The FIA World Endurance Championship is heading to Belgium, and for teams with their sights set on the ultimate prize, the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the upcoming 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is more than just another race. It’s the crucial final dress rehearsal, the last chance to fine-tune man and machine before the legendary endurance classic. Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is one such outfit, looking to put its Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar through its paces on the demanding Spa circuit.
Known as the “Ardennes Rollercoaster,” Spa-Francorchamps is a formidable challenge in its own right (and one of my favourites when Sim racing). With its dramatic elevation changes, high-speed sweeping corners like Eau Rouge and Raidillon, and long straights, it’s a circuit that drivers relish and engineers respect. Adding another layer to this year’s event, the track was resurfaced after the 2024 WEC race, making it, according to Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie, “significantly faster.” This makes recent track time invaluable.
To that end, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies isn’t coming in cold. They completed a focused and productive test session at the 7 km Spa circuit in early April. Unlike the run-up to the previous round at Imola, the team enjoyed good weather conditions, allowing them to complete their entire testing program. “It was a very interesting day,” Jansonnie noted, expressing that the team feels well-prepared for the Spa race, weather permitting. This meticulous preparation is vital as they aim to build on progress seen in their race pace at Imola. Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport, acknowledges that while luck wasn’t entirely with them at Imola, the team wants to “keep moving in that direction.” He also highlighted Spa’s layout as closely mirroring that of Le Mans, making it “the ultimate preparation.”
The driver lineup for the two Peugeot 9X8s remains potent. The #93 machine will see Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, and Jean-Eric Vergne at the helm. In the sister #94 car, Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen will be joined by Stoffel Vandoorne, who is particularly looking forward to this event. “Finally, a home WEC race for me!” said Vandoorne. “Spa is of course one of my favorite tracks… It’s also the final race before Le Mans, so it’s a hugely important step for all teams.” Teammate Malthe Jakobsen echoed this sentiment: “Spa is our last preparation race. I hope we’ll have a good weekend, trouble-free and with a competitive car ahead of the biggest race of the season. We had a great test at Spa a few weeks ago, so I’m feeling confident.” I can only imagine what it must be to have Spa as your local track.
The Peugeot 9X8, with its distinctive design, has been a notable presence in the Hypercar class. As the team gathers more data and mileage, optimising its performance for the unique demands of tracks like Spa and Le Mans is paramount. Success at Spa wouldn’t just mean valuable championship points; it would provide a significant psychological boost and crucial confirmation of their setup ahead of the twice-around-the-clock enduro in June.
As the WEC circus descends on Spa for the race on Saturday, May 10th, all eyes will be on teams like Peugeot. They’ll be looking for a clean run, competitive pace, and to iron out any remaining kinks. The lessons learned on the Ardennes Rollercoaster will be directly applied to the pursuit of glory on the Mulsanne Straight.
