Another One-Two finish for Peugeot

It's one of this year's most difficult races, where Peugeot succeeded in claiming another one-two finish. The two Peugeot 908s survived the combination of 44 cars on the track and the nine safety car interruptions with flying colours.

Victory in the 13th Annual Petit Le Mans went to the No.8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP of Stéphane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Pedro Lamy. They finished ahead of the No.7 sister car (Davidson/Wurz/Gené) giving the team a handsome lead in the inaugural ILMC.

A close fight from the early stages

Behind the wheels of the No.7 Peugeot his team-mate, Anthony Davidson had qualified for pole position the previous day, whereas Marc Gené got away cleanly in bright sunshine and in front of a big crowd. In his wake, Franck Montagny (No.8 Peugeot) and Allan McNish (No.7 Audi) immediately engaged in a thrilling fight which even saw the two cars touch at one stage.

The situation tipped in favour of Peugeot shortly before the race's seventh hour when the No.7 Audi was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop. That allowed the two Team Peugeot Total 908 HDi FAPs to control the race all the way to the flag, with the No.8 car finishing in front of the No.7.

Victory for the Peugeot No.8 of Sarrazin/Montagny/Lamy

After completing 394 laps (1000 miles) in a little over nine hours – making it one of the fastest Petit Le Man races on record –, Stéphane Sarrazin (No.8 Peugeot) was first to take the chequered flag, a minute clear of his British team-mate Anthony Davidson (No.7 Peugeot). For Sarrazin and Montagny, it was their second straight Petit Le Mans win.

With the final round of the series in China (1000km of Zhuhai, November 6-7) still to come, Peugeot enjoys a strong lead at the top of the provisional ILMC standings.

Bruno Famin (Technical Director): "We had a very good strategy, and we used our two cars to protect us from the Audis. We didn't have a single technical issue, with the exception of slight body damage resulting from the occasional difficult passing manoeuvres."

Pedro Lamy: "I couldn't have wished for a better way to celebrate my last outing in the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. Today's one-two finish is a great result for the team, and it's also my second win with Peugeot this year after Spa."

Franck Montagny: "Pedro, Stéphane and I prepared thoroughly for this race, but without any stress. We were able to have total confidence in the team with regard to strategy. The team clearly demonstrated that they have mastered the niceties of American sports car racing."

Stéphane Sarrazin: "It's been a perfect day for us. We have taken our second win in the Petit Le Mans after our victory here in the wet in 2009. It was tough towards the end, after the sun had gone down, because there were a lot of slower cars on the track. It was important to stay focused all the way to the finish."

Anthony Davidson: "Peugeot won, and that's the main thing. It's a great result for the team. We decided to play it safe towards the end to be sure of reaching the finish."

2010 Petit Le Mans – final positions:

1, Peugeot 908 HDi FAP No.8 (Sarrazin/Montagny/Lamy), 394 laps in 9h 12m
2, Peugeot 908 HDi FAP No.7 (Davidson/Wurz/Gené), +1m 1.681s
3, Audi (McNish/Kristensen/Capello), +2 laps
4, HPD-ARX 01c (Brabham/Pagenaud/Franchitti), +9 laps
5, Lola-AER (Field/Field), +11 laps

Fastest lap: Franck Montagny, 1m 07.948s

2010 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup – provisional positions:

Manufacturers

1, Peugeot (95 points)

2, Audi (59 points)

Teams

1. Team Peugeot Total (73 points)

2. Audi Sport Team Joest (59)

The next round of the 2010 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup is the 1000km of Zhuhai (China) - November 6-7, 2010. Team Peugeot Total will enter two cars:

    Peugeot No.1: Stéphane Sarrazin/Franck Montagny
    Peugeot No.2: Sébastien Bourdais/Simon Pagenaud