Audi defeats Peugeot at Le Mans

Today, the last of the spectators making their pilgrimage to Le Mans for the annual 24-hour race make their journey home. In total, a record 258,000 supporters descended upon the French circuit for a weekend of racing and revelry.

The crowds were not disappointed. Ahead of the race, Peugeot looked confident, securing the first three places on the grid in qualifying with lap times notably faster than the Audi R10 TDIs.

As with Audi's car, the Peugeot 908 HDi packs an advanced turbodiesel engine, and though it has been successful in the past year, Le Mans is the ultimate challenge of a car and team.

Peugeot managed to remain in the lead for most of the race, but changing weather favoured the more experienced Audi team, and the R10s were superior when the track was wet.

Even so, the best Peugeot and Audi were never more than a lap apart, with the gap at the end of the race just four and a half minutes.

Audi's victory is the company's eighth in ten attempts, with three in a row for the diesel R10. The winning drivers included Scot Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen - who has been part of eight Le Mans wins.

Shane O' Donoghue