Team Peugeot Hansen – the 2015 Teams’ champion thanks to a score of 11 podium finishes, including five victories – will be represented by two 540hp Peugeot 208 WRXs in the hands of last season’s runner-up Timmy Hansen and the squad’s new recruit Sébastien Loeb!
Peugeot Sport and Hansen Motorsport are also running two Peugeot 208 WRXs under the banner of the newly-formed Peugeot Hansen Academy which is competing in the colours of Red Bull and Total.
After notching up two victories for Team Peugeot Hansen in 2015, Davy Jeanney will contest all the European rounds of the 2016 World Rallycross Championship for the Peugeot Hansen Academy, with an option of two non-European appearances. His role will also be to coach the reigning RX Lites champion Kevin Hansen whose focus will be the European Rallycross Championship, plus selected WRX rounds. These two drivers will drive the 2015 of the car.
For its third season, the Peugeot 208 WRX has undergone further modifications. Those introduced in 2015 chiefly concerned the chassis, so the engineers have paid particular attention to the engine this time.
TEAM QUOTES:
Bruno Famin (Director, Peugeot Sport)
“We worked hard over the winter break to improve the car. This season, we hope we will continue to progress and defend our Teams’ crown, while also challenging for the Drivers’ crown, helped by our new WRX novice signing, Sébastien Loeb. Sébastien will need time to acclimatise to the world of rallycross. We know he’s a fast learner but we are also aware that the level of the sport is increasing year after year. It’s a discipline for specialists and everything will be new to Sébastien, whereas Timmy is last year’s vice-champion.
“Given Davy Jeanney’s outstanding run in 2015, it was important for us to capitalise on his experience and speed, and he will consequently continue to drive a 208 WRX with the Peugeot Hansen Academy.
“The arrival of big names like Sébastien Loeb and Ken Block is sure to expand the championship’s audience, so that’s good news. We just need to make sure that this growth doesn’t detract from the original spirit of rallycross which is a very open sport that is close to its fans. World RX has all the ingredients in place to keep growing.”
Kenneth Hansen (Team Principal)
“After two seasons working with Peugeot Sport, our association is really optimal and we feel confident going into 2016. We have improved our preparation thanks a programme of tests but there is still a lot of work to be done to be fully ready. We can hardly wait to get the 2016 season started. This year, we have two teams, although that was already the case with the Junior Team, so it’s not a major upheaval for us. I think our squad is perfectly capable of rising to the challenge. It certainly hasn’t changed our desire to win!”
Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208 WRX #9, Team Peugeot Hansen)
“I’m thrilled to be facing a new challenge. The car is a pleasure to drive. It is powerful and handles very nicely. Compared with a rally car, it has much more grunt and it responds a bit less progressively. You need a driving style that allows you to keep on top of it and that’s great fun! At the same time, I need to find out for myself about things like fighting door to door, race strategy, tyre management, joker laps, etc. I will need to learn quickly and, above all, sense things like when to make an attempt to overtake because you don’t get that many chances! I also hope I will be fast enough. For the moment, I have a good feeling but I know that there isn’t much opportunity to practice in order to get into the swing…” Podcast
Timmy Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #21, Team Peugeot Hansen)
“We were very strong during the second half of 2015 and I hope to continue on that momentum. I felt like I was at one with the car. For 2016, we have made some improvements to the programme and I’m really looking forward to competing again. The world championship is tremendous fun! Also, I will have a new team-mate in Sébastien Loeb. He’s one of the world’s greatest drivers, so it’s going to be interesting and I’m sure we will both be able to learn from each other to take the team even further forward…” Podcast
Davy Jeanney (Peugeot 208 WRX #17, Peugeot Hansen Academy)
“As usual, I will give it my very best shot. I will notably focus on the 10 rounds of the world championship when I will try to do better than I did last season at the same events. I will also try to give Kevin some useful tips. Whether I’m racing alongside Kevin or Timmy, it makes no difference to my approach. We will swap our impressions openly, right from the very first race in Portugal. Montalegre is a great setting and there is always a big, enthusiastic crowd. I was fifth there in 2013, then fourth in 2015, so I’m hoping for a top-three finish this time!” Podcast
Kevin Hansen (Peugeot 208 WRX #71, Peugeot Hansen Academy)
“It’s a really exciting opportunity for me to have joined the Peugeot Hansen Academy and to have Davy as coach. My aim is to focus on the European Rallycross Championship, the rounds of which all take place at the same time and at the same tracks as the world championship. To drive a Supercar is obviously very different to an RX Lites car, so I will try to familiarise myself as quickly as possible. After the event I did at the end of 2015 in Argentina, I hope it won’t be too long before I’m competitive. Last year, I was second in the RX Lites class at Montalegre and I can’t wait to race there again with a more competitive car.” Podcast
Montalegre, Portugal
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Length: 0.945km
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Asphalt: 60% / Dirt: 40%
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Jumps: none
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Lap record: 0m39.207s
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Top speed: 174kph
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Hardest braking point: Turn 1 (from 174 to 35kph in 95 metres)
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Turn 4 is important because it governs your speed through the next three corners
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Joker lap handicap: around 3 seconds
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Situated in the north of Portugal, near the Spanish border
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Altitude: 884m à can affect engine performance
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The dirt part is made up of a sandy mixture. The drivers tend to slide more and hit the kerbs quite hard.
TV COVERAGE
Broadcast in more than 120 countries across the world à http://www.fiaworldrallycross.com/article/tvlisting. The semi-finals and the final (from 2pm, April 17) will be screened live in France on L’Equipe 21, in Sweden on SVT and in Portugal on Sport TV.
ABOUT Rallycross
Rallycross events use mixed-surface dirt/asphalt circuits of about one kilometre in length and can feature one or more jumps. The drivers are knocked out as the weekend progresses and only the six fastest and bravest of them get to contest the final. à Discover the rules in a video
2016 CALENDAR * rounds counting towards the European Rallycross Championship
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April 16-17: Portugal (Montalegre)
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May 7-8: Germany(Hockenheim)
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May 14-15: Belgium (Mettet)*
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May 28-29: Great Britain (Lydden Hill)
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June 11-12: Norway (Hell)*
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July 2-3: Sweden (Holjes)*
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August 6-7: Canada (Trois-Rivières)
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September 3-4: France (Lohéac)
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September 17-18: Spain (Barcelona)*
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October 1-2: Latvia (Riga)*
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October 15-16: Germany (Estering)
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November 26-27: Argentina (Rosario)
MEDIA Information