An Audi driver from 2012 until the manufacturer's withdrawal from competiton in 2016, Loïc Duval has now joined Peugeot as a factory driver and is looking forward to taking care of unfinished business with the French marque after a fifth place finish at the 2011 24 Hours driving a 908 HDi FAP (fielded by ORECA and shared with Nicolas Lapierre and Olivier Panis). Loïc Duval: "I was extremely close to signing with the factory team in 2012. To be given the opportunity to return to Le Mans this way is fantastic. Peugeot is also the constructor with whom I won my first significant international endurance race at Sebring in 2011. I'm back now as a French driver representing a French manufacturer, and have a little history with people already present at the time of the 908 programme. I wouldn't go back on my decision for anything in the world."

Duval and Peugeot are pioneers of the new top Hypercar class. "Peugeot definitely focused on aesthetics as it set out to comply with the Hypercar regulations. Personally, I find the 9X8 magnificent and a perfect representation of what one would imagine a Hypercar to be. It's all very rewarding because it feels like a constructor's project and not that of a sporting department. A Hypercar really allows a manufacturer to develop its technique, its look and its know-how."

Peugeot has chosen drivers from every level of the endurance racing pyramid, including the European Le Mans Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the American Le Mans Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. And, the group boasts a total of 28 participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "Yes, each of us has followed a different path, but we have all competed in endurance at some point and share a true understanding of the discipline's culture. Jean-Eric (Vergne, Ed.), even though it has never been his main programme, has raced in endurance quite a lot and has also done the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Paul (di Resta, Ed.) has done numerous endurance races these last few years with United Autosports. Mikkel (Jensen, Ed.) and Gustavo (Menezes, Ed.) have also been in endurance for quite some time now, and James (Rossiter, Ed.) competed in the discipline in the U.S. Some have raced single-seaters and done Formula 1. I've done a lot of Sport-Protos and raced in Japan. Everyone has their own strengths which allows us a full range and complete openness relative to everyone's thoughts on the car in order to work on different aspects of its development."

For the Peugeot 9X8's first outing at the fourth round of the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship at Monza, the driver line-ups are as follows: Paul di Resta/Mikkel Jensen/Jean-Eric Vergne in the #93 and Loïc Duval/Gustavo Menezes/James Rossiter in the #94. "To take on a race after a relatively short developmental phase of about six or seven months is a real challenge, but it is always difficult to know what the ideal moment is to start a car in competition. We could have done a full year in development and tackled our first race next year, or we could have taken part in the 24 Hours this year. It is also important to go to Monza humble and focused on coming together as a team within the context of competition. This includes the mechanics, engineers and drivers because new things always come up during races that don't during private testing sessions necessarily. So I think our three-race schedule this year is smart for our transition into competition."  

PHOTOS (Copyright - Peugeot Sport): At top, the Peugeot 9X8 during its official debut. Above, Loïc Duval (third from the right) and teammates with the 9X8 (from left to right): Gustavo Menezes, James Rossiter, Paul di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne and Mikkel Jensen.