Le Mans duo rev up

The scene is set for another classic Le Mans 24 Hours as diesel rivals Audi and Peugeot once again battle it out for glory.

The Lion finally broke its German adversary’s five-year stranglehold over the race by securing victory in last year’s showdown. Peugeot’s 908 HDi FAP coupés dominated, on the way to an emphatic one-two.

However, this year, Audi aims to reclaim its crown with an uprated version of its R15 TDI sports prototype. The revised car – dubbed the R15 Plus – features a new front end, plus revamped aerodynamics and an even more powerful version of Audi’s 5.5-litre turbocharged V10 diesel. And the changes appear to have worked.

In a full-scale dress rehearsal for 2010’s enduro – to be held on 12-13 June – Audi and Peugeot clashed in a 1,000km warm-up race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium earlier this month. Both squads fielded three-car line-ups, and although Peugeot remained on top, the R15s were narrowly behind, setting up the prospect of another titanic tussle.

“The team should be confident as far as Le Mans is concerned,” confirmed Audi lead driver, Allan McNish. “In terms of performance, we can be very pleased with the changes that have been made.

“We also ran our cars in a low-downforce Le Mans specification at Spa, unlike Peugeot, which chose to use a higher-downforce set-up,” added the Scot.