From Peugeot Sport
Riding high on the back of last year’s one-two finish, Peugeot Sport is aiming to do it again in 2010. In the fourth and final year of the 908 HDi FAP’s career, Team Peugeot Total has pressed on with its development, getting down to work on the very next day after that historic win, striving to squeeze even more improvements out of the car.
Test sessions and races at a variety of venues have been programmed in order to be as well prepared as possible for the 78th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, a race which always throws up unique challenges, uncertainties and changes of fortune, all part of its legendary status. But even the most meticulous preparations can hope to reproduce the specific features and surprises this race invariably delivers. Since its historic success on June 14, 2009, Peugeot will have racked up a total of eleven test sessions consisting of endurance runs, set-up work and two demanding warm-ups in the form of two actual races.
Eleven drivers have been chosen to fly the Peugeot flag, running with race numbers 1, 2 and 3, the numbers which were previously the property of the make’s much respected rival. The 2009 winners will carry the Number 1 plate: Marc GENE (ESP,) Alexander WURZ (AUT), plus a newcomer to the Peugeot Sport ranks, Anthony DAVIDSON (GBR).
In the N°2 908 HDi FAP, three French drivers Nicolas MINASSIAN, Franck MONTAGNY and Stéphane SARRAZIN.
The third crew is made up of local boy Sébastien BOURDAIS, who renews his partnership with his United States-based countryman Simon PAGENAUD and Portugal’s Pedro LAMY.
Christian KLIEN will be the reserve driver for Team Peugeot Total, while Gregory GUILVERT, having impressed at a test in the 908 (his prize for winning the 2009 THP Spider Cup), takes on the role of test driver.
On the racing front, Peugeot’s first test comes in the shape of the full-on challenge of dealing with 12 hours of racing against the heat and difficult track at Sebring (Florida, USA), which provides the backdrop for the year’s first appearance of the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs, shared by Davidson/Gene/Wurz (N°07) and Bourdais/Lamy/Minassian (N°08). The French squad will first tackle a test session the previous weekend and then resume testing two days after the endurance race.
The second event is at Spa-Francorchamps in a round of the Le Mans Series and this will serve as a dress- rehearsal for the whole Peugeot Sport team, with three cars entered. Eleven test sessions and two races should see enable the team to prepare thoroughly for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Peugeot Sport is also working on life after Le Mans and, at the moment, there are two further races on the calendar for the 908 HDi FAP: the Le Mans Series round at Silverstone in England, in September, then – assuming it is confirmed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race in Shanghai, China.
For Peugeot Sport, the second half of the year is also the time to look to the future, specifically the immediate future and the new 2011 regulations, which signal the start of a new era for endurance racing. Some of the new rules have already been a announced, which means work can now begin a new car.
Bruno FAMIN, Technical Director:
“First of all, we had to concentrate on bodywork and engine alterations to comply with the 2010 regulations. In terms of the body we have made the following changes:
- thicker trailing edges on the ’extended’ section of the front diffuser (they can be seen where the sidepods start, on each side of the monocoque);
- the engine cover has been modified and the tyre debris grilles, previously located on the upper bodywork, above the wheels, have been removed and replaced by flat surfaces. "In line with changes to the 2010 technical regulations, the following engine modifications have been incorporated:
- the air inlet restrictor diameter has been reduced from last season’s 38.3mm to 37.8mm;
- maximum turbo pressure has been cut from 2,750 to 2,590mbar. As a result of these two modifications, power has been capped by about 40bhp. Despite the above, engine developments have continued apace and we have upgraded the engine in collaboration with PSA Group specialists. We have particularly focused on:
- reduction of frictional losses, thanks notably to groundwork with Total on the lubricants we employ;
- improved volumetric efficiency for inlet and exhaust;
- enhanced combustion, thanks to close collaboration with Bosch.
"We have also worked on a serious weight reduction programme in every domain. The target was to make sure the car was no heavier this year, despite the various changes that have been made in terms of both reliability and the latest bodywork regulations.
Reliability was an important consideration, even though we’ve had only one retirement among the eight 908 HDi FAPs that have been entered for Le Mans since 2007. To put that another way, we’ve completed 191 of a possible 192 racing hours.
It was important to maintain this tradition, so we began with a major overhaul of all the elements that caused us problems in 2009: gearbox, clutch and transmission, brake wear, wheel assemblies and air- conditioning. Finally, we have worked closely with Michelin on a completely new range of tyres for dry, intermediate and wet conditions."
photo:Peugeot
Riding high on the back of last year’s one-two finish, Peugeot Sport is aiming to do it again in 2010. In the fourth and final year of the 908 HDi FAP’s career, Team Peugeot Total has pressed on with its development, getting down to work on the very next day after that historic win, striving to squeeze even more improvements out of the car.
Test sessions and races at a variety of venues have been programmed in order to be as well prepared as possible for the 78th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours, a race which always throws up unique challenges, uncertainties and changes of fortune, all part of its legendary status. But even the most meticulous preparations can hope to reproduce the specific features and surprises this race invariably delivers. Since its historic success on June 14, 2009, Peugeot will have racked up a total of eleven test sessions consisting of endurance runs, set-up work and two demanding warm-ups in the form of two actual races.
Eleven drivers have been chosen to fly the Peugeot flag, running with race numbers 1, 2 and 3, the numbers which were previously the property of the make’s much respected rival. The 2009 winners will carry the Number 1 plate: Marc GENE (ESP,) Alexander WURZ (AUT), plus a newcomer to the Peugeot Sport ranks, Anthony DAVIDSON (GBR).
In the N°2 908 HDi FAP, three French drivers Nicolas MINASSIAN, Franck MONTAGNY and Stéphane SARRAZIN.
The third crew is made up of local boy Sébastien BOURDAIS, who renews his partnership with his United States-based countryman Simon PAGENAUD and Portugal’s Pedro LAMY.
Christian KLIEN will be the reserve driver for Team Peugeot Total, while Gregory GUILVERT, having impressed at a test in the 908 (his prize for winning the 2009 THP Spider Cup), takes on the role of test driver.
On the racing front, Peugeot’s first test comes in the shape of the full-on challenge of dealing with 12 hours of racing against the heat and difficult track at Sebring (Florida, USA), which provides the backdrop for the year’s first appearance of the two Peugeot 908 HDi FAPs, shared by Davidson/Gene/Wurz (N°07) and Bourdais/Lamy/Minassian (N°08). The French squad will first tackle a test session the previous weekend and then resume testing two days after the endurance race.
The second event is at Spa-Francorchamps in a round of the Le Mans Series and this will serve as a dress- rehearsal for the whole Peugeot Sport team, with three cars entered. Eleven test sessions and two races should see enable the team to prepare thoroughly for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Peugeot Sport is also working on life after Le Mans and, at the moment, there are two further races on the calendar for the 908 HDi FAP: the Le Mans Series round at Silverstone in England, in September, then – assuming it is confirmed by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest – the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race in Shanghai, China.
For Peugeot Sport, the second half of the year is also the time to look to the future, specifically the immediate future and the new 2011 regulations, which signal the start of a new era for endurance racing. Some of the new rules have already been a announced, which means work can now begin a new car.
Bruno FAMIN, Technical Director:
“First of all, we had to concentrate on bodywork and engine alterations to comply with the 2010 regulations. In terms of the body we have made the following changes:
- thicker trailing edges on the ’extended’ section of the front diffuser (they can be seen where the sidepods start, on each side of the monocoque);
- the engine cover has been modified and the tyre debris grilles, previously located on the upper bodywork, above the wheels, have been removed and replaced by flat surfaces. "In line with changes to the 2010 technical regulations, the following engine modifications have been incorporated:
- the air inlet restrictor diameter has been reduced from last season’s 38.3mm to 37.8mm;
- maximum turbo pressure has been cut from 2,750 to 2,590mbar. As a result of these two modifications, power has been capped by about 40bhp. Despite the above, engine developments have continued apace and we have upgraded the engine in collaboration with PSA Group specialists. We have particularly focused on:
- reduction of frictional losses, thanks notably to groundwork with Total on the lubricants we employ;
- improved volumetric efficiency for inlet and exhaust;
- enhanced combustion, thanks to close collaboration with Bosch.
"We have also worked on a serious weight reduction programme in every domain. The target was to make sure the car was no heavier this year, despite the various changes that have been made in terms of both reliability and the latest bodywork regulations.
Reliability was an important consideration, even though we’ve had only one retirement among the eight 908 HDi FAPs that have been entered for Le Mans since 2007. To put that another way, we’ve completed 191 of a possible 192 racing hours.
It was important to maintain this tradition, so we began with a major overhaul of all the elements that caused us problems in 2009: gearbox, clutch and transmission, brake wear, wheel assemblies and air- conditioning. Finally, we have worked closely with Michelin on a completely new range of tyres for dry, intermediate and wet conditions."
photo:Peugeot