H+12: Peugeot n°2, only 908 in the lead

« If I have four cars and I don't win, it's no use to me », Confided Olivier Quesnel to AUTOhebdo.fr the day before the departure of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in relation to the quadruplet achieved by Peugeot in qualifying. Of the four Peugeots that started in the lead, only the 908 n°2 did not encounter any major problems. She is currently in the lead, in the hands of Stéphane Sarrazin, who is completing a quadruple stint.

But, apart from number 2, the Peugeots are suffering a lot. The 908 n°3 retired after 2h30 of racing, following an irreparable mechanical breakdown. The n°1 had to return to its box to change an electronic box, the starter and the alternator, before making an exit into the gravel. As for Oreca's 908 No. 4, which until then was running in second position, it has just encountered a problem which caused it to lose a lot of time. The transmission failure led to the change of the right rear half-axle and the Peugeot no. 4 restarted in seventh place.

As a result, Audi benefits! The three R15 TDIs are currently ranked second, third and fourth. A boon for an Ingolstadt firm which did not get off to an excellent start, which was penalized by the exit of the safety cars (see elsewhere) and which perhaps did not expect to find three of its cars in the first four places. The German manufacturer, halfway through the race, is winning in terms of reliability, while Peugeot is ahead in terms of performance. A surprising thing since the 908 is in its fourth year of operation, while the Audi R15 Plus achieves its first double revolution. Business to follow during the next twelve hours?