This year’s race was one of the most spectacular in recent memory from the introduction of new models to just completely insane crashes. Audi still stands tall on the podium but it was rough ride to get there. The manufacturer had introduced their new R18 TDI Proto Type car this year and while very…very fast it seemed to have an issue staying on the road, losing 2 of the 3 cars during the race. These cars use new super-efficient turbochargers and radiator fan units attached to newly designed cooling units to attain the power they need.
In the first few laps of the race one of the Audi drivers seems to have been a bit over enthusiastic and tried to cut and inside line resulting in a collision with a Ferrari and sending them both off the track. While the Ferrari was able to be repaired, the pure speed the audi was traveling sent it into the barrier. Pieces of the car rained down like a sudden spring sun shower that had people running for cover. A few hours later the second R18 ate it after miss-judging a pass. The rear tire ended up in the rough sending the car careening across the track into the wall, resulting in a glorious explosion of carbon fiber and rubber.
At the end of the day though there was only one story that topped the LeMans news boards and that was the battle between Peugeot and Audi that came down to a 15 second gap that the Peugeot teams could not close up. A 15 second gap is the tightest racing that has ever been recorded at leMans and also amazing. The one remaining Audi was able to hold off all four of the Peugeot prototype cars that were hot on its tail. When the flag went down it was an all Audi and Michelin an amazing victory for both companies. It was also an awesome event to watch…even if you did pass out 8 hours into the race. 
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