Peugeot commits to racing diesel hybrid at 2011 Le Mans

April 30, 2009 – 9:55 am

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Peugeot 908 HY

French automaker Peugeot has been working hard over the last few years to develop both diesel and hybrid powertrains for use in Le Mans series racing. Peugeot is locked in a head-to-head battle with German rival Audi, which proved victorious in the latest round of battle during last weekend’s race at Sebring. It’s a long season, though, and all the teams have their eyes set on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is scheduled to take place on June 13-14, 2009.

As in Sebring, Peugeot will enter a couple of 908 HDI diesel racecars at Le Mans this year, but the team’s plans for 2010 are still undecided. Apparently, work on the 908 HY - the hybrid version of the diesel racer - has been dropped in favor of the next-gen 909 model, which will compete at Le Mans in 2011. As always, we’ll be watching with keen interest to see how the two company’s advanced racecars fare against one another.

Gallery: Geneva 2009: Peugeot 908 hy