Peugeot, Audi’s main competition in Europe in the Le Mans Series, will continue the contest in America at the Sebring International Raceway, where Acura and Audi will debut their latest LMP-1 designs.
Peugeot entered a single 908 in last year’s Sebring 12 Hours, finishing eleventh. Peugeot also raced against Audi at the 2008 Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, finishing second.
Peugeot competes directly with Audi in Europe, the only other major auto manufacturer to field a factory LMP1 team there. Audi has consistently defeated Peugeot at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the continent’s premier road-racing event. This year, Peugeot wants to establish itself as the fastest and most reliable car in the series.
Peugeot’s 908HDi, with its 5.5 liter, 700 bhp, all-aluminum, twin-turbo V-12, was often faster than Audi last season, but the Audi R10 proved more reliable.
The addition of two Peugeot’s to Sebring’s starting lineup adds a lot of excitement, as the top three Le Mans Prototype factory teams will all be competing in what will be a preview of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
