Peugeot is reassured

Both Peugeot 908 HDi FAP were installed on the first row of the starting grid. From the start of the race, they pranced in the lead with Nicolas Minassian at the wheel of the No. 7 and Marc Gené in the No. 9. On a different tire strategy? soft for the 9 and medium for the 7? the two Peugeots found themselves separated by almost 50 seconds shortly before the change of drivers.

While simon pagenaud (7) and David Brabham (9) followed their teammates, the latter making a mistake on the 53rd lap, falling back too quickly on the No. 28 Courage. Forced to return to the pits to change the right rear lower triangle, Brabham conceded 13 minutes. Then the No. 9 was given a 4-minute stop-and-go for this maneuver. Alexander Wurz, then in control, satisfied this penalty which pushed him out of the top 10.

The No. 7 crossed the finish line victorious, a success awaited by the entire team since August 17, 2008 at the Nürburgring, the date of the last victory for a 908.

“Beyond the victory which is good for the team ahead of Le Mans, I am very satisfied with everything. We were there to prepare for the Le Mans event. Everything was done peacefully and we did not make any strategic errors despite the five safety cars,” explains Olivier Quesnel. “We had distinct strategies with different tires on the two cars but double stints in both cases. David's mistake didn't allow us to achieve a double but that's part of the race. Now we still have private working sessions before tackling the 24 Hours of Le Mans and at the end of this race, I am forced to note that the ?petrol? and the ?diesels? are very close in terms of performance.

For his first race with the team, Simon Pagenaud is obviously satisfied with this victory: ?It?s an exceptional weekend for the team and for me. I have been very well integrated into the team and I feel like I am part of the family. I am happy and proud to have contributed to Peugeot's preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.