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Six cars have been certified ready by PEUGEOT to feature in the TCR Europe event.
The 308 TCR, PEUGEOT SPORT’s main weapon when it comes to customer competition on circuits, was developed by the company’s engineers and revealed in January 2018 to meet the TCR regulations, taking its first successful steps in motorsport. The result was two wins and three podiums in WTCR with the DG Sport team and one win in TCR Europe with JSB Competition, helping to push the most developed circuit racing car in the PEUGEOT SPORT range, together with its customer competition drivers, towards the very top of touring cars.
Entered by privateer outfits, no fewer than six PEUGEOT 308 TCR cars will take the start of TCR Europe this season. These six cars will be run by Clairet Sport, JSB Competition and DG Sport. The first of seven rounds takes place this weekend in Hungary, on the legendary Hungaroring track near Budapest. Taking part in this first round will be drivers who have come up through the ranks of PEUGEOT SPORT’s promotional championships.
Six PEUGEOT 308TCR cars will contest TCR Europe and the first of seven rounds this season, starting this weekend at the famous Hungaroring in Hungary.
The TCR Europe series, the main European championship for touring cars, takes in some of the most prestigious tracks in Europe from April to October. All but one of the circuits are also used for Formula 1. TCR Europe has unveiled a full season entry list of 31 cars.
There will be three different teams and six drivers from PEUGEOT’s promotional championships, showcasing the most powerful PEUGEOT 308 developed by PEUGEOT SPORT’s engineers. Entered as privateers, Aurélien Comte (DG Sport), Teddy Clairet, Jimmy Clairet, Stéphane Ventaja (Team Clairet Sport) as well as Julien Briché and Lilou Wadoux (JSB Competition) will launch their European campaigns with the goal of accumulating maximum experience and putting in the best possible performance from the start.
Having come up through PEUGEOT SPORT’s promotional circuit racing championships, Teddy Clairet (2018 308 Racing Cup champion), Julien Briché (2017 308 Racing Cup champion, runner-up in 2018) and Aurélien Comte (2016 RCZ Cup champion and DG Sport in WTCR last year, with a pole position and race win to his name) will be among the drivers to watch at the start of the season. Teddy Clairet, making his debut in the TCR Series will drive his own PPEUGEOT 308TCR car as an official PEUGEOT SPORT factory driver after winning the 308 Racing Cup title last year.
Lilou Wadoux, aged 18, who was third in the 2018 208 Racing Cup will take on an array of experienced TCR Europe drivers. She makes her first appearance in a European championship, just like Jimmy Clairet (third in the 2018 308 Racing Cup) and Stéphane Ventaja (2018 308 Racing Cup gentleman driver champion).
The 308 Racing Cup will make two stops with the TCR Europe on the races of Hockenheim (Germany), May 24 and 26 and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) on June 08 and 09.
The chassis, engine, gearbox and aerodynamics of the ultimate Peugeot 308 have been specifically developed for the TCR regulations. The THP engine – a four-cylinder turbocharged unit – develops 350 horsepower and 420 Nm of torque from 3000 rpm. It’s also capable of running for 5000 kilometres: nearly double a WTCR season. The transmission uses a bespoke six-speed sequential paddle-shift gearbox (reinforced compared to the one seen in the Peugeot 308 Racing Cup). There’s a lot of adjustability in the set-up (ride height and camber, front and back) that allows the car to be tweaked to suit each circuit.
What they said…
Laurent Guyot – Peugeot Sport Customer Competition Manager
“Peugeot Sport confirmed in 2018 the performance of its customer competition department at international level thanks to wins and podiums from the Peugeot 308TCR in the World Touring Car Championship (FIA WTCR) and its European series. Our promotional series have always been designed to take young drivers towards the top of motorsport, with contained costs and cars that are fun as well as precise to drive. This ladder of talent forms part of Peugeot Sport’s DNA and allows up-and-coming talents to realistically progress their careers towards TCR Europe and the WTCR. That’s been the case once more this season, with six drivers taking part in TCR Europe, all of whom have come up through our own championships. By winning the 2018 308 Racing Cup, Teddy Clairet receives a ready-to-race Peugeot 308TCR. Teddy will be the representative of Peugeot Sport’s ‘academy’ for his very first European season. He’ll have plenty to learn: the car as well as the majority of the circuits. But given his past performances and talent, there’s no doubt he’ll learn quickly. He won’t be the only one, as Team Clairet Sport will enter two other 308TCR cars, driven by Teddy’s brother Jimmy as well as Stephane Ventaja. Team JSB Competition is also entering two 308TCR cars for Julien Briché and rising star Lilou Wadoux, who will benefit from all the experience of her team leader throughout the championship. Aurélien Comte will also return to TCR Europe: the driver who gave the 308TCR its first international win. This season is already set to be a thrilling one!”.
Teddy Clairet – Peugeot Sport factory driver – Team Clairet Sport
“I’m beginning this TCR Europe season with a lot of excitement but a few question marks at the same time. This championship is completely new for me as well as for Team Clairet Sport. I got to grips with the Peugeot 308 TCR recently. It’s a brand new car that’s a different concept from the 308 Racing Cup car. We’ve got plenty to learn about it. The circuits will be brand new for us too and the Balance of Performance is another factor that we’re going to have to learn to manage. Obviously I’m not going to set myself objectives that are too high. We’re going to Hungary in order to learn and get some experience together with my brother Jimmy. And we’re going to face the competition in exactly the same way. With two of us, we’ll make progress faster. We can count on each other and we both have the common goal of wanting to be as competitive as possible. As we’ve got the 308 Racing Cup on our programme as well, it’s going to be one weekend after another – but of course our commitment is 100%!”
Aurélien Comte – Team DG Sport
“It’s a real pleasure to link up with the DG Sport team and the 308TCR again. I’m really looking forward to this first race in Hungary, even though we have no proper idea of where we might end up. So it’s a bit of a leap into the unknown. The level is extremely high in TCR Europe and on paper there seem to be many drivers who can fight at the front; perhaps even more so than in other years. I’m missing a bit of seat time, but we’re just going to see where we are, keep up our guard, and adapt. We’ll have a better idea of how we are looking after FP2 in Hungary. I’m missing a few reference points but I’m obviously going to give the best of myself in order to try and score as many points as possible right from the beginning. I’m thinking of the title; that’s clearly my objective this season.”
PEUGEOT 308TCR DRIVERS IN TCR EUROPE
# 7 Aurélien Comte (FRA) – DG Sport Competition
# 24 Julien Briché (FRA) – JSB Competition
# 44 Lilou Wadoux (FRA) – JSB Competition
# 81 Stéphane Ventaja (FRA) – Team Clairet Sport
# 111 Teddy Clairet (FRA) – Team Clairet Sport
# 112 Jimmy Clairet (FRA) – Team Clairet Sport
