[WEC] Peugeot Sport returning to WEC

[skycafe]

They seem to be lost. Not holding high expectations, mystified at performance deficits. Focused on reliability, but things they focus on continue to fail (gear selection).

I am guessing the car is a challenge to setup and has a super narrow performance window that they don't fully understand.


https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...lifying-tires/

https://us.motorsport.com/wec/news/p...uval/10517332/

[joeb]

It appears Menezes replacement will be Vandoorne

https://racer.com/2023/09/21/vandoor...eot-wec-drive/

Great choice.

[hondafan37]

A rear wing on the Peugeot 9X8 in 2024, with a new tyres too.

https://en.endurance-info.com/auto/a...ugeot-9x8-2024

[E.B]

Originally Posted by hondafan37

A rear wing on the Peugeot 9X8 in 2024, with a new tyres too.

https://en.endurance-info.com/auto/a...ugeot-9x8-2024

I just came to post the same news. Better late than never.

[Gerard C]

All the difference between a perfect but theoretical concept and a race proven car. That's why Finot didn't speak too much after Fuji. What will be the BoP after that is a good question imo.

[Sodemo]

I told them! Hey Peugeot, my consultancy fees are very competitive

[Gerard C]

With such a pseudo not surprising… They have been working on two concepts from the beginning. One "classical" and the other we know and see. I dont think that adding a wing to the actual car is a just add water job.

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

With such a pseudo not surprising… They have been working on two concepts from the beginning. One "classical" and the other we know and see. I dont think that adding a wing to the actual car is a just add water job.

It will be a Halfords screw on job

[veeten]

And, in the end, it will be a far sight better than the present half-arsed effort we've seen. It was the rear down force design that was their Achilles' heel, could never get it to be stable, much a less work.
And so, they have decided to dump it for a more conventional rear wing assembly.

[Coach Ep]

I applaud Peugeot for trying something different - trying to beat the odds. Doesn't always work but valuable know-how has been amassed, I'm sure. No need to insult the hard working crew.

[veeten]

It's not an insult, it's just an assessment of an engineering exercise that I knew wasn't going to work in the way that they thought.
They were thinking in the same venue as underbody ground effects were in the 70's, but focusing on the rear tire diffusers as a source of downforce. The problem was that it was inconsistent, great on the straights but a handful when it comes to turns and changes in track terrain. It was a passive system, which lacked the instant adjustability that an active system would provide. Reasons as to why cars have both the wing and rear underbody diffuser, working in concert to maintain balance and control.
I have no reason to believe that such an exercise would not be beneficial, but it would involve a more substantial amount of time, money, and forethought. It would've been better if Peugeot had done a car with a conventional rear aerodynamic assembly while doing this as as aside, for future deployment or as an upgrade.

[Gerard C]

Originally Posted by Coach Ep

I applaud Peugeot for trying something different - trying to beat the odds. Doesn't always work but valuable know-how has been amassed, I'm sure. No need to insult the hard working crew.

Agreed. Assuming your "no need to insult" is a wish, I'm with you again. As to Finot, I find that when he speaks it's always interesting and when he doesn't it's often worrying. The man is straight. IMO.

[JoeW04]

Fair play to Peugeot for trying something a bit different but ultimately there is a reason why most race cars in a particular series end up looking the same.

[TF110]

They needed a car that worked all as one. But from what I gather from a few sources I've found, the suspension is not doing any favors. The smooth tracks are ok for them. But Sebring and anything with bumps to upset the ride height ruins the cars whole philosophy.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

It will be a Halfords screw on job

No, more sophisticated than that. I managed to find a mock-up they're testing on a Corvette..... Should be really good when they iron out the initial creases.....

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by TF110

They needed a car that worked all as one. But from what I gather from a few sources I've found, the suspension is not doing any favors. The smooth tracks are ok for them. But Sebring and anything with bumps to upset the ride height ruins the cars whole philosophy.

I wonder if their suspension setup is quite stiff & static in order to take advantage of the underbody aero? A bit like the current F1 cars that are sprung far stiffer than the previous generation, this has made them trickier in lower speed situations and low speed traction is trickier.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

No, more sophisticated than that. I managed to find a mock-up they're testing on a Corvette..... Should be really good when they iron out the initial creases.....

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

No, more sophisticated than that. I managed to find a mock-up they're testing on a Corvette..... Should be really good when they iron out the initial creases.....

Needs less rear df with the new rear engine, and gotta save money to help those Ams out on repair bills

[hondafan37]

The 2024 Peugeot 9X8, with a full rear wing and the underfloor aero of the current car, ditched for a flat floor, is likely to test for the first time in December.

https://www.dailysportscar.com/2023/...rear-wing.html

[J Jay]

On a long enough timeline, the survival rate of all regressions away from the mean becomes zero.

It seems odd for Peugeot to not realise how much track surface and pitch sensitivity would affect the aero platform of the 9X8, but hopefully they will be up to speed quicker and more often next year.

[Adam43]

Did they spend all their time testing at Magny Cours? I don’t think they did. It just reminded me of the oddity we’ve seen with French teams in the past. Super smooth, but not relevant to elsewhere. Remember it with Peugeot with the 905 in the first year and several Ligiers.

[Sodemo]

Originally Posted by J Jay

On a long enough timeline, the survival rate of all regressions away from the mean becomes zero.

It seems odd for Peugeot to not realise how much track surface and pitch sensitivity would affect the aero platform of the 9X8, but hopefully they will be up to speed quicker and more often next year.

My thinking is that they did actually test at mostly smooth venues. I can't recall the article I read now but it stated that the first "bumpy track" they tested on was when they rocked up at Sebring for that race weekend. I dont really know what planet Peugeot were on when they designed this car. To me it almost seems as though they tried to design a LeMans special, and then have it kinda suffer at all the other tracks, but be like a rocket at LeMans, alas that never happened.

[Coach Ep]

Menezes might have left at exactly the wrong time...

[veeten]

Originally Posted by Sodemo

My thinking is that they did actually test at mostly smooth venues. I can't recall the article I read now but it stated that the first "bumpy track" they tested on was when they rocked up at Sebring for that race weekend. I dont really know what planet Peugeot were on when they designed this car. To me it almost seems as though they tried to design a LeMans special, and then have it kinda suffer at all the other tracks, but be like a rocket at LeMans, alas that never happened.

Exactly what I was thinking, Sodemo. This is why many teams and manufacturers test at Sebring, not only before race, but before the entire season. It's the best way to find out how well you've built your car, and to shake out any problems that can hamper its performance. They would've found out the issues they had with the suspension, transmission, and rear aero. They tried to run a partial season in '22, and that was a painful exercise to watch. Remember Monza...

[PascaLM]

it said that the larger rear tires won't allow the same aerodynamic flow for the diffuser, so...