American LeMans
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ALMS: Peugeot Down to One Car at Petit After LMS Crashes
After a spate of crashes in 2008, Peugeot drops to a single entry for Petit Le Mans but pulls in its two fastest drivers.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted September 22, 2008   Velizy, France
The grey-liveried #07 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP will serve as Peugeot's sole entry at Petit Le Mans after a number of tub-damaging accidents this year. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)


Eagle-eyed sportscar fans noticed Peugeot's dual entries for Petit Le Mans had changed overnight to a single entry on September 16th on the AmericanLeMans.com website, and the French team finally confirmed the change today. "The incidents at Silverstone have called for us to otherwise commit technical resources which were initially planned for Road Atlanta," said Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge. "It is important for Peugeot to take part in this race in order for the team and the technical department to gain even more experience. To ensure we have the necessary resources that our participation in this race requires, just as we did at Sebring earlier this year, we have consequently decided to enter just one car."

Of the five known 908 chassis, one was destroyed at the pre-Le Mans test on June 1st, one seriously damaged at Silverstone September 15th, and one has been converted to the new 908 HY Hybrid demonstration car. Despite having two chassis available Peugeot is believed to be unwilling to risk damage to both remaining 908's and have reduced their Petit Le Mans entry by one as a result. In reducing to a single entry, Peugeot has also consolidated their driving effort, placing their two fastest pilots together for the 10 hour race.
One 908 was binned at the Silverstone LMS round to go with the car destroyed in testing at Le Mans. (Photo: Wouter Melissen / UltimateCarPage.com)

The #07 908 HDi FAP will feature a grey livery and will be shared by Frenchmen Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin, along with Austria's Christian Klien who will arrive directly from the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. Minassian and Sarrazin, both responsible for pushing the 908's to the outer limits of their capabilities, will be joined by another ace one week prior to the event. "Portugal's Pedro Lamy will also make the journey out to the States for the pre-race test session. That will enable us to profit from his knowledge of this extremely specific circuit," points out Serge Saulnier, Team Manager. Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin have previous experience of Road Atlanta, too: Nicolas started the 2006 race on pole-position in a Creation, while Stéphane claimed GT1 success the same year with Aston Martin.

Peugeot will take part in the preliminary practice session at the circuit (September 27-28) which is scheduled the week before the team's second American Le Mans Series appearance of the year. Another objective of the entry will be to gain extra experience in race conditions, since the 2008 Le Mans Series calendar was based on just five rounds, plus the Le Mans 24 Hours. "We face some stiff competition since all the makes which take part in the ALMS will be present," concludes Michel Barge. "This will enable us to gain valuable additional experience for the future."
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