Audi wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The last hour of the race was just a formality. With a quadruple abandonment of Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, the Audi R15 TDI rolled on a red carpet. The three cars from Ingolstadt regrouped, stopped together thirty minutes from the finish and finished like a parade. The cars then crossed the finish line grouped together, to receive the ovation they deserved.

Because Audi has done everything to win in Sarthe this year. After a poor 2009 edition – although much less bad than Peugeot this year – the Ingolstadt firm was able to question itself. Audi worked a lot and did a lot of testing to make its car, called R15 “Plus”, more reliable due to the numerous modifications made. Audi arrived at Le Mans with great confidence but also with a lot of humility.

After the qualifications dominated by Peugeot, many people, and also the media, saw Peugeot well above the rest. It is therefore a huge surprise that this result of 24 Hours of Le Mans. The new car, the Audi R15 TDI, was the most reliable but the least efficient in pure performance. On the other hand, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, for its fourth year of operation, proved to be ultra efficient but terribly defective.

A year after Audi, it is up to Peugeot to question itself. A stroke of “luck” for the French manufacturer, the 2011 season and its new regulations are fast approaching. The Lion firm will then have the opportunity to start from scratch, analyze the strong points and weak points of its 908 and start again on an equal footing with the other teams.