David Brabham – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 1st LMP1
“It’s such a great feeling to have won. Peugeot Sport did a tremendous job; they really did. It’s a great team, they gave us a 100 per cent reliable car and the three of us drove a faultless race.”
Alexander Wurz – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 1st LMP1
“What made the difference? The fact that we kept it on the track without picking up any damage. We also had a great team behind us, and a phenomenal car. It’s a fantastic feeling to have won in France in a French car.”
Marc Gené – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 1st LMP1
“To have won a race this big is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It really is a very emotional moment for me.”
Olivier Quesnel – Peugeot Sport Director
“Before the start, I used a French cycling analogy to describe the crew of the N°8 car as ‘sprinters’, the N°7 crew as ‘road sprinters’ and the N°9 drivers as ‘warriors’. Today, it was the ‘warriors’ who won. I really sense that the public and Automobiles Peugeot wanted this result. We faced a huge challenge and we succeeded in rising to it. We were here as challengers, and our mission was to try to topple the favorites. And that is exactly what we did, essentially by steering clear of the different potential pitfalls in our path. It turned out to be a terrific race, and Peugeot Sport is a truly magnificent team. I am so proud of all the people who were involved in this project. This win is Peugeot Sport’s win.”
Sébastien Bourdais – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 2nd LMP1
“It’s a great day for Peugeot. They have worked so hard for this success and they really deserve it. I have a personal challenge which is to one day win what is my home race. It was a close-run thing this year, but I will be back until I succeed!”
Stéphane Sarrazin – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 2nd LMP1
“Franck, Sébastien and I are all obviously disappointed not to have won, but how can I not be happy for the team which wanted this result so much?”
Dindo Capello – Audi Sport Team Joest (Audi R15 TDI) – 3rd LMP1
“I don’t think we should have any regrets because we did our best. The competition was stronger than us this time. Losing serves a purpose and can help to improve something which we previously believed to be the best. We are well aware that we can improve still further. I’m convinced that from tomorrow everybody – including the drivers – will work to be as strong as usual.”
Tom Kristensen – Audi Sport Team Joest (Audi R15 TDI) – 3rd LMP1
“Congratulations to Peugeot. The drivers drove exceptionally well, the car covered the distance of 24-hours without difficulty – and this is what it’s all about here at Le Mans. We were third this year, but can nevertheless be proud. Our new baby, the Audi R15 TDI, won against equally strong competition on its racing premiere at Sebring and obviously victory at Le Mans was also our target. We have already celebrated many victories and can also hold our heads high after this race: Every engineer, mechanic and driver did their all. My thanks go to Dindo (Capello) and Allan (McNish) for a fantastic week here in Le Mans. My hope is that after eight victories and one defeat to return next year and take revenge.”
Allan McNish – Audi Sport Team Joest (Audi R15 TDI) – 3rd LMP1
“We can be totally satisfied with third place overall, even though we would have also preferred to have won and therefore continue Audi’s fantastic and unbelievable winning streak at Le Mans. This series had to come to an end sooner or later, as is the case with all good things in life. We’d already had a very hard battle with Peugeot in the previous two years. This time they were better than us. Congratulations to Marc Gené, Alex Wurz and David Brabham. Everybody who knows Audi Sport and us knows that we will now regroup in order to return even stronger.”
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich – Head of Audi Motorsport
“Obviously we are a little disappointed about the result. We didn’t manage to extract the full potential of the Audi R15 TDI in the race, which we had seen during testing. In addition, we had several technical problems that really caught us by surprise. As a result, we could only get one car onto the podium. Peugeot produced a fantastic performance and certainly deserved the victory. We will analyze the problems we had to ensure we come back stronger in 2010.”
Tomáš Enge – - AMR Eastern Europe (Lola-Aston Martin) – 4th LMP1
“I have to say how impressed I have been with the reliability of the car. We had no real problems at all from start to finish, which is an amazing achievement for such a tough race. I’d like to thank the entire team for making this result possible, which certainly exceeds our expectations. This is always going to be one of the best memories of my career.”
Stefan Mücke – AMR Eastern Europe (Lola-Aston Martin) – 4th LMP1
“I’m absolutely delighted by this result. The performance gap shows that there are still effectively two classes in the LMP1 category – diesel and petrol – but we said from the very beginning that our objective was to be quickest in the petrol class and so I am very pleased that we have managed to achieve this. Compared to last year our performance gap to the diesels is a bit smaller but the rules still do not allow us to compete on equal terms.”
Jan Charouz – AMR Eastern Europe (Lola-Aston Martin) – 4th LMP1
“The accident in qualifying certainly wasn’t the best way for me to start the Le Mans 24 Hours but that is all forgotten now. Conditions during the race were extremely tough, with several incidents and safety car periods, but we managed to get through it thanks to some excellent team work. We may not have won ourselves on this occasion, but I hope that we paid a good tribute to the drivers who won for Aston Martin back in 1959.”
David Richards – Chairman of Aston Martin
“I’m absolutely delighted. We came to Le Mans with modest expectations and we’ve exceeded all of them. Once again, Aston Martin has punched well above its weight and it’s a fantastic achievement from everyone involved. Now we have to ask ourselves some serious questions about where we go from here.”
Olivier Panis – Team Oreca Matmut AIM (Oreca AIM) – 5th LMP1
“The entry list was magical with a lot of tough competition to face. ORECA proved that it could run with the best of them. The team devised a perfect race strategy, including the pit stops and during the interventions. I take my hat off to my team mates.”
Pedro Lamy – Peugeot Sport Total (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – 6th LMP1
“When I was hit by the other car in the pit-lane, I really couldn’t believe it. It was so tough – really tough – to see all our chances of winning evaporate barely 40 minutes into the race. But that’s racing, and I have to accept it.”
Pierrre Ragues – Signature Plus (Oreca Judd) – 10th LMP1
“Once more, it was another thrilling Le Mans 24 Hours, which I really enjoyed. Conditions were tough, but I think we all performed to the best of our abilities. It was a pity that we had a couple of problems as without them we could have been right up there amongst the top petrol-powered cars. But this is Le Mans, where anything can happen, and that forms part of the unique challenge of the 24 Hours. I have to say a big thank you to the team who did a fantastic job, they have been very professional.”
Anthony Davidson – Aston Martin Racing (Lola-Aston Martin) – 11th LMP1
“It’s been an absolutely great experience. I’ve been really impressed with the performance we’ve shown here and I hope we’ve surprised a few people with our speed. It’s been fantastic to be part of the Aston Martin team and I think between us all we’ve put on a great show. We ran as high as third overall and I think had we experienced no problems, then we could have challenged for the podium.”
Neel Jani – Speedy Racing Team Sebah (Lola-Aston Martin) – 12th LMP1
“It was my first time at Le Mans and I must say that I am captivated by it. I am used to racing against competitors alone in my single-seater, but here the challenge is also towards ourself to deliver the right pace, with teamates. I would like to be back the next year and why not to aim at the victory if we can fight the diesel with better regulations.”
Timo Bernhard – Audi Sport Team Joest (Audi R15 TDI) – 13th LMP1
“It goes without saying that I had expected a better result that 17th position. We were jinxed from the beginning. We had a problem with the fuel pump after my fourth stint. The team produced a superhuman effort to repair the system so that the car could continue. Ultimately this paid off because we were able to test numerous things for the number 1 car. For me personally it was extremely good because, on the one hand I could demonstrate my qualities and on the other I had the opportunity to complete the race. I’ll take a lot of fond memories with me. The good ones by far outweigh the bad ones. I hope that this chance repeats itself.”
Danny Watts – Strakka Racing (Ginetta-Zytek) – 14th LMP1
“I’ve had a lot of fun this weekend, and I’ve learned a huge amount. I’m just very grateful to Strakka Racing for giving me this opportunity. They also placed great trust in me, which is gratifying, and to offer me a quadruple stint in the middle of the night was something very special. It’s the most I’ve ever driven in one go, but I enjoyed every second.”
Stuart Hall – Aston Martin Racing (Lola-Aston Martin) – Retired
“I’m very sorry for the incident that led to my disqualification, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity to drive for Aston Martin Racing. The professionalism of the team has been second to none, and the end result for the 007 car is well-deserved.”
Mike Rockenfeller – Audi Sport Team Joest (Audi R15 TDI) – Retired
“Congratulations to Peugeot. They did a good job. Congratulations also to the number 1 car which made the podium. This deserves respect. We are very spoiled at Audi because of the successful years behind us. This is sport, we are only human. We simply weren’t strong enough this year, but I’m satisfied with my personal performance. I drove at the start in Le Mans with a sport prototype for the first time and had had three excellent opening stints. I had some great fights with Allan (McNish). I didn’t get back in the car afterwards. It’s important that Lucas (Luhr) is okay. Now we have to do our homework.”
Benoît Tréluyer – Pescarolo Sport (Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP) – Retired
“The team had called me back to the pits for a scheduled fuel stop. They also took the opportunity to clean out the side pods, as I was forced to put two wheels on the grass to avoid a GT2 Ferrari. While doing this, the engineers noticed the front splitter was damaged and decided to change it. I knew that the car’s behavior would change because of this and as I returned to the track, I remained cautious. The car’s balance was good with a little more oversteer than before, but not too much. Then I started to get back into a normal rhythm but as I approached the La Forêt curves the car suddenly went light and snapped sideways. I did not have the chance to be slowed down by the gravel trap as the car took off straight away.”
Bruno Senna – Team Oreca Matmut AIM (Oreca AIM) – Retired
“I think it was the right decision, because at that time Panis had a stronger chance than us. It was nice to take part in another kind of competition, which is far different from what I have been doing so far. We were going well but the unfortunately couldn’t bring the car home. I am learning all the time in this Le Mans series; I think it helps you appreciate different driving skills and techniques and I am looking forward to the remaining races.”
Cécile Bonardel