[WEC] Peugeot exits Le Mans racing

[JAG]

The situation is different when compatriot Henri Pescarolo. "For me it's still not sure. I still negotiating with sponsors," the Le Mans legend on demand.

"I know that now remain only two weeks left to the citation," added the Frenchman, "but I want to get the best. My dream would be to let go of two brand new LMP1 cars in the entire World Cup. This is an option from the show but in the coming days, must how realistic it is. Such contacts are there. " What he LMP1 cars would use the most, Pescarolo was still a secret.

http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...26prmd%3Dimvns

[gustavobamba]

Well, if a team like Pescarolo could could find financial partner´s, Peugeot could run in 2012 Le Mans.

I think that are several team interested in running a Peugeot, but they need to have soem money to do it.

I´m SAD

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by gustavobamba

Well, if a team like Pescarolo could could find finatial partner´s, Peugeot could run in 2012 Le Mans.

I think that are several team interested in running a Peugeot, but they need to have soem money to do it.

I´m SAD

Time and Money... it is very late in the game to try and put together such a program.

[lms]

I hope they will be back in 2014

[kurski]

Peugeot's withdrawal from the off, it is really a bad thing.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by CTD

There is just so many things NOT making ANY sense.

Why appoint Oliver Quesnel head of a team which get's the axe!?
- He's out of a job!

I'm not sure why this doesn't make sense. Business runs status quo, until things change. They hire, they fire, they test... as if things were going to run forever. That is what business does. Boards of directors do not put things on hold, if they are thinking about something, until a decision is made. Things continue, as is, until a decision is made, and then it either continues, or is cut. It makes perfect sense.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

This isn't an emotional decision, it is a business decision... and one that has been kind of expected.

With a heap of luck, perhaps a privateer will step in, but it is incredibly late in the game to hope for such a thing.

I am not sure you can run a Peugeot 908 so easily... If I was a privateer I would choose a customer-bound car like Oreca, Lola or Zytek, with adequate technical support. Pulling the plug on the programme will mean no further spares will be made for Peugeot. When Porsche retired the works Penske LMP2´s they still made them available to privateers, mainly because they had clients and there was an endurance racing programme active for 911´s, so with this department just producing spares they still had a competitive car running out there and winning-racing for Porsche. Peugeot seems to pull the plug completely, so it won´t support (hope not, but...) anyone..., well that´s what i think...

[R4z3rw33n]

Originally Posted by Javi

I am not sure you can run a Peugeot 908 so easily... If I was a privateer I would choose a customer-bound car like Oreca, Lola or Zytek, with adequate technical support. Pulling the plug on the programme will mean no further spares will be made for Peugeot. When Porsche retired the works Penske LMP2´s they still made them available to privateers, mainly because they had clients and there was an endurance racing programme active for 911´s, so with this department just producing spares they still had a competitive car running out there and winning-racing for Porsche. Peugeot seems to pull the plug completely, so it won´t support (hope not, but...) anyone..., well that´s what i think...

RLM is reporting that Quesnel was given a budget ultimatum:

Originally Posted by @Specutainment

As we have been reporting the choice given to Quisnel was budget for this year OR for 2014 development NOT both. Strakka Wec champs?

Source: https://twitter.com/#!/specutainment...66854003081216

Which leaves them in an odd situation as far as staff retention issues/brain-drain is concerned.

EDIT: Beaten three times...

[Speed-King]

Strakka Wec champs?

Does that imply that Audi might not do a full season either?!

[CTD]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Does that imply that Audi might not do a full season either?!

Or just that the thought was absurd 2 hours ago, and now it's them and Audi who will fight for the win.

[ronnie peterson]

Hindy just tweeted:

"As we have been reporting the choice given to Quisnel was budget for this year OR for 2014 development NOT both. Strakka Wec champs?"

https://twitter.com/#!/specutainment

[CTD]

Only hope i see is that Peugeot returns in 2014!

[Victor_RO]

https://twitter.com/#!/specutainment...66854003081216

As we have been reporting the choice given to Quisnel was budget for this year OR for 2014 development NOT both. Strakka Wec champs?

I hope this means that there's still hope to see them back in 2014.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by CTD

There is just so many things NOT making ANY sense.

Why appoint Oliver Quesnel head of a team which get's the axe!?
- He's out of a job!

Citroen pulled out of the WRC a few years back to develop the C4, handing the Xsara's to a privateer, before returning.

Peugeot Sport as an organisation is an integral part of Peugeot, maybe the thinking is it's better to further develop the Hybrid and a new chassis for 2014, rather than dump a lot of money into a soon to be obsolete car, Hybrid's are only going to increase in importance in Peugeot's road car range.

Now this is out I guess it won't be long before we hear more about the immediate future of the 908's and Peugeot's longer-term plans.

[deggis]

Originally Posted by JAG

Citroen pulled out of the WRC a few years back to develop the C4, handing the Xsara's to a privateer, before returning.

(This happened in 2006.) I was thinking about this too, but I'm not sure that the Kronos team that replaced the official team (at least nominally) was really that much of a privateer... at least they retained of a lot of the same personnel and of course the driver(s). As far as I remember there was sort of a feeling that Citroen never really quit and obviously that became clear when they still won the championship. So, in this sense, especially if no privateet Pugs, this will be a different situation.

This was the livery in 2006, imho not that private-ish:

[JAG]

Peugeot Sport are still around and staff will be moved around the organisation, Autosport say the option has been left open to return in 2013 if there's a budget, but I guess a more realistic time-frame is 2014.

[Tom908V12]

I'm GUTTED, GUTTED, GUTTED, it's absolutely WHATEVER this decision from Philippe Varin in the last moment(everyone at Peugeot-Sport wasstill preparing 2012 today) !!!!

[Plex]

Maybe they will return with something completely looking different....

[Acid09]

The 2014 bit is interesting. That was one of my main points for them not to pull out, because 2014 is the year to cash in on sports car racing's popularity.... I guess Quesnel has understood that.

If they really do built a car for 2014 they'll start preparations sometime in early 2013 I guess... so there isn't too much down-time involved.

Let's hope this is true... or it's a way to sweeten the exit for the employees and in 2013 when it comes to building a new car nobody will remember that promise...

[Speed-King]

If they really do built a car for 2014 they'll start preparations sometime in early 2013 I guess... so there isn't too much down-time involved.

I supposse this could actually serve as a justification for keeping intact the infrastructure for privateer support for 2012/13.

Maybe not all hope is lost. And as JAG said they did something similar in WRC a couple of years ago when switching from the Xsara to the C4.

[pach233]

Sad, the WEC must be reeling right now. This is a huge blow to everyone in the sport. Hopefully they'll be back in 2014. I've gotten used to Peugeot being around. Sebring and LeMans won't be the same without them this year.

[Simmi]

@Audi__Sport Audi Sport
Audi Sport is very sad to lose a great competitor in LMP1. We'll always remember the fierce battles we had with Peugeot. Bye-bye!

Bye-bye.

[alexkiller8]

about audi, they for sure will run in the 2012 and surely also in 2013 WEC, but if they knew that peugeot partecipation was seriously in danger, they won't spent a lot of money with the 2012 updated r18 (i mean machine-aero update not hybrid engine) and dind't hire treluyer and lotterer. Withot peugeot, to take a third car to LM has not much sense anymore with no challengers, will be just a waste of money for just an internal audi battle. The consequences of peugeot leaving will be heavy for ACO too because peugeot was one of the main promoter for the WEC, LM race and outside europe races of WEC, is really easy to imagine that the 2013 WEC champ will have less "exotic" races and for sure less races at all.

[rdjones]

I didn't see this one coming, in fact I don't think anyone did. I am really shocked at this news. I guess tonight's Midweek Motorsport on RLM might be an interesting listing.

[CTD]

The absolute BEST that could come from this is that Peugeot outsource their drivers/technicians/engineers to Pescarolo who then will run a de-facto Peugeot team until 2014.
This way we will still see a top performing Peugeot against Audi and Toyota.

However, this is not likely to be the case.