Pirro confident about LeMans chances

Even before Sunday's Test Day for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Emanuele Pirro already knew what to expect from Peugeot. The eight-hour session ended with Peugeot posting the fastest lap time but Audi completed the most laps. It all sets up what will is shaping up to be an epic clash between the two diesel-powered teams in the 75th running of the world's most famed motor race.

"It's very important for Audi and motorsport to have another major manufacturer with the same characteristics," said Pirro, who returns to Le Mans as defending champion with Frank Biela and Marco Werner in one of three Audi R10 TDIs. "They will be very strong and we're taking it very seriously."

Peugeot and Sebastien Bourdais laid down the gauntlet with a lap of 3:26.707 late Sunday. But Audi had maintained they would concentrate on race setup and pace, the same plan that was in place last year in the R10's debut at Le Mans. True to form, Pirro, Werner and Biela completed 92 laps Sunday.

"It doesn't change our approach," said Pirro, a four-time champion who debuted at Le Mans in 1981. "We've never taken anything conservatively. We can't do anything better than we have in the last year."

The 75th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 3 p.m. CET (9 a.m. ET) on Saturday, June 16 from the Circuit de la Sarthe. SPEED will provide 17.5 hours of coverage in North America starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on June 16. MotorsTV will air week-long coverage throughout Europe. Live coverage can be found on Radio Le Mans through americanlemans.com.