Peugeot Sport will use this weekend’s 12 Hours of Sebring as a major part of the team’s preparations for June’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The French squad will field a pair of 908 HDi FAPs at Sebring, the opening round of the American Le Mans Series, and the tough nature of the Florida circuit makes the race an ideal warm-up for the twice-around-the-clock enduro in La Sarthe later in the year.
"Contesting the 12 Hours of Sebring has three major advantages for us,” said Peugeot Sport Technical Director Bruno Famin. “To begin with, the temperature is likely to be between 25 and 30°C, which is very similar to what we can expect at Le Mans in June.
“Sebring serves as first class training, too, with regard to race strategy; there are generally a high number of safety car interventions and the amount of traffic on the track can be likened to Le Mans. Traffic means having to overtake and, whenever a driver strays off the ideal line, the tyres tend to pick up a significant amount of dust and debris, which in turn results in less grip for the next two or three laps.
“Last but not least, Sebring is the year's longest race after Le Mans. It tends not to push the engines too hard, but the suspension faces a gruelling test because the surface is so uneven. Sebring provides us with an opportunity to explore the limits of certain mechanical components. That could spell problems for us, but we do it with Le Mans in mind. If what we see calls for modifications, we will have sufficient time to make amends before Le Mans… where we have no intention of taking any risks at all!"
Anthony Davidson, Marc Gene and Alex Wurz will share the #7 908 with Sebastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Nicolas Minassian in the other car, and Peugeot Sport director, Olivier Quesnel, also believes the race is as good a warm-up for drivers and crew as machinery.
“Le Mans is our main objective, so not only does that dictate running a certain number of test sessions, but it also entails taking part in selected races, such as Sebring, in order to put the team in a stress situation and prepare the drivers for the demanding challenge ahead,” he explained. “This applies particularly to Anthony Davidson who will be making his debut with us.”
Last year Peugeot missed out on victory to the Audi R15 of Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen by just a handful of seconds, but with the German marque missing from the grid this year, the French outfit is hoping to extend its winning streak, which includes the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours and Petit Le Mans races.
“The 2009 race at Sebring was a very close-run thing,” said Quesnel. “This time round, if we succeed in carrying on the momentum of our wins at Le Mans and in the Petit Le Mans without jeopardising our work programme, a victory would be a great way for Team Peugeot Total to the kick off the new season."
Watch the 12 Hours of Sebring LIVE on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) this Saturday at 2pm (GMT).
Andy Wilkinson
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