Team Peugeot TotalEnergies plans to put the Peugeot 9X8 on the grid during the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The French marque’s designers have played a key role in creating what already promises to be an iconic machine.

In the words of twice 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, LMP1 Hybrids were “owned just as much by systems engineers as they were by the drivers”. For their successors, however, it could well be the designers who will bask in the glory. In the past, performance was the primary concern, well before style and brand identity entered the equation. As a result, morphologically speaking, prototypes could barely be told apart. The introduction of Hypercar regulations has, however, offered more latitude for design considerations.

The 9X8, the Hypercar created for Peugeot’s re-entry into the endurance arena, is a real head-turner that oozes pure speed. The marque’s engineers and designers have worked closely together to produce a machine that marries style and technology. “To identify the theme for our future racing car, we first launched a competition between the designers,” explains Design Director Matthias Hossann. “We received a lot of submissions as this project aroused massive enthusiasm, with the prospect of one day seeing our creation compete against the world’s most prestigious brands on the most ‘mythical’ of tracks.” For the 9X8, the performance-driven engineers let the designers’ creative juices flow. “This car will stand as a milestone in the history of Endurance racing,” Hossann promises.

<h3>With or without a rear wing?</h3>

There is a broad consensus among observers and specialists that this Hypercar makes a clean break with previous generations of racing cars of every make. This impression is reinforced by the lack of a rear wing, giving the car a somewhat unique shape. 
The rear wing made its first appearance at the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. Since 1971, no car has won the race without one. Depriving the 9X8 of this aerodynamic appendage is an audacious move by Peugeot’s designers and engineers. “This configuration is permitted by the ACO/FIA Hypercar regulations,” Olivier Jansonnie, the Technical Director of Peugeot Sport’s WEC programme, points out. “Our calculations and wind tunnel work have confirmed the pertinence of our decision. Along with the developments and settings this option calls for, we expect it to be validated as we test at different circuits with differing characteristics.”

<h3>Making a mark after dark</h3>

Peugeot’s designers have also taken on board the fact that cars race into the night in the longer endurance events. “Our Peugeot Design team includes fans of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” Hossann continues. “Having been there as spectators, they know that at night, trackside, the cars have few distinctive signs. Some cars can be recognised by the sound of their engines, but in many places, the cars’ visual presence is mostly limited to bright lines fading away into the night.” Considerable thought has therefore been given to the 9X8’s illuminated components for easy identification in daylight and at night. Peugeot’s “three claw” motif that appears on all the make’s production cars today was an obvious starting point. “We didn't have too much trouble putting them on the front of our 9X8 Hypercar, but putting them on the rear required a lot of work. We've integrated the three light claws in separate composite components creating gaps through which air is extracted. We can't wait to see their effect on the track.”

With its avant-garde design, feline posture, sleek lines with a sporty edge, and signature lights, the Peugeot 9X8 has what it takes to become a new crowd favourite at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. To whet your appetite for the 9X8’s track début, enjoy these pictures taken by fashion and supercar photographer Agnieszka Doroszewicz.

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24 Hours of Le Mans – Peugeot 9X8, pushing the Hypercar design envelope

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is stepping up development work on its Hypercar. The Peugeot 9X8 will take its place on the FIA World Endurance Championship grid in the course of the 2022 season.

After an initial shakedown session in December, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is conducting an intensive testing campaign this month. The French carmaker has set two clear goals: development and engagement. 
The team will continue to work off and on the track to turn the 9X8, with its special characteristics, into a reliable, competitive racing car. The 9X8 is therefore still running without a rear wing. “This configuration is permitted by the ACO/FIA Hypercar regulations,” says Olivier Jansonnie, the Technical Director of Peugeot Sport’s WEC programme. “Our calculations and wind tunnel work have confirmed the pertinence of our decision. Along with the developments and settings this option calls for, we expect it to be validated as we test at different circuits with differing characteristics.”

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies’ current development campaign is crucial as a successful outcome will see the 9X8 homologated until 2025. The marque must therefore firm up the technical features of its Hypercar before it can take on the other major manufacturers in the FIA WEC including, of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 
The recently published entry list for season 10 of the FIA WEC featured two Peugeot 9X8s. The first bears the number 93 in a nod to the 905’s famous clean sweep at the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans. The sister car will be #94.

Jean-Marc Finot, Director, Stellantis Motorsport: Team PEUGEOT TotalEnergies will not attend the first of the six rounds that make up the 2022 calendar which kicks off at Sebring in Florida. The 9X8 will make its race début based on its level of readiness, reliability and competitiveness as agreed with the championship’s organisers who we will keep regularly updated as our development programme progresses. We could have opted for attending selected races only without committing to the season. That would have been possible but less coherent. Instead, we have chosen an approach that will enable the team to be fully immersed in the discipline, resulting in much closer collaboration with the organisers even if the 9X8 doesn’t contest every race as our development work and the homologation process continue.

Photographs of the Peugeot 9X8 undergoing testing.

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Watch and enjoy the Peugeot 9X8 in track action in this short clip.

Watch Peugeot 9X8 evolve into a race car

Regardez la Peugeot 9X8 évoluer en voiture de course

24 Hours of Le Mans – Peugeot outlines 9X8 roadmap

After an intense race full of duels, Realteam Hydrogen Redline's #70 ORECA 07 LMP2 shared by Felipe Dugrovich, Oliver Rowland, Jeffrey Rietveld and Michal Smidl won the 2nd Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans. In the GTE class, BMW Team Redline's #71 BMW M8 GTE claimed the top step on the podium. Both teams also earned the title in their respective classes for the 2021-2022 Le Mans Virtual Series season.

Fifty teams and 200 drivers battled it out for 24 hours during the 2nd Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans, finale of the 2021-2022 Le Mans Virtual Series season. Just like its namesake, the virtual race put on a breathtaking show.

Pole-sitter Realteam Hydrogen Redline's #70 ORECA 07 reached the top step on the podium after 407 high-speed laps (compared to 371 completed by the winners in 2020). The outfit won with a lead of one minute and three seconds on the defending winner, the #1 ORECA 07 of Rebellion GPX Esports Series driven by Louis Delétraz, Agustin Canapino, Kuba Brzezinski and Nikodem Wisniewski. Floyd ByKOLLES-Burst's #4 ORECA rounded out the top 3.

Thanks to a fuel-saving strategy, BMW Team Redline's #71 BMW M8 GTE triumphed in the GTE class. Rudy Van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy finished 34 seconds ahead of Porsche Esports Team's #91 Porsche 911 RSR GTE, with Proton Compétition's #77 Porsche rounding out the podium.

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This 2nd Virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans served as the finale for the 2021-2022 Le Mans Virtual Series, and thanks to this victory, Realteam Hydrogen Redline also won the season title with a half point lead over Rebellion GPX Esports. BMW Team Redline won the trophy in the GTE class.

The 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 11-12 June.

Virtual 24 Hours – Realteam Hydrogen Redline wins finale and season

Four hours from the checkered flag at the 2nd Virtual 24 Hours, the #70 ORECA 07 LMP2 of Realteam Hydrogen Redline is still in the lead, but the race remains tight and battles are sure to heat up as the clock ticks down.

After 20 hours of racing at the virtual 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, the #70 ORECA 07 LMP2 entered by Realteam Hydrogen Redine driven by Felipe Dugrovich, Oliver Rowland, Jeffrey Rietveld and Michal Smidl continues to lead the action. The car is trailed by the #1 ORECA of Rebellion GPX Esports and the #28 ORECA fielded by Veloce Esports. All three are in the same lap with the gap between the #70 and the #28 at one minute 41 seconds. Victory is still very much up for the taking!

If the classification were to remain as it is now, the Rebellion GPX Esports team's #1 ORECA would win the 2021-2022 Le Mans Virtual Series.

In the GTE class, the #91 and #92 Porsche 911 RSR GTEs entered by Porsche Esports Team were dominating, but the #91 suffered strategy difficulties and the #92 was forced to retire during the night following contact with Panis Racing's #65 ORECA. Now Team Redline's #71 BMW M8 GTE entrusted to Rudy van Buren, Lorenzo Colombo, Enzo Bonito and Kevin Siggy is in the top spot in the class thanks to its fuel-saving strategy. The #91 Porsche is in second position trailing the #71 by 55 seconds and has made two more pit stops than the leaders. FDA Esports Team's #51 Ferrari 488 GTE rounds out the top 3.

With four hours left in the race and the sun warming the track, teams are heading into a final push to achieve the best result possible, including winning the trophy in the 2021-2022 Le Mans Virtual Series.

At this point in the race, 14 cars have been forced to retire:

<ul><li>#67 ORECA of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Esports in 47th lap (failed engine)</li>
	<li>#777 Aston Martin Vantage GTE of D’Station Racing in 55th lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#15 ORECA of Alpine Esports in 62nd lap</li>
	<li>#86 Porsche 911 RSR GTE of GR Wolves Racing in 80th lap</li>
	<li>#39 ORECA of Graff by ProSimu in 108th lap (mechanical problems)</li>
	<li>#123 ORECA of Team Redline in 124th lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#44 ORECA of ARC Bratislava in 148th lap</li>
	<li>#61 Porsche 911 RSR GTE of SEM9 Axle in 156th lap</li>
	<li>#5 ORECA of Williams Esports in 170th lap</li>
	<li>#24 ORECA of LMVS Guest Car in 183rd lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#25 Porsche 911 RSR GTE of Absolute Inspeed Racing in 200th lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#444 ORECA of Alpha Ind. ByKOLLES-Burst in 212th lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#92 Porsche 911 RSR GTE of Porsche Esports Team in 221st lap (incident)</li>
	<li>#36 ORECA of Alpine Esports in 263rd lap (failed engine)</li>
</ul>Check out a few photos from the race below:

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Follow the 2022 Virtual 24 Hours live and in full below or via <a href="https://livetiming.alkamelsystems.com/lmvirtualseries">live timing</a>.

Les 24 Heures du Mans Virtuelles 2022 en direct

Virtual 24 Hours – Recap after 20 Hours: the top 3 neck and neck

Le Mans Magazine: find all the news, articles about the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

News and magazine | 24 Hours of Le Mans

Mika Salo has competed at Le Mans six times, four times in the GT category and has won the LM GT2 twice. After 109 Formula 1 Grand Prix line-ups, the Finnish driver still had plenty of stamina for endurance racing.

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