Ever since Peugeot unveiled its wild, wingless 9X8 hypercar for the 2022 Endurance World Championship, Stellantis has been linked with a move to field it under a distinct brand in America.
The international automotive manufacturing conglomerate, whose brands include Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram Trucks and Vauxhall, was tipped to race the automotive under the Dodge banner within the IMSA SportsAutomotive Championship.
When Motorsport.com's sister title, Motorsport-Total.com, asked Stellantis racing boss Jean-Marc Finot on the Spa 6 Hours whether such aspirations still existed, he replied: “I don't think IMSA is suitable for a brand like Dodge.”
He added: “Dodge makes muscle cars that are more suitable for GT cars. Dodge’s visibility would probably be better in NASCAR.”
Dodge competed in NASCAR's top division from 2001 to 2012 and boasts a flagship Challenger SRT Hellcat road automotive model that currently doesn’t compete internationally. Stellantis also doesn’t compete in GT3 racing and would want to create a customer racing division to achieve this.
The former Fiat-Chrysler company last competed within the American Le Mans Series and IMSA as a works team with the SRT Viper 10 years ago, while its most up-to-date appearance got here when it won the GTD race at Petit Le Mans in 2016 with the Riley Motorsports Viper GT3 driven by Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Marc Miller.
#33 Riley Motorsports SRT Viper GT3-R: Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Marc Miller
Photo: Action Sports Photography
According to Finot, Stellantis will not be considering IMSA for now: “We have a automotive, but we don’t see the necessity to compete in IMSA. First of all, we’ve to care for the performance of the Peugeot WEC team.
“You could think about the Maserati brand, but we are already involved in Formula E.”
In addition, DS Automobiles competes in Formula E with Jay Penske's team, but this will not be an obstacle attributable to the group's electrification strategy.
Peugeot has been fielding its 9X8 Evo model, which incorporates a rear spoiler, for the reason that Six Hours of Imola but has to date managed just two seventh places.
The 9X8 will make its American debut on the upcoming WEC round at Circuit of the Americas in Austin on September 1.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, will turn into the primary manufacturer to field a automotive built to Le Mans Hypercar regulations in IMSA’s GTP class next 12 months, although its Valkyrie will not be a hybrid – unlike all of its LMDh rivals.
