Club Arnage

Peugeot confirmed this morning that they will contest all 6 LMS races and the Le Mans 24 Hours with two cars. Drivers will be  Nicolas Minassian, Stéphane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy and Marc Gene. Sébastien Bourdais and Jacques Villeneuve will drive in the Le Mans 24 Hours only. Eric Hélary will be test and reserve driver.

... all 6 LMS races, wow, let's hope the Audi guys will also compete. I've read they have built 6 Audi-R10 chassis by now, so should be enough for both ALMS and LMS.

Some pics of the new car, with a little bit of paint I think it will look good:

http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/Peugeot_908_01.jpg

http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/Peugeot_908_02.jpg

http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/Peugeot_908_03.jpg

I like that. Lets hope that Jack Newtown can reach the pedals ;D

yup..looks good to me.. just need an MP3 player attached to it playing proper fuel noise- mazda/lambo?

Jeeez!  How small is that???  Must be 2/3rd scale model - easier to carry round for publicity shots!  ;D

(http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/Peugeot_908_03.jpg)

Still no mirrors or doors to be seen ;D

For the doors see http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_60.jpg

But the mirrors? http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_10.jpg

Strange, may be they use cameras and an onbaord display ???

More pictures - from Paul Ricard circuit last week:
http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_05.jpg
http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_08.jpg
http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_16.jpg
http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_66.jpg
http://www.endurance-info.com/2007_Le_Mans/908_hdi_fap_03.jpg

Eehrr, I call those WINDOWS ;D

You think they got some escalating piece of machinery to get the drivers out? ::) ???

I can't see villeneuve doing a Dukes of Hazzard style entry into the car yee haaaw!!

may be the plan is to lubricate the drivers suit  ;D ;D ;D

I recall the early 90's Pug 905 had similar vestigial 'doors', with a secondary flap cut into the side pod to make entry and egress less of a contortionists trick. I think Dassault designed it - the whole windscreen/roof had a very 'aircraft canopy' look to it. The 908 does look quite petite and the small frontal area (particularly the windscreen) must give it some aero-advantage.
Good to see something different - good on 'em.

If you look at the overhead shot of the car on KPY's post, it looks like the doors extend into the sidepods.

Very slippery looking car, if the ACO rules allow no wing mirrors, then why not replace them with cameras, might increase weight a bit, but the aero advantage might be a plus.


Agree with Matt, good on 'em.

Have to admit it looks much better than the original artist rendering posted a few month's back.  It has more than a few similarities to a R10 with a lid, but as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  Good for them for having the stones to get out there and take on Audi, 'bout time someone did.  Agreed, the drivers are going to need the flexiblilty of a spider monkey to get in & out of the thing though.  Guess they won't have to worry about some punter climbing into one while no one's looking...most of our butts would get stuck trying to get through the door opening ;D
Fax

I had taken a liking to this car when it was only a concept, I've always preferred the roofed coupe look to the open cars.
Now that it is actually turning it's wheels, I agree, very impressive.

Hopefully it will give Audi a good spanking.  I will be an honourary Frenchman come June (even though it has a diesel engine   :'(  )

I thought sports car rules said the car had to have provision for 2 people even though they don't have one fitted. Can't see much room in there for another person, can you, unless its a 3 month old baby  !

I remember back in the early 80's, an article from a journalist who was taken round Le Mans in a 956 clinging to the roll cage :o
Always thought the cars should be two seaters for pr reasons. Problem is now even though the cars are meant to be for two no way can two normal size people sit in one.
I sat in the two seater Bentley, and even without a helmet my head touched the roof and my shoulders would have been squashing the driver. With me and my brother sat in it with doors closed it would have been to cramped to drive (not that they would have let me!!)

The McLaren GT1 was, of course, a three seater.

Mirrors??? What is behind is of no significance ;D
Phil

Its great to see something different turning up, and another major attempt, from anew team (I know Peugeot are not new to endurance racing, but to this generation they are).........even if it is diesel.

agree on all fronts.. methinks there will be lots of pug flags etc waving up zee germans noses!

Like Werner and Barry I suspect they've gone down the Oreca Saleen route of inboard display.  Will hopefully be in a position to get a good look around and inside one in March.

Am I correct in assuming the Peugeot will run (like the Bentley) in the LM GTP class, not LMP1?

There's no more LM GTP class, since last year LMP1 allows both open and closed roof  cars.

That is a shame that messing with the groups. It was much better when we had LMP900, LMP650?, GTS and GT. The names actually referred to technical requirements of the class at least

Maybe they are so confident of its speed they think mirrors will not be required..?

Pesca is already lobbying for a return to different classes for open and closed after 2010, as he isn't confident that he will be able to develop one with a lid on his budget. Time will tell.

Looks very slipery indeed, shame we won't hear it.

Daft question, I know, but are we certain it won't sound like a Parisien Taxi? ;D

like the look of this.  don't care about petrol v diesel.  reckon the racing community need to be pushing forward with fuels of the future, even if that means electric cars.

They would have to be British Racing Green

Hope it's not driven like one, or there won't be any of the field left by 9am Sunday

Ooooooh how wrong can you be? Check this link out to the Paul Ricard test on Eurosport  :)

http://www.eurosport.fr/auto/mc_vid32301.shtml (http://www.eurosport.fr/auto/mc_vid32301.shtml)

;D ;D ;D (my comment above was only a little tongue in cheek - glad to know we'll hear it going by.)

My Frogeye sounds loud on its own, and I still think it's sounds quieter than the  petrol engined cars.
Wouldn't the Audi sound like that going round a circuit on its own?

Well, I heard (or didn't) the Audi on its own and no, it didn't.  But as you say, never easy to tell the effect for certain from a bit of video footage.  Will be interesting to compare them in the flesh.

According to Autosport the ACO have changed their mind on the fact that LMP1 will be closed cock pit from 2010. It would appear that Audi and Pescarolo have been lobbying to get the rules changed as it would cost them more to develop a closed car.

The reason the ACO made the change initially was to try and control lap times (or the FIA would enforce further track changes), the ACO thought they could do this by making the top flight cars less aero efficient……hence the closed car with tight controls on the size and shape of the roof.

Without the closed car rules the ACO will have to control the speed via other means, like the air restrictors and maybe mechanical grip from the tyres.

So it looks like the Pug might be the only closed car we see for sometime…….

A U Turn worthy of Tony Blair.  ???

wasn't Dome right on track on developing a closed car as well?

hopefully they work it out and have a RFH squad fit out with it. more room for a giant drinking lion :D

Radical, also.

Is there a lik to the Autosport story somewhere?  I can't find anything on it.

I cannot find it either although there was a piece in l'Equipe about M. P lobbying for this.  No confirmation that I have seen anywhere that he has got his way though.

It is not on their website, it is in this weeks magazine.

My copy of which I managed to leave in a Jersey hotel!  However, nobody else I've found seems to have this as fact yet. Anybody got an insider in any of the teams affected by this?

I know its been hinted at before.......but driver line up is confirmed, from Autosport.



Peugeot confirm Le Mans line-up.

Peugeot have announced their driver line-ups for this year's Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours.

Jacques Villeneuve will join Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian in June, while Sebastien Bourdais will race with Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin, who have been teammates in the past at Aston Martin.

Team manager Serge Saulnier said: "It didn't take long to realise that it would be difficult to split Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin.

"Sebastien's feedback concerning the 908 is quite similar and his build is not unlike Stephane's."

Saulnier also believes that it makes sense for Gene and Minassian to be paired up for the LMS.

He added: "Marc and Nicolas have a great deal in common too, beginning with their driving style.

"They both know Jacques from Formula One and Nicolas even tested Jacques title-winning car in 1997."

Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge is confident that the team have two line-ups capable of winning this year.

"In terms of both performance and analysis of the car, all these drivers are of an extremely high calibre," he said.

"Choosing who drove with whom was based on simple criteria and the two cars are consequently on an equal footing with respect to the results we can expect."

Peugeot have conducted three tests in recent weeks to allow their drivers to become familiar with the team and the car.

hopefully they can show some spectacular things :)