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Peugeot Le Mans rehearsal in Sebring


Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

Peugeot 908 HDI FAP 2008

 

To prepare for the 12 Hours of Sebring, Team Peugeot Total made the trip out to Florida last January to take part in the Winter Test staged by the American Le Mans Series organisers. Three of the four Peugeot drivers who will contest the 2008 Le Mans Series - namely Portugal’s Pedro Lamy and Frenchmen Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin - profited from the opportunity to take turns at the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP. To the surprise of many, the car immediately proved a match for the former airfield’s infamous uneven concrete slabs. "This track is very different from modern European tracks," commented Stéphane Sarrazin who was clearly in his element at Sebring. "It’s pretty bumpy in places but the car seemed to be well suited to track from its very first runs and we were pleasantly surprised by our performance which says a great deal for the 908 HDi FAP’s excellent chassis." The 908 HDi FAP ended the first day just one-tenth of a second off the top of the timesheets and the Peugeot Sport-run machine went on to secure the fastest lap of the three-day session in the hands of Stéphane Sarrazin. His time of 1m 42.801s even set a new track record, beating the Audi R10’s 2007 pole-winning time of 1m 44.974s. "We didn’t go all out for a time. We just worked our way through the programme we had set for the three days," says Technical Director Bruno Famin. "We also tried the full range of Michelin tyres we will have in 2008 and we were very pleased with them in terms of both their performance and durability." In the course of the three days, Peugeot Sport’s trio covered 235 laps of the 5.95km circuit, making a total of almost 1,400km, although the winner of March’s race will have to cover practically twice that distance. With 35 cars at the start, ranging from LMP1s to GT2s, the 56th 12 Hours of Sebring promises to be something of an obstacle race for the quickest cars and numerous appearances of the safety car are likely which it will be necessary to manage as efficiently as possible!

One 908 HDi FAP has been entered (N°7) and will sport a blue livery. The race begins at 10.05 local time (15.05 continental European team) on Saturday March 15. Peugeot Sport will stay on at Sebring for a validation test on the Monday after the race. With a programme of three events that follow on from each other in quick succession during the build-up to the Le Mans 24 Hours, plus various private test sessions, Team Peugeot Total has a big workload and was unable to take part in the official Le Mans Series test at Le Castellet’s HTTT track in France on March 2-3.

PEUGEOT’S SEBRING PROGRAMME (time difference with continental Europe: -5 hours) :

MONDAY MARCH 10
10.50 - 12.20 ALMS - First practice (LMP)
16.10 - 17.40 ALMS - Second practice (LMP)

TUESDAY MARCH 11
13.30 - 14.30 ALMS - Third practice (all categories)
14.30 - 15.00 ALMS - Third practice (LMP)

WEDNESDAY MARCH 12
10.00 - 10.55 ALMS - Fourth practice (all categories)
14.15 - 15.10 ALMS - Fifth practice (all categories)

THURSDAY MARCH 13
10.15 - 11.10 ALMS - Sixth practice (all categories)
15.35 - 16.00 ALMS - Qualifying (LMP)
19.15 - 21.00 ALMS - Seventh practice (night, all categories)

FRIDAY MARCH 14
09.55 - 10.55 ALMS - Eight practice (all categories)
11.30 - 12.00 Peugeot Sport press

SATURDAY MARCH 15
07.30 - 07.50 ALMS - Warm-up
10.05 - 22.05 ALMS - 12 Hours of Sebring

MONDAY MARCH 17
09.00 - 17.00 Complementary test session (24h LM simulation)