Peugeot's withdrawal sent shock-waves through the motorosports world last month. (Photo: LAT)
Nearly one month after Peugeot’s shock withdrawal from sports car competition, the endurance racing world is still mourning the loss of the French manufacturer from the factory LMP1 ranks.
While the FIA and ACO have managed to recover from last month’s bombshell, in what looks set to be a solid first season for the FIA World Endurance Championship, series’ CEO Gerard Neveu, in a SPEED.com exclusive interview, said he too was given no advance warning of Peugeot's pull-out.
“It came as more than just a surprise,” Neveu said. “There are many reasons to be unhappy about that. Nobody discussed about the decision, because there is probably some good things that motivated this decision.
“The problem is the way they did it and this is not correct. When you are responsible, especially for a big company like this, you cannot take the decision in two hours. You have to consider all of the different factors.”
“I think it was very, very big damage for WEC, for endurance and for Le Mans. This is not correct but it's the past now."
The ACO had to take fast action to ensure the immediate future of the WEC, with only Audi having committed to the LMP1 Manufacturers’ Championship and two constructors required per the initial sporting regulations released in December.
Neveu said they had “looked at all the possibilities,” which had allegedly included talks with Honda Performance Development to step up to the Manufacturers’ Championship.
Instead, they managed to work out a deal with Toyota, which was initially scheduled to compete on a limited basis, to commit to full-season WEC status with a single-car entry, but not debuting until the second round of the season in Spa.
“Fortunately, we found an incredible paddock with a big solidarity, especially Audi, which stayed in the same position [prior to Peugeot's withdrawal] and confirmed their program. This position helped us find a solution with another fantastic manufacturer in Toyota.
“They were able to discuss with us the opportunity to advance their engagement in the World Championship and then made the big effort to join us in order to save the sporting interests of the championship for which they're engaged for the future.
“I prefer to have the future with companies like Toyota and Audi because they prove that they are very serious competitors but also very serious companions.”
