LE MANS: Peugeot 908 Bids Farewell

Le Mans / ALMS

LE MANS: Peugeot 908 Bids Farewell

Stephane Sarrazin takes Peugeot 908 for honorary last drive around Peugeot Sport's base..

John Dagys | Posted February 05, 2012 Chicago, IL

Stephane Sarrazin gave the Peugeot 908 an emotional farewell at its Velizy, France headquarters. (Photo: Peugeot Sport)

On the day entries were announced for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship, Peugeot Sport bid farewell to its factory program, just two weeks after executives pulled the plug on its successful LMP1 effort that was due to take part in the global sports car championship.

In what was surely an emotional sendoff for the factory workers, Stephane Sarrazin climbed behind the wheel of a Peugeot 908 HYbrid4 for a honorary few laps around Peugeot's Satory test track near Paris, in the car that was set to take on the likes of Audi and Toyota this year.

READ: Peugeot Pulls Plug On Factory Program
READ: Au Revoir, Peugeot

Last week’s tribute brought an end to Peugeot’s five-year run in prototype competition, which saw more than 20 victories, including the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours and back-to-back Intercontinental Le Mans Cup titles, the most recent coming after a dominant 2011 season.

Peugeot’s shock withdrawal, stemming from the poor economic climate in Europe, has seen the majority of its drivers on the sidelines for 2012, including two-time European Le Mans Series champion Sarrazin, fellow Frenchman Franck Montagny and British star Anthony Davidson.

Former factory drivers Nic Minassian and Sebastien Bourdais, however, have landed drives in Pescarolo Team’s Dome S102.5 Judd, which will compete at the Six Hours of Spa and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

It’s unclear when or if Peugeot would make a comeback to Le Mans-style racing, but with its championship-winning organization having been dismantled, a return to factory competition any earlier than 2015 is unlikely.

PHOTOS: Peugeot 908 Farewell

John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at

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