return to the U.S. for the final two races at Road Atlanta and Laguna Seca for several months. We checked with Audi Motorsports spokeswoman Eva-Maria Veith, who said, "There is no decision made about any more races with the Audi R15 TDI this year. I hope that we will know more in the near future." Hopefully an official commitment from Peugeot will prompt Audi to try and avenge their loss in France.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

The Peugeots are coming to Petit Le Mans! Now, about those Audis... originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Peugeot already working on 2011 successor to 908 Le Mans racer

Noah Joseph — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot

We're still a good couple of years away from the 2011 Le Mans season (give or take, depending on if you're looking at the entire series or just the headline race), but the Peugeot team has already started working on its next LMP1 endurance prototype. The French automaker launched the current 908 HDi in 2007, and was scheduled to use the hybrid 908HY version of the car (pictured right) this year, but reports indicate that the team hasn't been testing the car since its introduction over half a year ago.

Introducing a new car for next year was ruled out as the regulations are set to change for 2011. However Peugeot is eager to demonstrate that it is committed to staying in racing, while admitting that economic circumstances will form the ultimate determination of the racing efforts' future.

[Source: Autosport]

REPORT: Peugeot already working on 2011 successor to 908 Le Mans racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi R15 wins debut at 12 Hours of Sebring

John Neff — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:41:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot

2009 12 Hours of Sebring - Click above for high-res image gallery

The R8, the R10 and now the R15. Each of Audi's last three prototype Le Mans race cars have won their race debut, with the latest R15 recording its first victory yesterday at the 57th 12 Hours of Sebring. The winning #2 R15 was driving by Audi's dream team of Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen. Of course, Audi's win did not come easy in the top tier Le Mans P1 class. Peugeot was right there the whole time with its pair of diesel-powered 908 HDi cars, swapping the lead with Audi a total of 23 times. In fact, both teams remained on the same lap with each other throughout the entire 12-hour race.

Follow the jump to continue reading Autoblog's run down of the 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring.

Gallery: 12 Hours of Sebring - 2009

[Source: AmericanLeMans.com]

Continue reading Audi R15 wins debut at 12 Hours of Sebring

Audi R15 wins debut at 12 Hours of Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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24 Hours of Le Mans invite list released

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Aston Martin, Audi, Chevrolet, Porsche, Peugeot

Plenty of teams have dropped out racing series around the world this year as economic problems have caused sponsors to pull back. So far, it looks like the 24 Hours of Le Mans has managed to remain relatively immune as the Automobile Club de l'Ouest received 82 entries for the 55 openings for this years race. The top LMP1 class is set to be another battle royal with 12 factory supported entries from Audi, Peugeot and Aston Martin. Peugeot will be trying to finally win Le Mans and has increased its squad to four by entrusting one of the 908s to the Pescarolo Sport team. Audi will have three of its new R15 TDIs and two of the old R10s which will be run by the Kolles team.

In the P2 field, a trio of Porsche RS Spyders with will be leading the way along with an assortment of Lolas, Zytek and Radical prototypes. In GT1, the factory Chevrolet Corvette C6R will make its final trip to Le Mans before being replaced by a new GT2 car. The GT1 field will be filled out with pairs of private Chevys, Aston Martins and Lamborghinis. Finally, the GT2 class is mostly Ferrari F430s with a few Porsches, and an Aston Martin and a Spyker. The festivities get under way on June 10. Check out the full entry list here.

[Source: LeMans.org]

24 Hours of Le Mans invite list released originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans

Drew Phillips — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot

It was a record setting day yesterday at Road Atlanta, with all four classes setting qualifying records including a blistering 1:06.242 by Stephane Sarrazin in his Peugeot 908 HDi to take the top overall spot. Peugeot has continually proved that it has a fast car, taking the last two pole positions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but it was Audi on top at the end of that race. Allan McNish will be putting plenty of pressure on the Peugeot team, who qualified just .085 seconds behind the Peugeot in his Audi R10 TDI. In P2, Penske racing not only captured pole with a record qualifying time of 1:07.061, but also grabbed the top three spots. It was all Corvette Racing in GT1, but it will be a close race between the two Corvette who were separated by only .047 seconds. Finally, Risi Competizione qualified first in GT2 for the second straight year.

Coverage of the event starts today at 11:00 AM EST on SPEED TV today, with the green flag waving at 11:15. A NASCAR race splits up the coverage from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. EST, but you can still watch the race on AmericanLeMans.com (as well as look up live timing and scoring) or listen in on XM channel 166. Full details of the qualifying and driver quotes can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: AmericanLeMans.com]

Continue reading Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans

Record qualifying time puts Peugeot on pole at Petit Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Grid set for 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot starting 1-2-3

John Neff — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot

As we reported yesterday, Peugeot was clearly the fastest in qualifying for this weekend's running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The record-setting runs of all three 908 HDi diesel-powered LMP1 cars places Peugeot's entire field of entries 1-2-3 on the starting grid. That's impressive considering two of Peugeot's car crashed during the past two weeks of practice. Audi is hoping that its team's experience, quicker pit stops and more fuel efficient R10 LMP1 cars will eventually carry it past the Peugeots, despite starting fourth, fifth and seventh on the 55-car grid. And thanks to the speed of Lola Aston Martin driver Stefan Mücke whose petrol-powered car earned the sixth spot on the starting grid, not all the front runners will be diesel-powered.

As for classes other than LMP1, the next fastest LMP2 class was dominated by the Porsche Spyders not surprisingly, while LMGT1 is being led by the #63 Corvette Racing C6.R. The Corvettes will be chased this year by the particularly fast #50 Larbre Competition Saleen S7 and some slower but determined Aston Martin DBR9s from Aston Martin Racing. Finally, LMGT2 will be another great battle between Porsches and Ferraris, with the #76 Imsa Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR on pole for the class. Remember the amazing GT2 class finish of last year's race between Flying Lizard's Jorg Bergmeister in a Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and Risi Competizione's Jaime Melo in a Ferrari 430GT? If not, watch it again here as a reminder of why Le Mans is absolutely amazing. Also check out this great post at UltimateCarPage that has a detailed breakdown of all 55 cars with an image of each one and a list of their drivers.

[Source: 24 Hours of Le Mans, UltimateCarPage, Photo by JEAN FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP/Getty ]

Grid set for 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot starting 1-2-3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot destroys Le Mans lap record in qualifying

John Neff — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Peugeot

The 76th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place this weekend, and just like last year, Audi and Peugeot will be duking it out in front with their diesel-powered LMP1 cars. The Audi R10 is a proven race machine, both durable and fast, but the Peugeot 908 has often times proved faster. Late yesterday at the first qualifying session for the endurance race, the 908 proved to be the fastest by far when it shattered the lap record at Le Mans by 7.8 seconds! The car was being driven by French driver Stephane Sarrazin, who man-handled the 908 around the track in 3 minutes and 18.513 seconds. A truly amazing feat, though what's more incredible is that the next five fastest times also beat the previous lap record, two of which were Audi R10s. Unfortunately, the second and third fastest times behind the fastest Peugeot 908 were two more Peugeot 908s. The Peugeot cars are clearly faster than the Audis so far in qualifying, but that was the case last year and Audi pulled out a win just like it has the past four years in a row. Unlike the Le Mans Series races where Peugeot has won the first three races so far this year, Le Mans is about endurance and Audi has proven seven out of the last eight years that it can last longer than the rest.

[Source: Reuters, Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty]

Peugeot destroys Le Mans lap record in qualifying originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Peugeot goes flying at Le Mans

Drew Phillips — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Peugeot

Le Mans has seen its fair share of spectacular crashes, perhaps most notably the Mercedes CLR-GTR that caught air and did several flips before landing outside the guard rail back in 1999. While not as outrageous as the Mercedes, Peugeot caught some air as well this past weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans test when Marc Gene lost control of his 908 Hdi and hit the wall at over 120 mph. Luckily, Gene was able to walk away from the crash and will be able to drive in the race in less than two weeks. Footage from the crash can be seen after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: YouTube via LeMans.org]

Continue reading VIDEO: Peugeot goes flying at Le Mans

VIDEO: Peugeot goes flying at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coming to America: Peugeot to compete in 12 Hours of Sebring

Noah Joseph — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:27:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Peugeot

Stephane Sarrazin pilots the Peugeot 908 HDi to a record 1:42.801 lap time at Sebring. (Photo courtesy of ALMS.)

Race on Sunday, sell on Monday. That's the time-honored, though oft-refuted mantra used by motorsport's patrons to justify the enormous expense of top-class motor racing. It might be a bit of a stretch for Peugeot, however, who announced today their US debut at this year's 12 Hours of Sebring, the first race in the 2008 American Le Mans Series, now entering its tenth season. Peugeot doesn't even import to the United States, but this just goes to show how single-minded the French team is in its pursuit of victory over its diesel rivals at Audi.

According to ALMS chief Scott Atherton, "It is no secret that Peugeot's ultimate goal for 2008 is to once again claim victory at Le Mans, and there is no better proving ground than Sebring." Peugeot evidently agrees. The decision to compete at Sebring comes after last month's test session where Stephane Sarrazin set a record 1:42.801 lap time at the Florida track behind the wheel of the Peugeot 908 HDi, beating the previous lap record set by Audi's Marco Werner last year by a full two seconds. It warrants repeating in case you missed it: two full seconds. That ended up being motivation enough for Peugeot to ship the car on over again to compete in the actual race, where Sarrazin will share driving duties with Nic Minassian and Pedro Lamy. We'll see how Peugeot does against Audi and the rest of the field when the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring gets underway on Saturday, March 15.

Press release after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Kamal!

[Source: ALMS]

Continue reading Coming to America: Peugeot to compete in 12 Hours of Sebring

Coming to America: Peugeot to compete in 12 Hours of Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Feb 2008 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot 908 HDi faster than Audi R10 in LeMans testing

John Neff — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, Audi, Peugeot

LeMans fans waiting patiently to watch the greatest diesel duel in the history of motorsports got a preview on Sunday during an official test session for the 24 Hours of LeMans. All 55 teams were on hand, but our attention is focused on the reigning Audi R10 and newcomer from Peugeot, the 908 HDi. Both cars are a tour de force of diesel technology, but the 908 HDi driven by Sebastien Bourdais proved itself a smidge faster during testing, posting the best recorded lap of the shortened 8.47 test course with a time of 3:26:707 seconds. The Audi R10 driven by Frank Biela posted the second quickest time of 3:28:277 seconds, a little over 1.5 ticks slower than the Peugeot. The other 908 HDi car finished fifth, while the other two Audi R10s finished third and sixth, respectively. The two Peugeot 908 HDi cars completed the day with no mechanical issues, though the Audi teams were dogged by a number of red flags. There's less than two weeks left before the 24 Hours of LeMans begins on June 16th, so we expect both teams to arrive prepared and ready to lay it all out on the track.

[Source: News Press]

UPDATE: Fixed the lap time errors.

Continue reading Peugeot 908 HDi faster than Audi R10 in LeMans testing

Peugeot 908 HDi faster than Audi R10 in LeMans testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Le Mans-bound Peugeot 908's race livery unveiled

Alex Nunez — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Europe, PSA

Click image for hires photo gallery

As you can see above, Peugeot has unveiled the official race livery for the fantastic-looking 908 Le Mans prototype that the automaker will campaign as a two-car team in the European Le Mans Series and the fabled 24 Hours of Le Mans. Those of you who've been following the car's development know that it's driven by Peugeot's HDi FAP V12 diesel engine, which should produce upwards of 700 horsepower and an monstrous 850 ft-lbs of torque. Le Mans will provide motorsports fanatics with the ultimate showdown, as the closed-roof French racer takes on Germany's world-beating Audi R10 TDI pair in what's sure to be match for the ages. It will be the first time the cars compete against each other, as the Audis remain stateside competing in the American Le Mans Series while the Peugeots campaign in Europe. This is gonna be a lot of fun to watch.

Three more shots of the Pug in its race threads can be found in the attached gallery, which also contains a slew of other images ranging from the HDi FAP V12 to the unpainted car undergoing testing.

[Source: Peugeot]

Gallery: Peugeot 908 HDi

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Le Mans-bound Peugeot 908's race livery unveiled originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 11 Mar 2007 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Diesel Le Mans challenger Peugeot 908 HDi gallery

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:02:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

Click image for high res gallery

It's that time of year already. As soon as the calendar flips, racing teams are eager to get a jump on the competition and start showing off their new whips. Testing sessions for many series are underway and images of the racers are starting to surface. One of our favorite forms of racing, Le Mans prototypes, is no exception. We elsewhere covered news of Mazda's new 4-cylinder Lola competitor for the ALMS and here we have the Audi R10 challenger from Peugeot. While we saw a prototype of this racer on a display stand in Paris last fall, here we have a small gallery of images from the track. For those who might not remember, the 908 HDi features Peugeot's new HDi V12 that was also shown in the Maybach Exelero-like 908 RC concept sedan.

The 5.5-liter twin-turbo diesel is all-aluminum and utilizes common-rail direct-injection. It's twelve cylinders are arranged in a 100-degree V, for a lower center of gravity. The engine should be good for more than 700hp in race trim. Like the championship-winning R10 TDI from Audi, this diesel should provide a lot of torque and improved fuel economy over a gas engine. The oil-burner channels its power through a six-speed electro-pneumatic gearbox and a self-locking electronic differential.

This Peugeot is also the first closed body-style Le Mans proto, which meets the new regulations. It also offers a visual link to the company's old 905, that won Le Mans in '92 and '93. Looks hot in naked carbon fiber.

Thanks for the tip, ALMS Mike!

[Source: Peugeot via Endurance-Info]

Gallery: Peugeot 908 HDi

Diesel Le Mans challenger Peugeot 908 HDi gallery originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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