The winners' podium with Peugeot and Audi. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Peugeot and Audi were always going to be the two main challengers for the overall victory at the Petit Le Mans, the ninth and final round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series season. When an unscheduled pit stop removed the other challenger in Audi halfway through the race, the question was then which of the two Peugeots would take home the win.

The No. 08 captured the victory, with Stephane Sarrazin, Franck Montagny and Pedro Lamy behind the wheel of the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. With the second Peugeot in second, ahead of the No. 7 Audi and No. 1 Highcroft HPD, Michelin technical partner teams took the top four spots overall.

Sarrazin and Montagny repeat their win in this race a year ago, and this gives the team a win in a full 1,000 mile race distance after winning a rain-shortened event last season.

“Last year we proved we were fastest, we didn’t get to go to the end of the race but we really think and knew that we were fastest last year,” Montagny said. “The results we got last year we didn’t get to prove it. But this year, we had the same team, same car, and knew we could pull it out again.”

Completing the 1-2 sweep for the “French lions” was the No. 07, driven by Anthony Davidson, Alexander Wurz and Marc Gene. Audi’s No. 7 finished third with Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello.

Capello’s visibility was hampered with a visor issue in the middle of the race, leading him to make a green flag pit stop. The unscheduled visit left the car one lap down. McNish and Kristensen both fought to erase the deficit but to no avail.

However, when those three were all on the same lap, it was a great battle between them. For a majority of the time, only a few seconds separated them, and each driver’s skill was tested as they battled through traffic. The only car that fell off the road was the No. 9 Audi with Andre Lotterer behind the wheel. Lotterer hit a curb early in the race, which forced the team behind the wall for 15 laps.

Highcroft finished fourth overall and won the P2 class with David Brabham, Simon Pagenaud and Marino Franchitti. Intersport took a reliable fifth with Jon and Clint Field and Ben Devlin, and the No. 9 Audi of Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler was sixth.

Level 5’s No. 95 car won the LMP Challenge class with Scott Tucker, Marco Werner and Burt Frisselle, and the Intersport LMPC car recorded its first podium of the season with Kyle Marcelli and the brothers Ducote, Chapman and David. Tucker won the inaugural class championship.