Aston Martin had a cracking race at Le Mans this weekend, and although a third place looked tantalisingly possible near the end, the three cars in front held on to their positions.
No one either at Aston or supporting them seems too disappointed though, as taking the fight to the might of eventual winners Peugeot and last year’s champions Audi was always going to be difficult.
Still, they drove great – most of the time – and here’s hoping they decide to give it another shot next year.
Half of team TG are about to join the traffic outside before heading to the tunnel, while the other half – the jammy beggars – are staying down here for a bar-b-q.
So here’s to next year, and an Aston Martin victory…?
Aston should think about developing a diesel LMP1 car so they can last longer on the track. Still Aston did an amazing job. Great race, but we’ll have to wait another year now.
Aston Martin victory…?
Only if they run a diesel car.
We’ll just have to hope and see if petrol can catch up. The thing is it must be pace, because it’s not fuel efficiency – the lead Peugeot made more pit stops than anyone else in the entire field. Torquier engines, perhaps?
PetrolHead…are you thick? aston with a diesel, I would rather they not enter at all before they put that in the car…I mean it is aston martin, they do not make diesel cars. They make Aston Martins, not trucks or ‘green’ cars. Not to mention there would be no point of sinking the r&d money just for le mans when they are thinking f1 with prodrive and have no use for a diesel line.
didnt they run the DBR9??
why should they run a diesel they were only 3 laps off 3rd place with a petrol engine!
and 9 laps behind the winning peugeot in 24hrs
so why would they need a diesel
and a diesel aston is just wrong
Alejandro, there was one DBR9, but it was a privateer team – Aston Martin themselves only entered in LMP1 (the top category), with some of the DBR9 drivers from last year.
Hats off to Peugeot for pulling it off. I really hope Aston can win next year but they’ll have to work hard to catch Audi and Peugeot. They only thing they shouldn’t change is the engine… keep it petrol. And keep the Gulf livery
DAMN, the one car I didn’t want to win was Peugeot! I bet they’re gonna put it in ALL of their ads now, and then more people will buy Peugeots, and that means we will be one step closer to hell on Earth! LOL
I wouldn’t mind that much if Aston made a Diesel. Audi and now Peugeot are not going to take their wins in Le Mans to the advertising for their diesel cars, but to all… just as the former did with the R8; all over the world they matched the idea of the originals r8 and r10 which won Le Mans to the road-going R8. So, the goal of Aston winning Le Mans is not to advertise the cars that are closer to their winning entry but TO WIN. Then they will use it to publicize the idea of Aston Martin as a marque so fast and technically advanced that can win even the 24 Heures.
..and if winning means getting a diesel car in the grid, so be it. But anyway, as seen in the results of this year, diesel is not the ultimate sorcerer’s stone of endurance motor racing.
hey everyone i think you forgrtting one thing next year the deisels will have smaller engines so the petrol cars might win at le mans next year!
peugoet 908 car looks amazing!
well done peugoet and aston martin good on you !
I don’t understand why they are starting to penalize the diesels in the name of competition. I thought the whole point of Le Mans was to push road friendly technology to the brink. If diesel is that much better then everyone should switch to diesel rather than having the people who run diesel punished for having better technology!
PS- I somehow managed to be looking in the wrong direction when the Porsche crashed with about an hour left to go. Does anyone know of a place where I can find the video?
When diesal was introduced they had a major advantage because of less limitations over engine size, configuration etc. I think that a turbo petrol engine of the same size- meaning its truly equalized- would be superior, so diesals are being penalised to make up for the ‘headstart’ they head over petrol. At least i think thats whats happening
Good thing Peugeot won, now they can normalize the rules so diesels don’t have an advantage. Bring back the petrols!
The only way for a petrol engine to take down a turbo diesel in 24hr enduro may only be with KERS or Hybrid drivetrain. I hate diesels as much as anyone but they are the future in 24hr racing and have been the future for some time…
Torque and economy has led the diesels to win LeMans, and Audi knew this when they introduced their very first LMP1 racecar to the world as they did with 4WD to rallying… so good on Audi for that.
But it’s the French’s turn this time around, a big congrats they were just on a different level with their pace and was also matching the might and discipline of Audi in the pits.
For Audi, it could be just that this is a new car plus I think was dogged by suspension problems throughout the race.
I don’t think Aston Martin/Lola would just switch to diesel fuel ( if they do continue to contest for next year ). They were actually really quick and their reliability was matching both the diesel-powered Audi and Peugeot.
Good race and a lot of drama.
I don t care how fast the diesels are. They still sound like a tractor.
How could you expect something better from Aston Martin, a company which has a fraction of Peugeot’s and Audi’s know-how?!?!?!
fair point
and have no where near the funds audi and peugeot have
yet they can still beat the american corvettes last year
The Nissan GTR GT1 is coming 2010 right? lol its already over but I’m already looking forward to next year.
A diesel Aston Martin? You, PetrolHead247, have just made my list…
A note to Gorgeous George – The diesel powered cars at Le Mans do not sound like machines. They are incredible sounding machines and are a lot more intruiging to see flying round the track than the petrols. That said….they are still diesels so should immediatley be forced to race with three wheels and blindfolds.
Anyone feel sad the Lambo didn’t even get out of the pits
All those who say that aston should enter with a diesel car have a point…..but, however, the aston was definitely the best sounding car there BY FAR!
Alejandro, are you referring to when the Corvettes were weighed down because no one could beat them in a fair race?
And well done to Risi Competizione out of Houston, Texas. Two years in a row!
You Brits, you proved that you are very complicated people. I can tell that by the fact that you didn’t congratulate Peugeot even ONCE. You will never win Peugeot!
Lola are brilliant, Aston Martin are brilliant. Fingers crossed for next year.
why dont peugeot make a race car like the mc12 and brand it under a supplier of the company as not to put buyers of buying a peugeot supercar? the (something something) 9008 turbo
Peugeot fail his first year at Le mans. Why must discuss about Aston Martin first time? It do extremely well. With a bit of luck and lots of money, who knows? In the other hand, if start limiting diesel engines, it seems to be like F1, changing rules like his underpants. Rubissh!!!
at least the audi era was over …. harhar (^_^)
Did anyone see the Aston Martin crash?
what happens 2 the top gear doggy ?
i miss it a lot…
I don’t undertand why theres such a big following when its just a Lola
it’s still an aston
That was the first le man I have ever watched.
Too bad Aston didn’t win. Out of all the Euro box badges in the race they were my favs.
Too bad Puegeot don’t put as much money into interior trim as they do LMP car research
@ zplol
It may have been a lola chassis but compared to diesels, they are more exciting to watch.
when the diesels went past the camera stations you could barely hear them but when them wailing Aston Martin powered lola’s went by…
Hell, the F430s were more exciting to watch then them puegeots and audis.
i agree with the stig 514