Club Arnage

Translation from Endurance Info:

Certainly this day of 18 January is full of surprises ... After the stolen photos of the Toyota Hybrid appeared this morning in the press, and the withdrawal of Peugeot in endurance, the third day of the info is more pleasing, with the presence of Pescarolo Team in Endurance World Championship with a car and two at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This was Henri Pescarolo told our reporter Claude Foubert, during the evening of the contest photos Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Fans of Green can be assured, the team Sarthe continue well on his way to the global level, after a great campaign in 2011 Le Mans Series. Henry did not want to tell us more about the choice of the car, and it will take a little longer to know the details. Speculation about the commitment of private Peugeot 908 will certainly go well, as the arrival of new cars or presence badged with Pescarolo prototypes. We can still tell you it's more towards the last two hypotheses to look for. That at least some news that will cheer fans of Endurance ...

I bet the midnight oil will be burning in the ACO offices, and I suspect a few phone calls to Henri and Peugeot tonight.
I wonder what a green 908 will look like?

Green  ;D

Well, Peugeot have said NON to any privateer 908's, plus I guess they weren't too happy with the result the last time they leant Henri one of their cars, it went back in a skip if you remember!

He is talking about a two car entry for LM though, so let's hope he's talking to some major sponsors or a manufacturer.

Love him or hate him, LM just isn't the same without him!

We all want henri back and the ACO wants the pugs back so lets all sense prevails and sponsors stump up the cash

Press cutting from Le Maine this morning.

http://www.davedaviesracing.com/pesca.jpg (http://www.davedaviesracing.com/pesca.jpg)

So now the hopes of France rest on Hugues De Chaunac, Jacques Nicolet and of course the inimitable Henri. 

Henri needs to sell chassis. I can't see him buying or running Peugeots and not his own chassis. Maybe one of each at a stretch, but what I can see, outside chance mind, is a green Pesca or two on the startline in June with a nice, powerful, but sadly quiet Peugeot oil burner shoved up it's rump.

He's spent years moaning about 'zer-dee-sels'. If you can't beat them, join them!

 I'm sure Peugeot won't mind flogging off a few spare engines and can see the opportunity of some low cost publicity should a Peugeot powered car do a 'Rondeau' and ignite the hearts of France once again.

I'm sure the Pesca chassis could be adapted to run the oilburner without too much work. I know it's not all about the engine and Audi's budget is huge in comparison, but it's a good team, a reliable car with fine handling, and with the right drivers on board (some are now available I guess), it could be Henris best chance to have a really good go.

Now that's an interesting idea.

Thanks Si, saves me thinking about it.


>Martini...LB

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense.

Firstly, there is Peugeots refusal to give the 908s to privateers. Why? Well, France expects! The French press hammered Peugeot every time it failed to win Le Mans. Now if the factory couldn't win with the 908, with a huge budget, a huge number of staff, and Michelin working all out to win, then whatchance is there of a smaller team winning? There would still be high expectation and ultimately as much dissapointment and bad press. To the average Frenchman draped in onions, cycling along in his Breton shirt, a Peugeot is still a Peugoet no matter the team running it.

Now, if those engines do find their way into the back of a car, they can continue to develop them. An engine programe is much cheaper than a full car programe. If they do come back in 2004/05 then they won't be starting from scratch even if they do take the hybrid route.

Most importantly, if the car fails to win Le Mans they can hold their hands up and say the engine is good, the team or the chassis or the drivers were not good enough. If by a freak of nature they win, well Peugeot engines are the best, Vive Le France!

Anyone fancy a tenner on their being a Diesel Peugeot engine on the grid in June? I'm convinced it will happen.   

I agree - I can see such a Pesco Pug team getting a lot of support from outside of France too - continuing the  phoenix from the ashes story for Henri and leading to a David v Goliath LM 2012 against the Audi - lets wait for news of Henri's plans

From Daily Sportscar......


mmmmmmmmmmm :D

I agree with most of you here.  Be it Henri or somebody else, I am sure we will see a diesel Pug in the back of at least one chassis come the start in June

Not unless there is a partial about turn from the Pug board,  they've effectively closed down the competitions department for the time being, and they would be needed to supply, support and rebuild engines.

Oh no, have the French got plastic executives (rather than Plastic Bertrand) as well.

This means they have to get there own way, despite the cost/sensibility.  Ignore no pain/no gain -they believe pain equals gain

How left field is this: PESCAROLO DOME S102.5 - Drivers: Nicolas Minassian and Sebastien Bourdais.
Entries so far: Spa and Le Mans.

just saw this on twitter. I absolutely love that car. looked like a space shuttle in white. damn I wish they brought that to Sebring

Now that's a surprise.
Quick Nick and Seb, now there's a couple of very fast drivers, hope the Dome is up to speed, should be a good show. :)

The Dome we saw a while ago cannot be the car as it could not be grandfathered up to current regs, therefore it must be a revised version. Maybe a carry over from the Toyota test program?

It would seem that the dome will not be pesca's car rather he will 'run' it on behalf of Dome and use one of his entries to do so, or that is the best guess.

His new car is rumoured be be based on the defunct Prodrive/AMR project. quite why with access to a Dome he would want to then build his own car based on suspect car is beyond me, but he is French.

Even more left field: PESCAROLO AMR-ONE
http://www.autohebdo.fr/endurance/le-mans/article-27-5-9374/020212-pesca-engage-bourdais-minassian-sur-dome (http://www.autohebdo.fr/endurance/le-mans/article-27-5-9374/020212-pesca-engage-bourdais-minassian-sur-dome)

Nordic beat me to it

Good to see a dome back at Le Mans, loved the looks of that car last time they raced it at LM.
I don't get the point of the AMR-one and Pescarolo not entering with a prototype of his own.

From what it sounds they will only be using the tub (like the delta wing) of the AMR. all the other stuff will be Pesca's own.

It wont be a the complete car from AMR (I hope).

Crikey. Now that wasn't something we were expecting!

The Dome in question was redesigned in 2010 to fit the new regs and I beleive was used as a mule by Toyota for testing. There is certainly a strong Dome influence in the new Toyota, especially around the cockpit sides. Dome canned the project in early 2011. Were they expecting Toyota to use the chassis?

So Pesca. I can see why Henri is involved. It's a cheaper way of doing the WEC and I can't see the two far east rounds being of any commercial interest with his own chassis.

But what are hislong term plans? I saw the AMR rumours last week. But hasn't Henri just spent a fortune converting and updating his own chassis to 2012 spec? What happens to these cars now?

With a Dome, a pair of Pescas and a bastardised AMR sat in the workshop, none running common componants, are things getting a little disjointed?

I still think one of his own updated chassis with a Diesel would have been the way forward.

But what do I know?   

Henri had no time to build a new regs car from scratch so the alternative was the Dome and an AMR cast-off chassis. Full marks to Pesca for expediency and lateral thinking, but I suspect that the ACO may have twisted his arm to get him into the WEC to help fill the gaping 908 shaped hole.

If the Dome still looks something like this, bring it on !   

(http://xposed.be/FTP/kristof/LEMANS2008/LM2008S09.jpg)

Yes but with the ugly and pointless 'legality fin'. Looks rather like the new Toyota too ... hem hem