Nicolas Minassian admitted he was disappointed to miss out on giving Peugeot a dream result in the 76th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Minassian, alongside Marc Gene and Jacques Villeneuve, emerged as the closest challenger to the eventual race-winning Audi of Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen but despite the best efforts of Minassian in the closing hours of the race, the weather would play its part in ensuring Peugeot had to settle for the second step of the podium.
The fact the trio were even able to take part in the race came thanks to stunning work from the Peugeot team to build a new car after Gene was involved in a huge accident during the annual test day. However, with a new car ready to go, the trio duly secured third on the grid for the race.
Having held position during the early hours of the race, the #7 car moved to the front during the night but then lost the lead to the Audi having been forced to pit overnight due to overheating worries. Despite that, the car climbed onto the lead and headed into the final hours with Minassian chasing down Kristensen in the Audi.
With a rain shower arriving little more than an hour before the end of the race, the team elected to leave Minassian on slick tyres in an attempt to try and catch the Audi, with part of the circuit being wet and part being dry. However, following a spin, the decision was taken to change to wet tyres to ensure the car made it the finish – with a further stop then being made as the Frenchman struggled with an apparent puncture.
"We knew it would be difficult, but I'm disappointed not to have won," Minassian reflected. "It has to be said, though, that our opponents did a remarkable job. At the very end of the race, we did everything we could to catch them. We stayed out on slicks in the rain and then gambled on rain tyres because we were still some way back and we had to try something.
"We will now have to analyse everything that happened this weekend to come back even stronger than ever."
Peugeot Sport director Michel Barge paid tribute to Audi for its victory, the third in a row with the R10 and eighth overall, and said his own team would be back to continue to the fight in 2009.
