Pedro Lamy insisted that the late coming-together with Mike Rockenfeller at Monza was nothing more than a racing incident after Peugeot was able to maintain its 100 per cent winning record in the series in Italy.
The Portuguese driver made contact with Rockenfeller's Audi just nine laps from the finish at turn one, with the incident forcing the Audi man to pit with a puncture that cost the #2 car any chance of victory.
It allowed Lamy to secure a first win of the year for the #8 Peugeot having earlier looked like a pit-stop error – when he failed to pit at the right time – looked like costing the pair victory having given the Audi chance to move to the head of the field.
"It was a very difficult race because our car suffered from oversteer, unlike the #7 908 which had a better set-up,” Lamy insisted after taking the win that lifts him and Stephane Sarrazin to third in the standings. “The last 20 laps or so of the race itself were very virile, but our tangle was nothing more than a race incident."
The #7 car of Nic Minassian and Marc Gene had started from pole position and led the early stages of the race before a transmission problem led to a lengthy pit-stop that dropped the car out of contention.
The pair battled back through the field to take the flag in fifth place after Dindo Capello was forced into a late pit-stop with a puncture and Gene admitted it was important to get points on the board.
"Our car was excellent but it wasn't easy to catch Capello,” he said. “Despite their spectacular off, Capello and McNish were quick all the way to the flag. Nicolas and I really had to push hard to finish in fifth place."
Technical director Bruno Famin admitted that the issues on the #7 car, which also occurred during the morning warm-up, had been part of a longer term test ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours, with the rest of the weekend passing without problems.
![Sarrazin/Lamy - Peugeot Sport 908 HDi FAP [Pic credit: Peugeot Sport]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/432077.jpg)
