SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 15, 2025 – The excitement officially kicked off in Le Mans as Team Peugeot TotalEnergies began their 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans week with a thrilling mix of public celebration and focused race preparation. From a fan-packed event downtown to intensive track testing, the PEUGEOT 9X8 impressed both on the streets and on the circuit.
An Electric Welcome in Le Mans
On Friday, the two PEUGEOT 9X8 race cars and their drivers took part in the traditional Scrutineering at Place de la République, drawing a large crowd for the required administrative and technical checks. The team also posed for an official group photo. Saturday afternoon brought even more excitement as Loïc Duval drove one of the PEUGEOT 9X8s through the streets of Le Mans, accompanied by 19 other race cars and thousands of cheering fans.
Clocking Kilometers and Gathering Insights
Sunday, June 8, marked the official Test Day on the full 13.626 km 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. Over the course of two three-hour sessions, the PEUGEOT 9X8s covered more than 1,800 kilometers. The main goals were to verify system functionality, validate safety procedures, and explore tire and setup strategies under realistic race conditions.
Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport, reflected on the day:
“This was a very important day for us and our drivers, who hadn’t driven on this track for nearly a year. We gathered valuable data to help prepare for the race. The red flags in the second session didn’t work in our favor, but we still managed to complete our entire program.”
The team’s six drivers rotated between PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 and #94, completing 36 and 37 laps respectively. Cool morning temperatures of 16°C gave way to a hot afternoon, with the track heating up to 35°C. This provided the perfect environment to test Medium slick tires on car #94 and Soft slicks on car #93. Despite three red flags interrupting the afternoon session, the team met their performance goals.
Driver Feedback on Track Improvements and Car Setup
Mikkel Jensen, driving PEUGEOT 9X8 #93, shared his observations about the evolving track:
“The track has changed slightly compared to last year, especially the entrance to the Porsche Curves which is now less bumpy and therefore faster, and the exit of Tertre Rouge which has smoother tarmac. We can now run the car a bit lower, which improves its behavior across the entire circuit. The engineers will now analyze the data for Wednesday.”
Loïc Duval, at the wheel of PEUGEOT 9X8 #94, focused on tire management and consistency:
“The track was quite good from the start, with decent grip. We went through our planned test program with different slick tires and various car setups. We also did long runs and completed the number of stints we aimed for on a single set of tires to prepare for the race. The car has a good balance, but we’re still lacking performance. It’s up to us to extract the most from our package.”
Looking Ahead for Fans and Followers
The PEUGEOT 9X8 returned to the circuit on Wednesday, June 11, for Free Practice 1, Qualifying 1, and Free Practice 2. Fans were also invited to tune in on Friday, June 13 at 2:15 PM for the highly anticipated E-208 GTi reveal on www.peugeotsport.com.