Peugeot 9X8 to make debut at 2022 FIA WEC

Earlier this year, Peugeot revealed the details of the 9X8 wingless race car. And in just a short span of time, the Lion Brand announces the 9X8’s track debut.

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies unveiled last Friday, May 20, its exciting new endurance racing challenger for the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). To be held in Monza, “The Temple of Speed,” the fourth round of the FIA WEC will see two of Peugeot’s four-wheel-drive, hybrid-electric hypercars, driven by a six-man lineup: Paul Di Resta, Loïc Duval, Mikkel Jensen, Gustavo Menezes, James Rossiter, and Jean-Éric Vergne.

“Peugeot’s participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship is further evidence of the brand’s ingenuity and longstanding passion for motorsport. It will also play a role in the essential transfer of technology from the race track to our road-going vehicles, particularly in the field of electrification,” said Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson.

“To illustrate how serious we are about energy transition, Peugeot has committed to electrifying its entire model range by 2024. What’s more, if we are to achieve our target of being electric-only in Europe by 2030, we know we need to excel in this domain, and motor racing is crucial to this objective,” added the Peugeot boss.

Peugeot’s 2022 FIA WEC entry will be powered by a high-performance 200kW electric motor at the front while the rear wheels are propelled by a 2.6-liter, bi-turbo, V6 internal-combustion engine (ICE). It will also feature a 900-volt battery developed jointly with TotalEnergies/Saft. The powertrain was developed under the supervision of Peugeot Sport’s specialists.

The Peugeot 9X8’s silicon carbide-based inverter was developed in association with Marelli while the tires used on the sans ailes 9X8 are provided by Michelin, allowing the hybrid hypercar to comply with the class’ regulations. On the other hand, the energy management of Peugeot’s race car was optimized with the help of artificial intelligence specialist Capgemini.

According to the French automotive brand, the Peugeot 9X8 will use TotalEnergies’ 100-percent renewable, Excellium Racing 100 fuel.

Iconic Italian racewear manufacturer Sparco supplies the team with essential motorsport safety equipment, while Danish brand Jack & Jones is behind Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ official team clothing.

“In presenting our new race car today, we are keeping the promise that we made last summer. The Peugeot 9X8 is effectively the physical embodiment of the concept we revealed back in July 2021,” said Peugeot Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie.

He added, “The challenge we have faced in recent months has been two-fold and has involved forming a team to then produce a car and prepare it for its competitive debut. With only weeks to go until its maiden competitive outing at Monza, the Peugeot 9X8 has been clocking up the kilometers in testing at a variety of circuits. At the end of the day, however, there is no substitute for actual racing and we can’t wait to discover the potential of our hybrid-electric Hypercar which was developed in-house to demonstrate our skills in the realm of hybridization and other areas.”

Photos from Stellantis

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