Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
After 21 Hours Down To The Wire!
The race has been going for 21 hours, but everything is still to play
for. The Audi no.2 and the Peugeot no.9 are still neck-and-neck, as
the rain threatens to feature in what is becoming a classic race. The
Peugeot no.8 moves up into third position after Alex Wurz runs off
in the Peugeot no.7.
The Race:
The race order stabilises, the lead inevitably continuing to be swapped between the Audi no.2 and the Peugeot no.9 at each refuelling pit stop. The Peugeot no.7 is also in contention for the win, but at 09:44 Alexandre Wurz gets his braking wrong and runs wide into the gravel. The Austrian driver manages to get the Peugeot 908 back to the pits to change the front right half-axle. The stop costs the no.7 four laps. Simon Pagenaud and Sébastien Bourdais take it in turns to push the Peugeot no.9 to the max., more or less matching the pace of the leader, whilst staying out on track for an extra lap on each stint.
Quotes:
Olivier Quesnel, Peugeot Sport Director: “The race has settled down into a pattern, but the more time goes by, the more tiredness creeps in. We only have one car that is capable of catching the Audi. We are going to keep pushing, because there are four Peugeots behind the leader. Anything can still happen, especially if it rains. When I see the show that we have put on today at this 24 Hours, I am optimistic about the future of endurance racing.”
Alexander Wurz (Peugeot no.7): “I was pushing hard, but I braked a little late and there you go! I am disappointed. It's the first mistake I've made since 2008. It hurts to make a mistake at a crucial point in the race, but that's life!”
Simon Pagenaud (Peugeot no.9): “I pushed like my life depended on it. I gave everything and I’m a bit tired now. We are little short in terms of performance, so we have had to use every last drop of energy that we have. I had forecast that there would be less than a minute between the winner and runner-up at the end. Even if I come
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