6 Hours of Imola: 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8 ready for its racing debut

The 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8 from the PEUGEOT TotalEnergies team will take part in the 6 Hours of Imola, the second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

After a year of development and nearly 8,000 kilometers of track testing, the 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8 was unveiled on March 25: it has been radically redesigned under the striking new “lion’s head” version, but it retains its DNA with a slim and dynamic silhouette more. surrounded by its new rear wing.

After a great opening race in Qatar, which ended in an unexpected way, the PEUGEOT TotalEnergies team is determined to prove itself in Italy.

Rüsselsheim am Main, April 16, 2024. Italy is a special place for PEUGEOT when it comes to endurance racing. The PEUGEOT TotalEnergies team began its journey in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Monza in the summer of 2022. A year later, the PEUGEOT 9X8 achieved its first WEC podium at the same track. And at the 6 Hours of Imola, where PEUGEOT Sport scored two memorable victories in 2011, the PEUGEOT 9X8 will make its competitive debut in 2024.

“How do I feel? Most of all, I am proud that we have been able to work successfully in two fields for more than a year,” he says Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of PEUGEOT Sport, for. “Our engineering and operations teams have delivered great results on our sports program and the 2023 version while developing the 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8. This is especially true when you consider that the specifications have changed over the year based on everything we have learned in terms of reliability and aerodynamics, as well as what we have learned about the new tires we will have on the development car from. mid 2023 they have tried.”

The PEUGEOT 9X8 2024 was presented on March 25 after an endurance test at the Motorland Aragón circuit in Spain. Since its first test run in early December 2023, it has covered about 8,000 km. Additional endurance testing on the test stand also helped to ensure the reliability of certain mechanical devices, such as: B. increased thrust.

“I think the car is ready for Imola,” he said Olivier Jansonnie more. “It’s a track we’ve never driven in the FIA WEC before and we’re not familiar with it. We haven’t tested yet, but that was the case in Qatar too and we were fast there, so I’m not too worried about that.

Team PEUGEOT TotalEnergies is venturing into the unknown in Emilia-Romagna, but the squad is aiming to bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Qatar, where unfortunate management saw the number 93 car stall on the first lap. However, the PEUGEOT 9X8 proved to be a competitive car by coming in second place.

“Unlike the 2023 PEUGEOT 9X8, where we had time to improve the setup and get the best out of the car, we still have a lot to learn with the 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8. We know the car is fast, although it’s still difficult to get the right picture because we don’t know how it will compete and how much power. We’re sure we’ve met our competitors, we don’t know how much yet. But we’ll know after the first few races.

The 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8 will make its competitive debut in the WEC race in Italy with its new “lion’s head” livery. For this occasion, the designers at PEUGEOT have created an identical version of the PEUGEOT 508 PSE.¹ (Combined values for PEUGEOT 508 PSE Plug-In HYBRID4 360 e-EAT8 with 265 kW (360 HP) according to WLTP¹ in l/100 km: 2,0¹; Co₂-Production in g/km: 45¹; Energy consumption: 18.8 kWh/100 km¹; Co₂-Class: B) developed. Since the beginning of the WEC program, PEUGEOT has established a strong visual connection between the hypercar and the brand’s production models. Certain styling elements such as the lighting signature, the logo on the grille and the main paint color (Selenium Gray in 2022 and Okenite White in 2024) reflect this clear connection between the hypercar and PEUGEOT models.

To maintain the close connection between the 9X8 design and the brand’s vehicles, PEUGEOT’s design teams decided to transfer this version to the PEUGEOT 508 PSE. The production car will be presented in its new Imola FanZone, the first round of the European Championship from April 19 to 21.

Mikkel Jensen, PEUGEOT 9X8 #93:

“I drove in Formula 3 at Imola at the beginning of my career and then in ELMS in 2021. It’s a very good track, ‘old school’, with lots of twists and big scratches. With the big field of participants in the WEC, it will be a challenge to really in the Hypercar class. We will race at Imola with a brand new car. Its development has been very exciting in the last few months, but we don’t know where we stand because there is still a lot to learn about the PEUGEOT 9X8 in race mode.”

Paul di Resta, PEUGEOT 9X8 #94:

“Just recently I had my first experience with this track. Imola is a narrow track, with many bumps and big pieces of rumble. It’s very different from Qatar. With all the hypercars and GT3s, the track will be very busy. Tires will also be an issue important, especially if the weather changes. When it comes to preparation, it is never easy to enter the second round of the championship with a new car. We will gradually get to know the 2024 PEUGEOT 9X8, focusing on our main goal, Le Mans.”

Olivier Jansonnie describes the development of the PEUGEOT 9X8 2024: https://youtu.be/5vUDar8WDQI

¹ Car values are not only dependent on the car’s fuel efficiency, but are also affected by driving habits and other non-technical factors.

All information about PEUGEOT Sport can be found on the new website (http://www.peugeot-sport.com) and on the following platforms:

Twitter: @peugeotsport
Facebook: @peugeot.sport
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YouTube: Official Peugeot Sport

PEUGEOT Sport WEC Press Release:

Media / photo / video site:

Sonya D’Artois / sonya.dartois@external.stellantis.com / +33627816828
Justine Morice/ justine.morice@external.stellantis.com / +3376262287

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