Following its unveiling at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March, the Peugeot 908 HYbrid 4 underwent its first track test at Estoril on October 11.

A positive maiden test
One month after its convincing shakedown run at a private PSA Peugeot Citroën venue on September 16, the 908 HYbrid4 underwent its first genuine track test at Estoril, Portugal, in October. The car completed a little more than 300km in the hands of Nicolas Minassian, Stéphane Sarrazin and Alexander Wurz. ”Our aim wasn’t to put a lot of kilometres on the clock, but to verify that all the chief functions performed,” reports Peugeot Sport’s Technical Director Bruno Famin. ”It was important to analyse the data of each run to be sure we understood the results before moving on to the next step. The system functioned well and responded as predicted, which was very satisfying. At the same time, we started to make a few adjustments to the car’s basic set-up. It worked well, so that’s very positive.”

What the drivers said…
Nicolas Minassian: “I had the good fortune to drive the original demonstration hybrid car in 2008 and I am proud to have been the first
person to drive the 908 HYbrid4. It’s extremely interesting to work on a project of this scale which no doubt paves the way for the future of motor racing. As a driver, it’s very rewarding to be in a position where you can learn and play a part in the development of new technologies.”
Stéphane Sarrazin: “We were able to work through the complete test
programme, so that was fantastic. It was interesting to work with the
engineers to identify the ideal compromises and, of course, get acquainted with the system, since the project is only in its early days.
You can feel the extra power and it will be up to us to harness or adapt it
in the most competitive way possible. We will need to strike the right balance. We’re looking at a lot of things and exploring several avenues.”