THP: Moulton gets his day out with the 908

Britain's Simon Moulton got the chance to test the power of the Peugeot 908Hdi FAP a prize he won fir winning the 2008 THP Spider Cup.

  A one-make championship, run by Peugeot, that supports the Le Mans Series, Moulton won last year's title with two wins and consistent performances elsewhere.

The 36-year old joined the Peugeot team during testing in Barcelona, where he put in 50 laps with the LM P1 car. His best lap was nearly five seconds slower than the team's regular drivers.

So what is like it going from an amateur spec car to a full-blown prototype? "The step up from the Spider to the 908 was more like a giant leap! To begin with, I was surprised by its power, but after a few laps it was its braking potential that really impressed me. My neck began to hurt after a few laps, so the technical staff added 'wings' to my seat to prevent my head from moving about.

“If only because of all the onboard electronics, the 908 is actually quite easy car to drive, but pushing it to its limits is another thing altogether! It was physically difficult and, to be honest, I don't think I would be capable of racking up stint after stint at Le Mans! I had a fabulous day, though.

“The team's regular drivers, especially Nicolas Minassian, and everyone at Peugeot Sport did all they could to make me feel at home and enable me to profit fully from was quite simply an amazing experience."   Team manager Serge Saulnier was also pleased with Moulton's outing having given him an additional ten laps on track to trial the team's new air conditioning system.

"Simon approached the day with great humility. At the same time, he was very attentive and extremely focused, and that immediately put us at ease. He put in a good drive inasmuch as he didn't make any mistakes and did exactly what was asked of him.

“He took his time to familiarise himself with the 908 HDi FAP before gradually upping his pace, step by step. Seeing that, we decided to give him a few more laps than the originally scheduled number, and that gave us a chance to validate something we were trying on the car."