Peugeot forgoes 24h Le Mans in favour of developing its hypercar: Is the way clear for another joint start for Jan and Kevin Magnussen?
Another joint start for Jan and Kevin Magnussen at this year’s 24h Le Mans is moving into the realm of possibility. Father Jan, who celebrated four class wins at the Sarthe, two class victories at the 12h Sebring and one at the 24h Daytona in the service of Corvette, would certainly be delighted about this.
“I really hope to return to Le Mans because I love the race so much” but I have mixed feelings because I would love to see him race for the overall win in the Peugeot.”
However, Peugeot has opted not to enter the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC with its hypercar until after Le Mans. As Kevin Magnussen is part of the lion brand’s seven-strong driver squad, he will be available at the season highlight.
The French have given a date “in the summer” for the debut of the 9X8. That would argue for the 6h Monza on 10 July, which would also make sense for logistical reasons. Another race in the calendar summer would be the 6h Fuji on 11 September. Earlier, WEC boss Frederic Lequien put pressure on Peugeot.
If they wanted to take part in Le Mans, the team would have to decide whether to start at Sebring or Spa, Lequien demanded. The lion brand, however, is taking all the time in the world for development and is not rushing anything. A wise decision, given that the hypercars are homologated until the end of 2025.
Last year, the Danish father-son team piloted High Class Racing’s Oreca 49 in the LMP2 category together with team boss Anders Fjordbach. A puncture after contact with an opponent and the resulting long repair break ensured that the Magnussens were classified second to last in their class.
