6 HOURS OF ZHUHAI : ALL-PEUGEOT FRONT ROW IN CHINA

6 HOURS OF ZHUHAI : ALL-PEUGEOT FRONT ROW IN CHINA

The two Peugeot 908s dominated qualifying at Zhuhai, with a fifth pole position of the season taken by Anthony Davidson (Peugeot no.7), ahead of Stéphane Sarrazin (Peugeot no.8). Just like last year, both Team Peugeot Total cars will start from the front row, for a six-hour race that once again looks set to be very closely contested, with the top four cars separated by less than a second.

Constructive practice sessions

Team Peugeot Total has been working hard at the Zhuhai track since Wednesday to prepare for this, the season’s final race, and also to validate the most recent technical upgrades affecting, among others, the engine, transmission and suspension. Anthony Davidson took advantage of the sessions to get his first look at the Chinese track, whereas Sébastien Bourdais, Stéphane Sarrazin and Franck Montagny are old hands here. After a first, rain-affected session, all the others were run in dry conditions and both Peugeot 908s were impressive in hogging the top two positions in each of the three free practice sessions.

A 100%-Peugeot front row

The weather was sunny and warm when Anthony Davidson and Stéphane Sarrazin took to the track for qualifying. Stéphane Sarrazin set the time to beat with a 1’21.844 to take provisional pole position, ahead of his team-mate. With his final flying lap, Anthony Davidson bettered his time. With a lap timed at 1’21.769, the British driver secured his fourth pole position in a Peugeot by just 75 thousandths. The six-hour race is expected to be very hotly disputed, as has been the case all season. Sébastien Bourdais and Franck Montagny will start the race from the front row, ahead of the two Audis. Quote, unquote : Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director : “We decided to go out right at the start of the session, given our position in the pit lane. We had no problems with traffic and that led to a great battle between the two Peugeot 908s. This great front row is a good result for Peugeot, but we mustn’t forget the Audis are right there. Indeed, our rivals set some very good average times during their stints in free practice. It will very close and bitterly-fought race. Strategy will be important, especially as regards tyre choice. This is a track that we actually don’t know all that well, as this is only our second race here. We’ll have to react quickly and be ready for any eventuality. The other satisfying aspect relates to the technical side of things. We had no problems during free practice, not even on the brakes which caused us quite a few problems last year in race conditions, but we’ll have to monitor the situation in the race.” Anthony Davidson, Peugeot 908 n°7 : “This is my third qualifying session in a Peugeot this season, and this is my third pole. It was really very close today, because Stéphane Sarrazin did a great lap. I had to push really hard to better his time. We have been on the pace right since we got here. The battle has been intense since the start of the year, so I see no reason why it won’t be the same tomorrow.” Stéphane Sarrazin, Peugeot 908 n°8 : “The session was very close. We had a good scrap. I did a super lap and the car was great. There was nothing in it for pole position – Anthony was only seven tenths quicker than me. We are confident for tomorrow because we did some very good race simulations during free practice. The car is stable and efficient. The start will be very hotly contested; the Audis are right behind us and are certain to apply plenty of pressure. Like at Petit Le Mans, we’ll have to avoid making any mistakes in the race.” Qualifying results for the 6 Hours of Zhuhai 2011 : 1.Peugeot 908 no.7, Anthony Davidson, 1’21.769 2.Peugeot 908 no.8, Stéphane Sarrazin, 1’21.844 3.Audi R18 no.2, Tom Kristensen, 1’22.038 4.Audi R18 no.1, Marcel Fässler, 1’22.538 5.Rebellion-Lola no.12, Neel Jani, 1’23.931 2012 World Championship: The Race Calendar for the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship was unveiled today, in China: 17 March 2012: 12 Hours of Sebring (USA) 5 May 2012: 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) 3 June 2012: 24 Hours of Le Mans test day (France) 16 and 17 June 2012: 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) 25 August 2012: 6 Hours of Silverstone (United Kingdom) 16 September 2012: 6 Hours of São Paolo (Brazil) – Date to be confirmed 30 September 2012: 6 Hours of Mount Fuji (Japan) 20 October 2012: 6 Hours of Bahrain (Bahrain) 11 or 18 November 2012: 6 Hours of China – Date to be confirmed Bruno Famin : “The creation of the World Endurance Championship is an excellent thing. We have been pushing for it for several years. There will be the title of World Champion on offer with races on several continents. It’s all very positive. We must be careful, however, to keep costs under control due to the increased number of races. The second half of the season will be very hectic and extremely complex from a logistics point of view. We are thrilled that Brazil is on the race calendar.” Practical information: Sébastien Bourdais and Anthony Davidson will be driving the Peugeot 908 no.7 with blue rear-view mirrors. Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin will share driving duties in the Peugeot 908 no.8, with white rear-view mirrors. Sébastien Bourdais and Franck Montagny will line up for the start on Sunday at 11.00am (local time). Follow the race live on Peugeot’s Web TV In an initiative driven by Peugeot China, the entire Zhuhai race will be broadcast live on Peugeot’s Web TV in three languages: in French, English and, for the first time ever, in Chinese. Coverage will include behind-the-scenes footage, pit stops and onboard camera action: all means available will be used to take you inside the team, to the heart of the racing action. In partnership with Tudou and Dailymotion, coverage starts on Sunday at 10.30am in China at www.peugeot.com.cn and at 3.30am in France for the French and English versions at www.peugeot-sport.com. Follow live coverage of the 6 Hours of Zhuhai (GMT+8) Web TV and Live text: www.peugeot-sport.com, www.peugeot.com.cn Live timing and race: www.lemans.org Live radio: www.radiolemans.com www.twitter.com/peugeotsport www.facebook.com/peugeot.sport www.peugeot-media.com www.lemans.org Television: In China - Guangdong Sport Channel, 6 hours of coverage on 13 November, including 5 hours of the race. - CCTV 5 will provide regular coverage of the event in its programmes via news and short programmes from 12 November - Guangxi Satellite Channel will broadcast an 80-minute highlights programme the day after the race. - ESPN Star, pan-Asian broadcaster, will provide three hours of live coverage in South-East Asia. - Eurosport, live coverage on Sunday 13 November from 8.30am to 10.00am (CET) in Europe. Timing: GMT+8 Sunday, 13 November 2011 8.00am – 8.20am (CET: 1.00am – 1.20am): Warm Up 11.00am (CET: 4.00am): Start of the 6 Hours of Zhuhai. Peugeot Sport.