2008 24 Hours of Le Mans

Le Mans, France, Circui De La Sarthe

The 2008 Le Mans proved to be an extremely close affair if you consider the distance the cars travel in the 24 hour period, to be separated by only one minute is a testament to the drama. Audi, and it's North American team, Audi Sport North America had it's two car team in the field, set to defend their stranglehold on the Prototype class.

Kristenson, McNish and Capello captured the third straight Audi TDI R-10 overall victory at Le Mans, but also Audi's eighth in nine years, beaten only by the Bentley Speed 8 in 2003 (Pictured below in a museum).

This year Peugeot mounted their hardest assault on Audi to date, with the 908, a turbo-diesel like the Audi. They finished less than a lap after the Audi, clearly a faster car, with good handling, but needing more time in the pits, which was the difference in this year's race.

Jacques Villenueve piloted the lead Peugeot and stood to become the first Indy 500 winner, Formula 1 Champion and 24 Hours of Le Mans overall winner. But it was not to be, and Jacques will have to go back to raising money to race in NASCAR.

Peugeot as a team had troubles in the pits, as well as overheating problems in their engines. Late in the race, early morning and rain had fallen overnight. At one point, one Peugeot had full rain tires and the other had full dry. Of course, the car that had the dry tires had to make another pit stop to correct the mistake. Twice, the French team had to bring their cars into the garage and cool their radiators for several minutes each time. Smaller, sprint-style radiators were probably the cause, commented David Hobbs.

But the Peugeot's were clearly faster. Several times, the Peugeot drivers had to pass the R-10's to get their laps back. There were several miscues by each team, with Kristensen having a rare brush with a competitor. Marco Werner spinning the Audi and Manassian spinning the 908 at the start/finish line.

In 1966, the Ford GT 40's take the checkered flag a la formacion. Unfortunately, it cost driver Denny Hulme the win due to allowing the second Ford to close. In 1966, the rules stated the furthest distance traveled in 24 hours wins. Since Bruce McLaren had started further back, it was deemed that he won the race by 8 meters.