Peugeot calls its newly announced 9X8, the French carmaker’s entry into the new-for-2021 FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class, the “direct successor to the Peugeot 905.”
“But wait,” you might be saying, “where’s the rear wing?”
Apparently, its exclusion was done on purpose, as the design of the 9X8 was influenced by “radical new thinking that favours the emergence …
Low drag is important for Le Mans. I like a rule set that allows for creative gambles like this.
That's a wild looking car.
I'm all for these creative gambles (assuming, of course, that no one gets killed or anything).
The next Batmobile?
Meh, still a rendering, I'll believe it when I see it in the flesh. Also the WEC is way more than LeMans these days so the aero needs to work at all tracks.
Sure, but if the advantage is a big drop in drag that will show up more at Le Mans than anywhere else. And nobody ever remembers who wins the championship anyhow :)
The rear fin is also a lot shorter. It's probably also not needed but is there due to regulations.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Championships in endurance racing have a history of not being stable so the big races are what's counted.
The current versions of IMSA and WEC are less than 10 years old so to give a sense of history a driver or team's Sebring, Daytona, or Le Mans wins are counted.
Everyone knows that Mazda won Le Mans in 91 and that Ford took 1-2-3 in 66. Nobody has a clue who won the season championships those years.
That Peugeot is cool.
Reminds me a little of that failed outside the norm Nissan LMP car. NO the other Failed Nissan LMP car.
Given the reduced pace targets of the WEC Hypercar class I wonder how well a sorted GTR-LM would of done (Have not done the research to see if it would meet the specs even remotely). Wonder if anyone would attempt a similar FWD gas/RWD hybrid for GIANT Aero tunnel approach.
I know it's Digital but Jimmy Broadbent has had some success with the GTR-LM online.
Still this Peugeot thing looks intense. I really hope they actually build the interior to be that themed/finished.
Not mentioned in the GRM article - this car has over 1000 hp on tap between the electric and ICE powerplants. But it's only allowed to deploy 670 at a time (don't ask how that is enforced!). Which opens up all sorts of interesting strategy possibilities for energy management. Obviously the total energy from the fuel won't change, but when would it be beneficial to use electric horsepower instead of explosion horsepower and vice versa?
Ah, here's a hint. The 670 ICE is powering the rear wheels, the 200 hp electric motor is on the fronts. So you use the electric horses to help pull out of corners and then burn dinosaurs down the straight as the batteries refill.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
New rule is that 4WD is only allowed to kick in above 100kph so that the 2WD cars aren't obliterated, especially in the wet.
Last year they started success ballast to hold back Toyota but they still won at Spa in the rain.
I am realy looking forward to the next couple of years in indurance racing, should be good stuff.
I really like the hypercar engine rules. Make 500KW. If you want 200KW of it can be Hybrid.
Chose your own adventure from here. If you want to run a LS7 V8 from a junkyard that sounds great guys.
F1 should do something similar, then we could have Hybrid V10s against Hybrid V4's and transverse I6s and wierd stuff that offers packaging advantages.
You'll need to log in to post.
