Audi Continue Le Mans Domination With 12th Win In 13 Years

Audi battled through difficult weather conditions to take the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, leaving closest rivals Toyota a lap behind. The No2 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro was driven to victory by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Loïc Duval in a race overshadowed by the death of Aston Martin driver Allan Simonsen.

Rain had plagued the event's build up, with a greasy track greeting drivers as they started the race. Just 4 laps in, Simonsen's Aston straddled the kerb at Tertre Rouge and lost traction, sending him into the wall at high speed. Simonsen was pronounced dead at the circuit's medical facility a short time later.

McNish would later note that "the conditions...at the start were the worst I'd ever experienced at Le Mans." With rain levels varying drastically at different points of the track, it was "a lottery" picking braking points. The No1 Audi - driven by Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer - coped impressively in the conditions, and began to pull away from a cautious McNish.

The tide turned in the No2 car's favour at around 9.30pm with Loïc Duval behind the wheel. With the No1 car losing 43 minutes in the pits changing an alternator, Duval shot past and held the lead for the remainder of the race. The No8 Toyota driven by Anthony Davidson, Sébastien Buemi and Stéphane Sarrazin pushed the Audi hard, but couldn't quite reel in the deficit.

Further down the field Aston Martin battled for the lead of the GTE Pro Class, after continuing to compete at the request of Simonsen's family. Despite leading for most of the race, the late downpour saw them drop to third behind both Porsche 911 RSRs.

The closely fought battle between Audi and Toyota made for gripping viewing right to the finish, and next year's race should be even more exciting with Porsche making a return to the Prototype class. Will Timo Bernhard and co. make a triumphant return? We can't wait to find out.