Peugeot 1-2 in Germany

Two months after the 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours, Team Peugeot Total was eager to pull off a win in Germany where its two 908 HDi FAPs both qualified on the front row of the grid for today's race. The two crews produced a perfect team effort to provide the French carmaker with its first one-two finish of the season, just as they had done at the Nürburgring this time last year.

The result also hands Peugeot and its crews the provisional lead in both championships.

The start of the fourth round of the 2008 Le Mans Series, which drew a crowd of 22,000 spectators, saw the two 908 HDi FAPs pull away at a pace that enabled them to pull gradually clear of their pursuers. At the wheel of the N°7 car, Nicolas Minassian emerged as the early leader and he even succeeded in posting the fastest race lap in the opening stages, with Stéphane Sarrazin shadowing his team-mate in the N°8 car. Half an hour into the race, the latter profited from the heavy traffic to pass his team-mate and take control, but the lead switched back into the hands of the N°7 machine shortly after the first round of pit-stops.

Other than the obligation to keep their duel perfectly sportsmanlike, the Peugeot drivers were under no team orders and they proceeded to thrill the crowd with an exciting battle. Their speed even allowed them to lap their main championship rivals at around the race's halfway mark which still saw heavy traffic on the track. Indeed, it was traffic that caused Marc Gené to loose more than 20 seconds in the N°7 908 HDi FAP as he tried to find a way past the Lola Aston Martin for a full five laps. His car was also slightly delayed during a pit-stop because of a faulty starter button and Pedro Lamy, who had just taken over in the N°8 Peugeot, found himself in front.

With the gap stabilized at around the 23/30 seconds mark, Pedro Lamy and Stéphane Sarrazin – the reigning Le Mans Series champions – were able to go on to pick up their second success of the season, making it two wins apiece for each of the Peugeot Sport crews! Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gené crossed the line in second place –16.161s behind their teammates – to hand Peugeot its first one-two finish of the year and enable the French carmaker to move to the top of the provisional standings, six points clear of Audi. In the Drivers' table, Minassian/Gené (N°7 Peugeot HDi FAP) now lead, two points ahead of Prémat/Rockenfeller (N°2 Audi).