Peugeot Sport conducted an extensive test programme of its Pikes Peak 208 T16 at Mont Ventoux; one of the most legendary stages of the famous Tour de France cycle race.
The barren mountain in the south of France provided a valuable foretaste of the conditions Sebastien Loeb and his Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak will face in Colorado, USA, on June 30.
True, the road, which climbs to the peak of Mont Ventoux at 1909 metres, does not reach the same sort of altitudes as Pikes Peak, but its characteristics make it an ideal venue for the continuing development and fine-tuning of the powerful 875hp turbocharged machine.
“It’s the same beast of a car,” Loeb said after his first run.
“Driving it on a real road is a very useful pointer because that is what awaits us at Pikes Peak. Its handling is extremely responsive but I’m still not quite able to place it as precisely as I would like. That’s something we will need to work on a little more…” Loeb explained.