Quinn, Beche Join Peugeot for Bahrain Rookie Test

Peugeot has confirmed that Alex Quinn and Mathias Beche will both turn their first laps at the wheel of its 9X8 LMH car at the FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain.

The two European Le Mans Series LMP2 racers will join Peugeot’s 2026 signing Nick Cassidy for the test, which will take place the day after the season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain.

Quinn and Beche were rivals in the ELMS’s LMP2 Pro-Am class this past season, with the former winning two races for Algarve Pro Racing while Beche drove for TDS Racing and took one class victory at the Portimao season finale.

“I’m looking forward to discovering the Peugeot 9X8 in Bahrain,” said Quinn. “It is something I’m very thankful to Peugeot Sport for.

“It will be a good challenge, with lots to learn and understand from within a short period from my side.

“But I love a challenge and I’m excited to help the team continue to understand even more the car and try to take the next steps into the future.

“I expect I will be smiling a lot during the rookie test whilst getting to drive this nice car.”

Unlike Quinn, who has exclusively competed in LMP2 since transitioning away from single seaters, Beche has extensive experience racing top-class machinery dating back to several seasons forming part of Rebellion Racing’s privateer LMP1 effort.

“The main objective of this test will be, above all, to discover the 9X8 and to familiarize myself with its specific characteristics, as well as those of the Hypercar category,” Beche said.

“It will be a learning phase during which I hope to provide constructive feedback to the team. I’m really looking forward to working with the team and the drivers.”