High performance transmissions designed and developed by Ricardo helped to power two Peugeot cars to a memorable win and second place in the Le Mans 24 Hours race held last weekend.
This was Team Peugeot Total’s first victory at Le Mans with the diesel-powered 908 HDi FAP, which first contested this classic endurance race two years ago, taking second place. For Peugeot as a team, this is their third win in the 24 Hours, following earlier triumphs in 1992 and 1993. This time around, the Peugeot team held on to first and second places throughout the gruelling race, with top spot eventually being claimed by the number 9 car, driven by the international team of Marc Gené from Spain, Alexander Wurz from Austria, and David Brabham from Australia.
The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP has a bespoke gearbox designed by Ricardo, in close collaboration with Peugeot engineers, to match the needs of the car’s V12 diesel engine, which produces immense torque and power. Thus the transmission has been developed to be a world leader in weight and torque, as well as in reliability: Bruno Famin, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport, identified the absence of technical problems as being key to the Peugeot team’s double success at the weekend. Ricardo was well qualified to design and develop such an advanced and dependable transmission, having been responsible for the gearboxes that have taken Audi to five Le Mans 24 hours wins in the last decade.
Mark Barge, Ricardo’s director of high performance transmission systems said: “We warmly congratulate Team Peugeot Total on their outstanding double success at the Le Mans 24 hours race, and look forward to further successful racing collaborations in the future.”
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