Unless something very weird happens at Le Mans this year the race will be won by a Peugeot or an Audi. The Peugeot team won in 2009, and were quicker last year, too, but reliability issues forced all 908s to retire, leaving Audi to claim its ninth victory in the 24 hour classic.
That will have been a bitter moment for the French team and they will be hoping to make amends this weekend. So, perhaps it’s little surprise that, in order to help the drivers clear their minds for the race, they have taken a different approach to their preparation. Instead of arriving at scrutineering in the back of a plush Peugeot they took part in a 125km bike ride.
Merc Gené, 2009 race winner, said, “It was both original and great fun to arrive all together on bikes for scrutineering. Physically, everything went well and we all especially enjoyed the atmosphere in the team. This really is the best spirit I’ve ever experienced in a team and I hope that the results reflect that.â€
Despite forming one third of the winning team in 2009, Australia’s David Brabham is no longer required by Peugeot. All the best to Audi, then!
If you do wish to keep a close eye on the fortunes of the Puegeot 908s you can do so via Peugeot Web TV. See the official team website for more details.
Team Peugeot Total goes by the bike for the start of the 2011 Le Mans 24 hrs
Traditionally, the Le Mans 24 Hours begins with the “Pesage†Scrutineering organised in the city centre. For Team Peugeot Total, however, this year’s Le Mans kicked-off yesterday with a 125 kilometres cycle ride, starting from Chartres.
Accompanied by Olivier Quesnel, Director of Peugeot Sport, the nine team drivers (Anthony Davidson, Marc Gené, Alexander Wurz, Nicolas Minassian, Franck Montagny, Stéphane Sarrazin, Sébastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Simon Pagenaud) used pedal power to get to this year’s Scrutineering.
The journey started in the morning from Chartres and the riders had to cope with changing weather conditions as they covered the 125 kilometres separating the cities of Eure-et-Loir and Sarthe. “We had a good time all togetherâ€, commented Olivier Quesnel. “It was an original way of diving head first into this long and hard week in Le Mans. Everyone rode well, covering 125 kilometres at an average speed of nearly 36 kph. That just shows what good shape our drivers are in. We then went through the traditional Scrutineering. The pressure will increase gradually as the race approaches. We will manage that using the same methods that we’ve being applying for several years now. Today was a good warm-up session. Riding all together helped us to clear our heads before calmly beginning this 79th Le Mans 24 Hours.â€
All the riders arrived together in Le Mans and were greeted by loud cheers from a large and enthusiastic crowd.
Yesterday, the drivers and Team Peugeot Total satisfactorily completed technical and administrative scrutineering. The entire team is now ready for the first free practice session tomorrow at 4pm.
Marc Gené, Peugeot 908 No.7: “It was both original and great fun to arrive all together on bikes for scrutineering. Physically, everything went well and we all especially enjoyed the atmosphere in the team. This really is the best spirit I’ve ever experienced in a team and I hope that the results reflect that.â€
Nicolas Minassian, Peugeot 908 No.8: “This spectacular arrival got us into the spirit of things in a totally new way. It’s a perfect way of clearing your head. Once again, we really enjoyed ourselves as a group and that is going to continue throughout the week. We are ready. The pressure is going to increase little by little. We all liked our first meeting with the crowd at the Place des Jacobins.â€
Pedro Lamy, Peugeot 908 No.9: “I had never dreamt of coming to Le Mans by bike, so I am pleased to have done just that. We maintained a good pace over the 125 kilometres. We made it to the end without tiring ourselves out. Tuesday will be a working day just among ourselves, to get into the swing of this 79th Le Mans 24 Hours a bit more and then on Wednesday, we’ll have our first outing on the track. It’s a unique event, with a unique atmosphere: time almost becomes meaningless here for a week. We are used to it, but every time you’re here, it feels special.â€
Follow all the action from the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours via Peugeot Web TV www.peugeot-sport.com
Introduced in 2010, Peugeot Web TV will once again provide fans with the opportunity to follow the race with Team Peugeot Total. Coverage will include behind the scenes glimpses, refuelling stops, on-board cameras and race action, plus the positions of the four Peugeots in real time, with commentary in French and English, starting from 14:00 on Saturday, June 11 (Local Time).
It will also be possible to follow all the action during Le Mans week via Twitter, thanks to the Peugeot Sport app available for iPhone and Android smart phones, as well as via Facebook, and full TV coverage on Eurosport.