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At the Geneva Motor Show last March, Peugeot unveiled a new version of its 908 LMP1-class endurance racer called Hybrid4 and as its name suggests, it uses a hybrid powertrain. Peugeot did not enter its new diesel-electric endurance racer in the last 24 Hours of Le Mans, nor in any other event so far for that matter, relying instead on the current 908HDi diesel. The reason is that the brand-new model was still at the early stages of development and is scheduled to compete in 2012.
Its shakedown test took place only a month ago on September 16 and kept a secret. Now, Peugeot decided to test the 908 Hybrid4 out in the open at the Estoril track in Portugal. The French firm's drivers Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Minassian and Stephan Sarazin completed more than 300 km (186.5 miles) with a glitch.
Peugeot Sport’s technical director, Bruno Famin, admitted though that the distance wasn’t comparable to a real endurance race: “Our aim wasn’t to put a lot of kilometers on the clock, but to verify that all the chief functions performed. It was important to analyze the data of each run to be sure we understood the results before moving on to the next step.”
After Formula 1, endurance racing is next in line to adopt hybrid technology as Toyota recently announced its own hybrid-propelled LMP1 Le Mans racer. Moreover, Porsche has been racing a hybrid 911 GT3 R for two years already.
