Peugeot back on track

Less than 24 hours after what looked to be a catastrophic crash, Peugeot’s diesel-powered 908 HDi was back on the track Sunday at Road Atlanta in testing for the coming weekend’s Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New MAZDA6. Nic Minassian brought the Peugeot coupe back into pitlane around 1 p.m. ET as the crew continued to tweak and sort a few remaining issues.

Pedro Lamy was not injured in the Saturday crash, which happened at the final downhill turn (Photo: Martin Spetz / DailySportsCar). He lost control trying to avoid a slower prototype but the car impacted the outside wall multiple times before coming to rest halfway down the frontstraight.

Minassian will drive with Stephane Sarrazin and Christian Klien in Saturday’s annual 1,000-mile/10-hour American Le Mans Series classic. Sarrazin, a Petit Le Mans contestant with Aston Martin Racing, said most of the damage was concentrated on both the front and rear suspension. The monocoque was intact and not damaged.

“Our mechanics did a fantastic job working late yesterday and during the night to have the car prepared for today," Sarrazin said. “There are still some things that we need to work on. We are trying to work on some of the suspension settings and power steering system."

Peugeot will fight for overall victory against such manufacturers as Audi, which is unbeaten at Road Atlanta since debuting in 2000, along with Porsche, Acura, Zytek, Creation and Mazda.

Petit Le Mans powered by the Totally New MAZDA6 is the 10th round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series. The 1,000-mile/10-hour race is scheduled for 11:15 a.m. Saturday, October 4 from Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. SPEED will televise the race live with XM Satellite Radio airing live race coverage throughout the day on Channel 166. Live coverage from American Le Mans Radio will be available at americanlemans.com, which also will feature IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring.