Peugeot to start the defence of its 2007 LMS title in Barcelona

The 2008 Le Mans Series will be contested over five rounds, the first of which will take the teams to the Circuit of Catalunya, near Barcelona, Spain, this weekend.

As the 2007 Le Mans Series title holder, Peugeot will again contest the series with two 908 HDi FAPs with the same driver teams as last year. The team, however, will be looking to defend its crown while still staying focused on its priority objective for 2008: the Le Mans 24 Hours.

All Peugeot Sport's resources and energy have been focused on this goal and the team's 2008 programme kicked off with a full-scale dress rehearsal in the United States with the entry of a single 908 HDi FAP for Pedro Lamy, Nicolas Minassian and Stéphane Sarrazin in the 12 Hours of Sebring. The American race ended with the trio taking 11th place at the flag, but more importantly enabled the team to assess its competitiveness in a race situation on this unique, one-off circuit. It allowed the team to collect data which simply would not have been possible to collect in a normal private test session. "Our visit to Sebring was globally very positive," confirms Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge. "Stéphane posted the fastest lap in the shortened and ultimately cancelled qualifying session, Nicolas got off to a great start and was first through the opening corner, while Pedro recorded the fastest race lap. We were always amongst the fastest cars throughout the race which shows that the 908 HDi FAP certainly has the pace. Sebring also served as an excellent first outing this year for everyone in the squad. Between now and Le Mans, we will use the Le Mans Series races to validate further modifications to the car and improve reliability, an area in which we still have plenty of work."

The first three races of the Le Mans Series take place in the space of just two months prior to the Le Mans 24 Hours. They will, therefore, serve as validation tests for new parts to be fitted to the 908, in preparation for the French endurance classic. It is a tight schedule and will, therefore, require a lot of complicated logistics for both the team personnel and the cars.

Meanwhile, everybody at Peugeot Sport is intent on defending the team's 2007 Le Mans Series title, and the same driver line-up that performed so well last year has been kept on. Marc Gene, who will be on home ground in Spain, will share the wheel of the predominantly red N°7 908 HDI FAP with Nicolas Minassian, while the blue N°8 car will be in the hands of 2007 champions Pedro Lamy and Stéphane Sarrazin. Last year both crews claimed the same number of race wins, namely three apiece.

Portugal's Pedro Lamy is feeling very optimistic going into the first round: "The car is quick and although we encountered a problem with reliability at Sebring, I have total confidence in the work of Peugeot Sport and in the improvements to come. We tested at Barcelona at the beginning of the year and I believe we should be competitive."

Local driver Spaniard Marc Gene is looking forward to the race: "Barcelona is a very special venue for me. It's the start of the championship and also home soil! I have tested a great deal at this track but my last race there dates back to my Formula 1 days in 2000 with Minardi. Barcelona is by far my favourite circuit, although the new portion doesn't call for so much driving skill. I made my Formula 1 debut at the Circuit de Catalunya in 1999, as well as my first tests with Ferrari, and I have to say that I'm really looking forward to racing there with Nicolas in the 908 HDi FAP. I hope there will be a big crowd because endurance cars are spectacular, fast and permit plenty of overtaking. They are by no means pale imitations of F1 cars. On the contrary! It will be very close."

The 50-strong field will start the 1,000km race on Sunday 6 April at 11.35 am local time.