Peugeot hoping for second Le Mans win
Peugeot's bid for a second straight victory at this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans is on the right track after the French manufacturer
secured the four top spots on the starting grid.
Former Champ Car champion Sébastien Bourdais of France clinched the pole position in his 908 TDI with a best lap of 3 minutes, 19.711
seconds that no driver was able to improve during Thursday's last qualifying session which was punctuated by short showers.
Bourdais will start ahead of former Formula One driver Alexander Wurz, with Stéphane Sarrazin sitting third, and Team Oreca's Peugeot
driven by Nicolas Lapierre fourth.
"This pole proves that we are strong, now we have to turn that strength into victory," Bourdais said. "Now I want the race
to start, time is going to drag until Saturday. We have the equipment, the speed and the people to win, but we need to stay humble and hope
for a little luck."
Peugeot ended Audi's five-year domination at Le Mans last year when it claimed its first win since 1993 in the mythical race.
Wurz, Marc Gene and Anthony Davidson then gave Peugeot its first victory in the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March to maintain the French
team dominance in endurance races.
Peugeot will start on pole for the fourth time in as many years at the 13.6-kilometer (8.4-mile) Circuit de la Sarthe.
"We worked hard and we couldn't have done better, but we haven't won anything yet," said Peugeot Sport team director Olivier
Quesnel. "We are ready but that doesn't mean we are going to have an easy weekend. Taking the pole is one thing, taking the victory is
quite another."
Audi's Mike Rockenfeller couldn't break the Peugeot stranglehold with a best time of 3:21.981. He will start in fifth position ahead of
two other Audi R15s.
Rockenfeller and teammate Alan McNish fought hard to close the gap and improve their qualifying times. They will count on their cars'
reliability and race setups to upset their Peugeot rivals.
"We like where we are, we are where we expected," said Tom Kristensen, the most successful driver at Le Mans with eight wins.
"We have worked on our programs and tried to optimize different aerodynamic aspects and the mechanical grip. I can tell you, if any
of the guys here see an opportunity they will go for it."
Driving with sons Greg and Leo in a Ginetta-Zytek, former Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell will start from 18th on the grid. It's
the first time a team made up of a father and two sons will compete at Le Mans.
"The goal is to finish and get more competitive and the biggest goal is to attract a sponsor so that we can continue our
dream," Mansell said.
Mansell will race for the first time in Le Mans but shouldn't be disoriented with tens of thousands of British fans expected in the
stands.
The 78th Le Mans 24-hour race starts on Saturday at 1300 GMT.