Peugeot Sport revealed the new 9X8 for the upcoming 2024 World Endurance Championship in an exciting announcement yesterday. The highly anticipated addition to the car is the rear wing, which was unveiled to the public for the first time.
Initially, the original 9X8 model did not have a rear wing. Peugeot found that it could meet the downforce and drag requirements set by the WEC Hypercar regulations without the need for a wing. However, during the car’s development phase, the regulations were updated to allow for 29-inch front tires and 34-inch rear tires, instead of the previous 31-inch size. Unfortunately, Peugeot had already progressed too far in the development process to make the necessary changes.
As a result, Peugeot faced challenges with the original version of the car, especially regarding rear traction due to the narrower rear tires. To align with other teams and manufacturers like Toyota, Ferrari, and Porsche, who were using the 29/34-inch tire setup, Peugeot had to make adjustments to the weight distribution. This adjustment ultimately required the addition of a rear wing to meet the necessary performance goals.
To gain a deeper understanding of these technical developments, watch the video below with Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of Peugeot. The redesigned 9X8 will make its highly anticipated debut at the 6-hour race in Imola next month.
