2023 Sportscar Discussion - WEC/ELMS/AsLMS

fede999 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:34 pm

That's awful, awful news. Just when it started to look like a great season! Quite a big blow for the newborn WEC to lose one of the two main contenders.

Let's hope Pescarolo closed an eleventh hour partnership deal. But it won't be the same as a works team.

hedgey666 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:11 pm

The WEC and LeMans are going to be Audi walkovers. That'll be a bit dull.

bigears · PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:10 pm

That's disappointing, I was looking forward to Le Mans in the next few years with Audi, Peugeot, Toyota and Porsche.

deggis · PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:11 pm

Quote:

@johndagys
I have it under good authority that Peugeot's effort to enter semi-works team is now dead as well. Everything apparently has been axed.

http://twitter.com/#!/johndagys/status/ ... 1793487872

At RLM MWM Graham Goodwin also thought so...

Gauthier · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:23 am

Most saddest news of the year.

And sorry, but Peugeot confirms they will NOT enter a car with privateer.

With that news, Audi is not interessed to make a jubilee. And seems the dirivers and staff of Peugeot, which make testing at Sebring learn the news by the press...

Peugeot loss every respect for me. they forced with Audi the FIA to create the WEC, they developped a Hybrid car, they voted the 2012 budget, they tested new drivers, just for THIS.

Peugeot.
NO MOTION, NO EMOTION.

I'm absolutely disgusted. I wanted to come at Le Mans this year, but with no. With all the respect i have for Audi, i will not paying for a Jubilee. I really think i will, for the first time, not watching Le Mans, on TV or on the Net. This decision maybe kill the WEC. and personally, my passion for endurance racing. or even my whole passion, with the brutality of the news. Too weight for me.

5 years for this. fucking disrespectful for all the motorsport fans to get out of this with very poor explications. Money or not, they're unexcusable.

I'm enraged and very sad today.

Ferrari · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:58 am

Well this isn't the first time the French have surrender to the Germans.

deggis · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 4:40 pm

Gauthier wrote:

Peugeot.
NO MOTION, NO EMOTION.

Peugeot, CORPORATION. Get real. If anything clearly the Peugoet Sport side of the corporation tried to save the program.

I guess you don't (want to) remember when Audi pulled out of ALMS. That was similar 100% corporate decision due to the economy.

Gauthier · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:15 pm

I remember this clearly, but they're make 3 races, not like Peugeot who got turning into a simple service for buyers of S2000.

deggis · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:43 pm

I don't think back then Audi was making similar losses than Peugeot is right now.

---

Sebring test garage

https://twitter.com/#!/sebringraceway/status/160012315125760000/photo/1

ptclaus98 · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:49 pm

Honestly I think people need to chill the fuck out. They could be back for 2014, with Porsche and god knows who else. If sportscar racing got through the early 00's, it's going to be fine now. There bis still strong involvement from manufacturers, and more coming down the pipeline.

Gabriel · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:12 pm

I have a headache now for reading Gauthier's post.

fede999 · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 6:29 pm

I think the worst thing about it was that this news came almost all of a sudden, when every sportscar fan already ahd his/her mind at Sebring (at least I did) and on a year-long Audi vs. Peugeot battle. Rumors had been floating around for a week, but not even my worst case scenario could have come close to this. I honestly thought about something like shafting the Hybrid program and/or running a reduced schedule, with at least Sebring or Spa and Le Mans (maybe with 2 cars only). And it's not just like some team retired from endurance racing, it's almost like McLaren quitting F1 one month before the first GP saying "we'll be back, maybe". It's quite obvious to be doubtful about a World championship if manufacturers which looked absolutely committed one month before pull out this easy.

deggis · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:13 pm

http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/t ... tid=139751

Quote:

Auto123.com Thursday talked to a veteran of the Peugeot Sport race team.

“No one saw that one coming. Not at all. Yesterday, we got a message to gather all together at 4 p.m. And we were told the bad news,” he said.

One hour later, the official press release was posted on the web.

“This decision is quite hard to understand. Just after Christmas we restarted the manufacturing of parts process and we had just received the 2012 tubs. The test team was down in Sebring, Florida to do some testing when they got the news. Now, they're getting prepared to fly back here in Velizy,” our man told us.

“This week, we were deciding if we were going to enter three or four 908s at Le Mans, and how many of these cars would be hybrids. The news was a shock – a major blow on our heads. We will offered redeployment solutions within the company and internal mobility, but the worst part is that we will lose more than one hundred of very qualified and highly skilled persons. The situation is really dramatic for our younger mechanics and technicians. We're going to lose everything. If Peugeot ever wants to go back racing, they will have to build everything from scratch,” he added.

Our man confirmed us that Peugeot does not want to see the 908s being entered and raced by privateers. “No. Peugeot does not want to see a single 908 leave the factory. One private team has already offered Peugeot to race our cars, but it got a definite no as an answer. It's all over. Period.” he said.

Caspar · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:41 pm

Shit. I was looking forward to Le Mans. Hopefully someone gives Audi a run for their money..

Cheeveer · PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 7:49 pm

deggis wrote:

http://www.auto123.com/en/racing-news/the-consequences-of-peugeots-withdrawal-from-endurance-racing?artid=139751

Quote:

Auto123.com Thursday talked to a veteran of the Peugeot Sport race team.

“No one saw that one coming. Not at all. Yesterday, we got a message to gather all together at 4 p.m. And we were told the bad news,” he said.

One hour later, the official press release was posted on the web.

“This decision is quite hard to understand. Just after Christmas we restarted the manufacturing of parts process and we had just received the 2012 tubs. The test team was down in Sebring, Florida to do some testing when they got the news. Now, they're getting prepared to fly back here in Velizy,” our man told us.

“This week, we were deciding if we were going to enter three or four 908s at Le Mans, and how many of these cars would be hybrids. The news was a shock – a major blow on our heads. We will offered redeployment solutions within the company and internal mobility, but the worst part is that we will lose more than one hundred of very qualified and highly skilled persons. The situation is really dramatic for our younger mechanics and technicians. We're going to lose everything. If Peugeot ever wants to go back racing, they will have to build everything from scratch,” he added.

Our man confirmed us that Peugeot does not want to see the 908s being entered and raced by privateers. “No. Peugeot does not want to see a single 908 leave the factory. One private team has already offered Peugeot to race our cars, but it got a definite no as an answer. It's all over. Period.” he said.

Keeping the cars at home for a 2013 effort?

ptclaus98 · PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:44 am

fede999 wrote:

I think the worst thing about it was that this news came almost all of a sudden, when every sportscar fan already ahd his/her mind at Sebring (at least I did) and on a year-long Audi vs. Peugeot battle. Rumors had been floating around for a week, but not even my worst case scenario could have come close to this. I honestly thought about something like shafting the Hybrid program and/or running a reduced schedule, with at least Sebring or Spa and Le Mans (maybe with 2 cars only). And it's not just like some team retired from endurance racing, it's almost like McLaren quitting F1 one month before the first GP saying "we'll be back, maybe". It's quite obvious to be doubtful about a World championship if manufacturers which looked absolutely committed one month before pull out this easy.

Except it really isn't like that. Sportscar racing is cyclical.

aerogi · PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:19 am

damn, that's very sad news. And a blow for French motorsport. I was looking forward that Peugeot would fight Audi.

On the other hand, they invested a whole lot of money, but the only race that mattered was a huge dissappointment last year.

racer69 · PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:52 am

A shame, but it'll be right.

Shane · PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 8:27 am

So did they pull a big white flag over the car as they transported it away while waving at Audi?

Not surprised really, well...except for how late in the game they waited before pulling the plug. They did not have the kinda success they where looking for against Audi and it's not like they have been selling the hell out of their cars either.

ellis · PostPosted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 8:39 am

Well they did win 14 out of the last 16 races or something. They just didn't win Le Mans for a couple of years. So really, it was brilliantly successful.

The only reason the announcement came now rather than later is it was the day when teams had to submit entries to WEC and Le Mans. Had Peugeot not been on those, and didn't make an announcement, you can be damned sure someone at the ACO would have leaked that and we'd have all known Peugeot was leaving before they announced. So I consider this announcement early, not late, because it would have been later if it wasn't for the entry submission deadline.

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2023 Sportscar Discussion - WEC/ELMS/AsLMS

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