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“In the last months, 80 per cent of the team was working on the hybrid system. It was our main development for 2012”


J


anuary 18, 2012 was a red-letter day for Sportscar racing as Peugeot took the decision to cancel its Sportscar programme with immediate effect. It brought an abrupt end to competition between the French manufacturer and Audi that began in


2007, which pushed the development of diesel technology and was about to do the same for hybrid technology on track. The decision to stop came as a shock to


everyone, particularly as the majority of development work was already completed for Peugeot’s latest Le Mans challenger. The 908 HYbrid4 had a hybrid system integrated into the chassis, beneath the fuel tank and just behind the driver, and the team was confident it could deliver 500kJ of energy six times around a lap of Le Mans over the full 24-hour distance. Other development work was already designed and raced, including the variable turbine geometry (VTG) turbo and a quick shift


gearchange system that was run in the last race of the 2011 season at Zhuhai, China. However, the decision to stop the programme


was taken as the company sought to save €800 million and was looking at 6000 redundancies across Europe. The cessation of an estimated €50m Le Mans programme was a step that the board of management felt necessary, bringing to an end a programme that saw the French manufacturer win two ILMC titles, and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2009.


FIRST STEPS In 2008, Peugeot introduced its 908 HDi FAP, fitted with a rudimentary hybrid system. Frenchman Nicolas Minassian demonstrated the V12 powered car, fitted with a 60KW electric motor, at Silverstone, but the project was an experiment and was never intended to race. Simply put, the packaging for the weighty V12 did not give enough room for the system to be


July 2012 • www.racecar-engineering.com 55


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