SHERIDAN, WYOMING – June 08, 2026 – Peugeot's racing arm wrapped up a grueling six-hour shakedown at the Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday, putting both of its 9X8 hypercars through more than 2,000 kilometers ahead of the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. For motorsport fans, the timing carries extra weight: the French brand is marking a full century since its first appearance at the world's most famous endurance race, and the crowds let the team know it, lining the streets of Le Mans to cheer the cars during the traditional parade. The test session gave all six of the team's drivers track time, sorted out tyre choices, and let one rookie clear a required hurdle before the real running begins later this week.
A Century of History Meets a Modern Machine
There's something fitting about Peugeot celebrating 100 years at Le Mans with a car as unusual as the 9X8. The team was welcomed warmly during Friday's "Pesage," the administrative and technical checks that have become a fan event in their own right, then applauded again Saturday as the cars rolled through town. By Sunday, the mood shifted from celebration to work. The Test Day is where teams stop performing and start measuring.
What Actually Happened on Track
The six hours were split into two three-hour blocks, and the team used them to evaluate different tyre compounds, fine-tune set-ups, and rehearse the regulatory routines that decide races: Safety Car procedures, Slow Zones, and the rest. It also gave Nick Cassidy a chance to complete his ten mandatory rookie laps, a box that has to be ticked before any newcomer can race here.
In the morning, the #93 car shared by Di Resta, Vandoorne, and Cassidy ran 36 laps, covering roughly 490 kilometers. The sister #94, with Duval, Pourchaire, and Jakobsen aboard, managed 30 laps and 408 kilometers. Both cars dipped under the 3:30 lap mark, a reasonable early benchmark.
The afternoon brought more development work and faster times. Stoffel Vandoorne posted a 3:27.208 in the #93, while Loïc Duval answered with a 3:27.990 in the #94. The headline number, though, was the cumulative one: total mileage past 2,000 km, with no major issues to report.
The Drivers Weren't Sugarcoating It
Team Principal Emmanuel Esnault struck a measured note about where Peugeot stands. "The overall assessment of the day is rather positive. We completed our test programme, covered more than 2,000 km without any issues, and gathered a significant amount of useful data. In testing, it is always very difficult to gauge ourselves against the competition, but we can see it is extremely tight, even more so than last year. We will see whether today's order is confirmed in the coming days."
Paul Di Resta, in the #93, explained the team's priorities for the day.
"It was a very busy day and we managed to complete our full testing programme, which is positive. We prioritized mileage for Nick, who is discovering the event, to put him in the best possible conditions. We now have two days to analyze everything and optimize the cars for qualifying and the race."
Théo Pourchaire, sharing the #94, had a tougher time of it but came away encouraged.
"We ticked off quite a lot of boxes and didn't experience any major issues. I had a lot of traffic this afternoon, which made things quite tricky on track, but it was good race preparation! Overall, I'm satisfied I was able to build confidence and we did a solid job."
What's Next This Week
The Test Day is just the opening act. Official running starts Wednesday 10 June with Free Practice 1, Qualifying, and Free Practice 2. The Drivers' Parade follows on Friday, and the race itself goes green on Saturday 13 June at 16:00 local time. Twenty-four hours later, we'll know whether all that quiet data-gathering translated into pace when it counts.
Three Reasons This Test Day Matters
- It confirmed reliability early. More than 2,000 km without a significant problem is exactly what a team wants before a 24-hour race.
- It bedded in a rookie. Cassidy's mandatory laps are done, so the #93 crew can focus on race craft rather than paperwork.
- It set a baseline. Lap times in the low 3:27s give Peugeot something to push against during qualifying, even if the real picture is still hidden.
Whether Peugeot can convert a clean test into a podium remains the open question, and in a field this tight, nobody's making predictions. Follow the build-up to the race and the team's progress at Peugeot Sport.