Sata Rallye Açores (14-16 July 2011) : The IRC returns to gravel

The 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) features three gravel rallies, the first of which will take teams and drivers to the Azores (July 14-16) where a 207 S2000 took the top prize in 2010 in the hands of Bruno Magalhaès. This time round, the entry includes three Peugeot crews who will be keen to repeat last year's success.

Unique scenery

It was two years ago that the first Sata Rallye Açores to count towards the IRC caught fans' imagination thanks to stunning helicopter TV footage of the Sete Cidades stage. For several kilometres, the cars followed a narrow, twisty trail which followed the rim of an impressive volcano crater. Competitors were only protected from steep drops to either side by a small verge. The Azores is an archipelago of volcanic islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and the rally visits the biggest of them: San Miguel, which has a population of 130,000 (plus 200,000 cows).

Bruno Magalhaès – the outgoing winner

"The island's dirt stages are very varied. They range from extremely twisty to very fast, but they are generally narrow, and slippery in the wet," notes Bruno Magalhaès who will be sharing his Peugeot Portugal-entered 207 S2000 with Paulo Grave. "This event is special for me because it brought me my first IRC win. I was very proud of that performance because I had to push from start to finish, while at the same time keeping my driving very smooth. I had to take risks without making any mistakes. My aim is to win again this year. That will require another faultless run. Thanks to Peugeot Sport, I was able to benefit from two days of testing which helped me find my marks again on the loose. That helped boost my confidence so I should be able to hit the ground running."

Bryan Bouffier makes the trip to the mid-Atlantic

Thanks to his win on January's Rallye Monte-Carlo, plus runner-up finishes on the Yalta and Ypres Rallies, Bryan Bouffier provisionally figures in second place – and best-placed Peugeot representative – in the IRC Drivers' standings. Along with his faithful co-driver, Xavier Panseri, the Peugeot France driver is making the trip to the Azores determined to harvest another top result to help his 2011 IRC title bid. "More than anything else, I'm delighted to be driving the 207 S2000 on gravel again," says Bryan. "I enjoy competing on the loose, although I've got far more experience of asphalt competition, of course. On top of that, I've never been to the Azores before, while some of my rivals have good knowledge of the stages, but that won't stop me from giving it everything I can. I will try to make good pace notes and then push hard, but without losing sight of the fact that I need to reach the finish in order to score big points, both for the Manufacturers' and Drivers' championships. My entry was made quite late. Thankfully, I took part in a gravel test with the 207 S2000 a month-and-a-half ago, so that will be a big help…"

Guy Wilks looking to fight back

Guy Wilks, who has been less fortunate than Bryan Bouffier, finished the last two rounds of the IRC in fifth place after being troubled by a spate of punctures. "Quite often, I don't even know where I pick them up," comments the Peugeot UK driver. "That makes it difficult to know what I need to do to take corrective action. I'm convinced that bad luck has got something to do with it and I hope the run will soon come to a halt." Guy and his co-driver Phil Pugh are both Azores rookies. "All I know about the Azores is its famous 'depression' which spells good weather back home in the UK. On the event itself, I am told that showers are very frequent and that the conditions can change as quickly as they do in Ireland, so that promises to be fun! This will be my first gravel event with the 207 S2000, but I feel ready thanks to two days of testing that enabled me to familiarise myself with the car on the loose and adapt its set-up to the way I drive. We did some good work, especially on the damping. I feel quite confident."

Three 207 Super 2000s

The long journey out to the Azores explains why the 42-strong entry list only includes eight Super 2000 cars, three of which are 207s. "That won't prevent the Peugeot runners from setting their sights high," underlines Frédéric Bertrand, the manager of Peugeot Sport's Customer Competition department. "They tend to be the outsiders, but that's a role that actually suits them, especially since the 207 S2000 won here in 2010. It promises to be a very competitive weekend and I have every confidence in the ability of the three Peugeot drivers to clock up top results."

Peugeot in Portugal

The first half of the year saw Peugeot secure second place in a falling market. In a difficult situation, it is one of the brands that have resisted the best, since its market share of 9.2 percent is up 0.6 percent over the same period in 2010. The 207 and 206+ top their segment, while the 3008 and RCZ are second in their respective segments. Following its launch in March, the 508 is its segment's second-best selling model to be marketed by a volume manufacturer. In a total market representing 109,178 vehicles (passenger cars and LCVs), Peugeot Portugal's 100 outlets totalled 10,059 vehicle sales during the first half of 2011.

See the timetable and the standings : Click here

Peugeot Sport/ Acreditated Media Press.

Into the final straight

There’ll be more than a hint of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans lingering in the air at Spa-Francorchamps! Although the Belgian track bears little resemblance to Le Mans, the second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup will serve as a dress rehearsal for the year’s most important race. For the first time this season, the Team Peugeot Total line-up will feature all three official Peugeot 908s and its nine works drivers.

Le Mans moves into sight

This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is on everyone’s mind now. With six weeks to go to this major event, the test day held on 24 April offered Team Peugeot Total the chance to acquire the data necessary to arrive at Le Mans with optimised race cars. The second race on the ILMC calendar is traditionally seen as an opportunity to fine-tune the team’s preparations. The three Peugeot 908s and the nine drivers therefore have two targets: prepare for Le Mans without taking any risks and pick up ILMC points, as reiterated by Olivier Quesnel, Peugeot Sport Director. “The ILMC season got underway with a podium spot at Sebring, after an intense 12-hour race. The conditions were perfect to prepare for our main target of the year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Since then, the cars have had a lot of track time in private testing. The test day really got us into the mood at Le Mans; competing in this race at Spa-Francorchamps is the best way of checking that our racing reflexes are well and truly in place. The entire team will be at the event. We will be working in the same conditions that we’ll have in Le Mans. The ILMC is an important goal for us; however, we not going to go after the race win at any cost, just a few weeks away from Le Mans. Above all, we need to make it to the end of the 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps with all three cars intact and a host of additional information. If we manage that, Peugeot will undoubtedly come away with a serious haul of points. »

A sensational racetrack

Unbeaten here since 2007, Team Peugeot Total were especially successful in 2010, recording a one-two at the 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps, the race won by Sébastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud and Pedro Lamy, followed by Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin in second. The 2011 official driver line-ups are identical to 2010: Peugeot 908 No.7 (blue rear-view mirrors): Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené and Alexander Wurz Peugeot 908 No.8 (white rear-view mirrors): Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny and Stéphane Sarrazin Peugeot 908 No.9 (red rear-view mirrors): Sébastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Simon Pagenaud In addition to these three official cars, there is a fourth Peugeot run by Team Oreca. The 908 HDi FAP 2010, in 2011 configuration, is the current championship leader thanks to the race win at Sebring, with the driver team Lapierre-Duval-Panis.

Technical configuration

“The Spa-Francorchamps track is one that is very much appreciated by drivers, because it is unique and very demanding in terms of driving", explains Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director. “However, we know from experience that it is totally unlike Le Mans in terms of set-up. The track surface is different and the constraints are not the same. We are nonetheless going to adopt a configuration close to the one we’ll use at Le Mans. After the test day, we have a large portion of the data necessary to prepare for Le Mans. We are treating the Spa-Francorchamps round more like a dress rehearsal geared towards fine-tuning the organisation and getting into a racing mindset, where there is no room for error. The line-up will be more or less the same as at Le Mans. We are entering our three cars. After its long endurance runs of over 7,000 kilometres, the No.7 car has been reconditioned whereas the Nos. 8 and 9 cars will have the technical configuration used at the test day. After all the practice sessions that we have done so far, it’ll be nice for everyone to enjoy the racing atmosphere again, and arrive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans prepared, ready to race.”

Follow all the action from the 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps: Web TV
To follow all the action from the 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps, with the race due to start on Saturday 7 May at 2pm, Peugeot Sport will be setting up its Web TV service, visible on the website: www.peugeot-sport.com. You can enjoy an insider’s view, with onboard camera footage, coverage from the Peugeot pits and of the race itself.

But that's not all:

Peugeot Sport iPhone app
twitter.com/peugeotsport

Schedule for the 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps

Thursday 5 May 2011
12.20pm – 1.20pm: Free practice
2.45pm – 3.10pm: Press meeting at the Peugeot Sport hospitality area
4.55pm – 5.55pm: Free practice
Friday 6 May 2011
11.50am – 12.50pm: Free practice
4.20pm – 4.40pm: LMP1/LMP2 qualifying

Saturday 7 May 2011
9.55am – 10.15am: Warm up
2pm – 8pm: 1,000 kilometres of Spa-Francorchamps

ILMC standings before Spa:

Manufacturers :
1. Peugeot, 27 points
2. Audi, 17 points

Teams :
1. Team Oreca Matmut, 15 points
2. Team Peugeot Total, 12 points
3. Audi Sport Team Joest, 9 points
4. Rebellion Racing, 6 points

Peugeot in Belgium
With sales of 188,027 cars in the first quarter of 2011, Peugeot Belgium is the third-best selling brand in Belgium, with a market share of 9.4%. Peugeot has 240 sales outlets in Belgium. The main best-selling Peugeot models in the country are 207, Partner, Tepee, 308, 3008 and 5008. The new 508 has been on sale since the end of March.

Info and Fotos: Peugeot Sport/For acreditated and autorized media press.

10 Peugeot drivers to take part in test day

10 Peugeot drivers are set to take turns behind the wheel of the three official 908s at this weekend’s test day at Le Mans. The 23-year old French driver, Jean-Karl Vernay, joins the Team Peugeot Total as reserve driver.

10 qualification laps for Jean-Karl Vernay

On Sunday 24 April, Sébastien Bourdais, Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené, Pedro Lamy, Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny, Simon Pagenaud, Stéphane Sarrazin and Alexander Wurz will make their way to the famous Le Mans circuit for a long day's work. They will be joined by Jean-Karl Vernay. "We were looking for a reserve driver”, explains Olivier Quesnel, Peugeot Sport Director. “We looked at a few of the discipline’s rising stars with a good track record and decided to offer a test to Jean-Karl Vernay this week. He has raced in a driver development series, in similar fashion to Sébastien Bourdais and Simon Pagenaud, in the United States in Indy Lights. He is young and fits the profile of our drivers. It’s also a way of us preparing for the future".

Jean-Karl Vernay therefore took part in an endurance race at Aragon this week, alongside the other Peugeot drivers. “He was reasonable in his approach”, continues Pascal Dimitri, Peugeot Sport Team Manager. “He made constant progress, carefully followed our instructions and at no stage attempted to overstep the mark. Jean-Karl drove a fine last stint in the early hours, as the sun rose. It convinced us to include him in the team. He will therefore be at Le Mans this Sunday. He has yet to drive at the track, so the regulations state that he must complete 10 qualification laps in order to be able to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans”. “I am very pleased to be given this magnificent opportunity”, concludes Jean-Karl Vernay. “This is my first professional racing driver contract. I would like to thank Peugeot Sport for having placed their faith in me like this. It’s a great achievement for me. I am proud to be able to help the team and the lead drivers go after the race wins”.

Jean-Karl Vernay

Jean-Karl Vernay
Born on 31 October 1987 / Lives in Villeurbanne (France)
2010: Indy Lights champion (5 race wins)
2009: pole position and runner-up in the F3 Macao GP
2007-2009: Formula 3 Euroseries
2007: 3rd in the Masters of Formula 3 at Zandvoort
2006: runner-up in the French Formula Renault (best rookie)
2005: French Formula Campus champion

Follow all the action from the test at Le Mans: 24 April
Live text: www.peugeot-sport.com
Live timing: www.lemans.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/peugeot.sport
Twitter: peugeotsport

Info: Peugeot Sport/Acreditated Media Press.

IRC - Rally Islas Canarias : Neuville, the top-roaring lion

This weekend’s Rally Islas Canarias, round two of the 2011 IRC, ended with Peugeot in second place in the Manufacturers’ standings. The feat of the weekend was the performance of Peugeot Belgium’s Thierry Neuville who finished on the podium after challenging for the win all the way, despite his limited experience.

A thrilling four-cornered scrap

The visit to the Canary Islands has accustomed us to extremely close gaps and exciting battles. This time round, Kopecky, Hanninen, Loix and Neuville rapidly emerged as the foursome to beat. Guy Wilks (Peugeot UK) profited from the first loop to claim two fastest times but was then unable to match the pace of the leaders. Crews had to cope with fog, the occasional patches of damp and the cancellation of Day 1’s final stage because of excessive spectator numbers, but Thierry Neuville never left his rivals a moment to relax. The Belgian youngster and his co-driver Gilsoul even figured at the top of the overall order after the second leg’s opening stage before a mistake on the following test handed control to the eventual winner, Hanninen, who succeeded in getting the better of Kopecki.

A competitive display from the Peugeot 207 Super 2000

“We always knew it was going to be a close-run thing here in the Canary Islands and that the fight for victory would probably be tough,” said Frédéric Bertrand, the Customer Competition manager of Peugeot Sport. “And that’s exactly how it turned out. The main lesson for us this weekend was that the Peugeot 207 S2000 is perfectly competitive. Neuville and Wilks did everything they could to prove that on both days. Having a good ‘feeling’ with the car on this sort of terrain is very important. That was less the case for Bryan Bouffier and Bruno Magalhaès.” The two-day rally ended with Neuville as the best-placed Peugeot runner, a mere 8.2 seconds behind the winner. “I don’t think we can talk about Thierry as a revelation; this event has simply confirmed his talent,” continues Frédéric Bertrand. “We have always been aware of his potential, but he seems to have progressed in his grasp of the niceties of driving a four-wheel drive car. He produced a fine performance which makes up for his error on the Rallye Monte-Carlo in January.”

Thierry Neuville: briefly on top

“The balance of my Peugeot 207 S2000 was perfect,” reports Thierry. “I was wide awake when the rally resumed on Saturday and I was able to up my pace, and that enabled me to take the lead. Unfortunately, I asked a little too much of my tyres which weren’t as quick on the following stage. I tried to make up for that by pushing harder, but that only caused my tyres to suffer more. I ended up dropping valuable seconds with a half-spin.”

After the incident, Thierry chose not to take any excessive risks, but still kept up the speed in order to defend his footing on the podium, despite pressure from his compatriot Freddy Loix. Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh finished in fifth place after spending much of the event on the pace of the front-runners. “I lost my chance on day 1, on the same stage which we did twice,” said the Peugeot UK driver. “It featured two portions that were very fast with a sequence of flat-in-sixth corners. Everywhere else, my 207 performed perfectly but it tended to move about a bit through the very fast sections. It’s my fault. I didn’t opt for the wider tracks which would have helped make the car more stable. It was my call, and it’s a shame.”

Bryan Bouffier, second in the Drivers’ standings before Corsica

Bouffier/Pansery led the Drivers’ standings before the trip to Spain and finished the event in seventh spot. “I felt quite tense,” admits the Peugeot France driver. “It just wasn’t a good event for me. I tried different settings but that didn’t change anything. It’ll get better, though!” The winner of January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo is still second and the best-placed Peugeot runner in the Drivers’ championship, however, just two points behind the new leader, Finland’s Juho Hänninen. Bruno Magalhaès (Paolo Grave), too, believes he could have done better. “You only have to look at my times to see that I wasn’t on form. On the last day, I had nobody I could really target in front of me, and nobody on my tail, so I focused on reaching the finish.”

Next IRC round: Tour de Corse (May 12-14).

Classification

Rally Islas Canarias

1. Hanninen (Skoda) 1h40mn38s1

2. Kopecky (Skoda) +1s5

3. Neuville (PEUGEOT) +8s2

4. Loix (Skoda) +16s7

5.Wilks (PEUGEOT)+48s3

6.Mikkelsen (Skoda)+55s6

7.Bouffier (PEUGEOT) 1mn00s6

8.Maglhaes (PEUGEOT) +1mn49s8

9. Basso (Proton) +2mn37s8

10.Gardemeister (Skoda) + 2mn38s2

Drivers championship standings

1. Hänninen, 33 points
2. Bouffier, 31
3. Loix, 30
4. Wilks, 25
5. Kopecky, 22
6. Neuville, 15
7. Sarazin, 12
8. Delecour, 10
9. Mikkelsen, 8
10. Vouilloz, 6
11. Basso, 4
12. Magalhaes, 4
13. Gardemeister, 2

Manufacturers championship standings

1. Skoda, 73 points

2. Peugeot, 67

3. Subaru, 18

4. Proton, 16

5.M-Sport (Ford), 12

6. Honda, 9

7. Ralliart, 6

8. Abarth, 1

Peugeot Sport.

Test Day (24 April 2011) : Three Peugeot 908s at Le Mans

Three Peugeot 908s are set to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit for the first time as part of the day of testing scheduled on 24 April. Back on the race calendar after a two-year absence, this day of testing will provide Team Peugeot Total with the change to run a specific test programme on this unique racetrack.

The one and only Le Mans racetrack

This Sunday, 24 April 2011, will see the new Peugeot 908 take on the 13.629-kilometre long track, featuring some of motorsport’s legendary stretches of track – Tertre Rouge, the Mulsane Straight, the Mulsane Corner, Indianapolis or Arnage, to mention just a few – and which form part of Peugeot’s rich sporting history. The three Peugeot 908s’ nine drivers have a busy schedule ahead of them. Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené, Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin, Sébastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Simon Pagenaud will take it in turns to drive the three cars during the day of testing.

The information gathered during the various test sessions and at the 12 Hours of Sebring will therefore be compared with the constraints of the 24 Hours of Le Mans track. “We have been driving on tracks that mimic certain aspects of what we will find at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but there is no real equivalent to the Le Mans circuit”, says Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director. “Being able to take part in this test day is essential when we are entering a brand new car, as is the case this year. The disassembly of the Peugeot 908 after Sebring was enlightening. Since then we have pursued our programme by taking part in a series of test sessions in Monza, Le Castellet and Aragón. For the test session on 24 April, the programmes of the three cars will focus on three key areas: tyres, aerodynamics and mechanical set-up.”

The 24 Hours of Le Mans: the number one priority for 2011

Team Peugeot Total has opted to run three Peugeot 908s on 24 April. “When the Peugeot 908 HYbrid4 was presented at this year’s Geneva Motor Show”, continues Bruno Famin, “We stated that our ambitious goal was to run the car at the test session. When it came to making a decision, we considered that the car wasn't sufficiently mature to run it in satisfactory conditions in terms of reliability. In order to prepare as effectively as possible for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, all the energies of the Team Peugeot Total shall therefore be focussed on the three conventionally-powered 908s”.

“We are enthusiastic about this innovative technology – one in which Peugeot is a leader – and which represents an important step forward in terms of improving car efficiency”, concludes Olivier Quesnel, Peugeot Sport Director. “The project continues to make progress. Our number one priority this season is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We need to focus all our energies on winning this race with our brand new Peugeot 908. We have got a day’s testing on this track to gather as much information as possible. Every kilometre completed by our drivers will be useful in ensuring we come back for the race in June as well prepared as we can be.”

A group photo session is scheduled for Saturday 23 April, starting at 2pm in the pit lane, with the entire Team Peugeot Total, the three Peugeot 908s and the nine drivers. Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené, Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin, Sébastien Bourdais, Simon Pagenaud and Pedro Lamy, as well as Olivier Quesnel and Bruno Famin will then be answering questions from the des media from 4.30pm in the Peugeot motorhome. On Sunday, 24 April, eight hours of testing are scheduled, from 9am to 1pm, and then from 2pm to 6pm.

Practical information
Peugeot 908 No.7: blue rear-view mirrors
Peugeot 908 No.8: white rear-view mirrors
Peugeot 908 No.9: red rear-view mirrors

Saturday 23 April 2011
2pm – 4pm: Photo session
4.30pm – 5.30pm: Interviews

Sunday 24 April 2011
9am – 1pm: Free practice
2pm – 6pm: Free practice

Follow all the action from the test:
www.peugeot-sport.com
Peugeot Sport iPhone app
Live timing: www.lemans.org

Peugeot Sport.

Peugeot and the Tour de Corse (May, 11-14)

Peugeot has decided to join forces with the Tour de Corse to mark the event's return to a major international championship. In addition to official backing from Peugeot France and the presence of French rallying's most popular single-make series (Volant 207), a high number of 207 Super 2000 runners will be looking to provide Peugeot with a fifth outright win on the Mediterranean island.

Objective: a fifth win for Peugeot in Corsica

The Tour de Corse will be the third round of the IRC's 2011 calendar after January's visit to Monte Carlo and the forthcoming Rally Islas Canarias (April 15-16). Bryan Bouffier/Xavier Panseri will start the Spanish event as the provisional championship leaders and will endeavour to repeat their success earlier in the year in Monaco. The Frenchmen enjoy support from Peugeot France and its dealership network and are scheduled to contest the entire series (NB: the organisation of the two Portuguese rounds has yet to be confirmed) in their bid to secure the 2011 title.

The Tour de Corse rookies will then try to win on home soil against 10 or so other 207 Super 2000 runners, including those entered by Peugeot Belgium (for Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul), Peugeot UK (Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh) and Peugeot Portugal (Bruno Magalhaes/Paulo Grave). Peugeot itself will be hunting a fifth win on the Mediterranean island after its previous victories notched up by Bruno Saby (1986/205 Turbo 16 Evo2), Gilles Panizzi (2000 and 2002/206 WRC) and, more recently, within the framework of the 2009 Coupe de France des Rallyes, Pascal Trojani (307 WRC).

Volant Peugeot 207

In the course of its 30-year existence, Peugeot's celebrated single-make formula has produced a long list of top French drivers, including Gilles Panizzi, Sébastien Ogier and Bryan Bouffier. The series provides youngsters with a valuable chance to make their debut, learn the ropes or simply indulge in their passion in a competition which sets significant store on ensuring a level sporting and technical playing field. The Tour de Corse with be the second of this year's eight Volant 207 clashes, and the first on asphalt. More than 20 crews are expected to enter a 200hp 207 RC Rallye which is equipped with a six-speed gearbox.

Frédéric BERTRAND (Customer Competition Programme Manager, Peugeot Sport): "The Volant 207 is the only single-make series in rallying that can truly boost a driver's career. When putting together the calendar, I wanted to broaden the opportunities it offered to provide the best grooming possible. This included incorporating more asphalt events, while also giving competitors a real chance to develop their gravel skills. We are the only brand to propose this sort of mixed-surface format which seeks to serve as a springboard for new talent. The Volant 207 is also one of the sport's more affordable competitions, including event-by-event finish-money, plus an exciting endof-year top prize in the form of a factory programme. It is a highly attractive package which guarantees a level sporting and technical playing field, and we expect almost 35 competitors will register this season."

An official partnership with Peugeot France and the attendance of Miss France
France's round of the IRC calendar will benefit from an association with Peugeot France and its dealership network. Running ahead of the field will be several RCZs, one of which will carry the 2011 Miss France, Laury Thilleman, as passenger.

Peugeout Sport/Acreditated and Autorized Press Media.