LMS Spa 1000 Kms
Post Race Quotes

Jacques Villeneuve (Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP #7): "I thoroughly enjoyed the race. We had a good fight and the three of us did a good job together. The weekend was excellent preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours and it was also very nice to win a race again. My last victory dated back to the 1997 Luxemburg Grand Prix!"

Nicolas Minassian (Peugeot 908 Hdi-FAP #7): "I suffered quite badly with oversteer during my first stint but everything returned to normal once new tyres were fitted and I had a great scrap with McNish. I left my braking as late as possible, and he braked even later, and we both end up crossing the grass. It was close, but perfectly fair and square! I spent the rest of the race enjoying the afternoon with my two teammates."

Alexandre Prémat (Audi R10 TDI #2): "I think we can be satisfied with the result. Audi is leading the manufacturers’ championship. ‘Rocky’ and I’ve got the same number of points as the Peugeot drivers. The race was really tough. Peugeot was very quick again, but we weren’t slow either. We started in fourth place and finished in second for the third time in a row. This podium result makes me feel even more confident for Le Mans.”

Mike Rockenfeller (Audi R10 TDI #2): "We did what we were expected to do and what we’d set out to do: safely bringing the car home. As far as our speed was concerned, we were doing pretty well in the race. Alex and I are getting along with the R10 TDI better and better. Now we’ve finished in second place for the third time in a row and have got the same number of points as the leaders of the standings – if someone had told me that before the start of the season … I’m super happy. I want to thank Alex and the whole team. The car was great in the race and very safe to drive. So I’m satisfied as far as that goes, although I’d have preferred victory of course.”

Dindo Capello (Audi R10 TDI #1): "When I was hit from behind I just didn’t know what had happened. It was a big impact. Then I saw the Peugeot, but I still do not know exactly what occurred. I didn’t see the red light at my pit-stop. I really believed our luck would change for this race. We had a car to challenge for victory again. In each LMS race we have something unexpected happening and we have to recover. We show that our speed is good enough to fight for victory but at the moment just do not get onto the podium.”

Allan McNish (Audi R10 TDI #1): "Lamy accelerated before the final corner and broke every rule that was explained to us prior to the race so I was surprised that the organisers allowed the start and that the Peugeot didn’t receive a penalty. I was able to fight pretty well with both Peugeots sitting in second position until I was baulked in Eau Rouge and Minassian got a run on me on the outside into Les Combes. I was on the inside in the braking area and he turned in, which punctured my left rear tyre – he came and apologised afterwards. We came back well from that until Dindo’s unlucky incident with the other Peugeot, which required repairs in the garage as is the story of our LMS year so far unfortunately. From that point it was just recovery back to fourth position.”

Didier Theys (Horag Porsche RS Spyder #27): "We had a very good race. Fredy didn't want to take any chances with his back, so he decided to just watch this one. We were first (LMP2) for more than two hours and between Jan [Lammers] and I we had no problems. We had a good set-up and had no contact with anybody. It was a very nice and clean race for us, without any drama. The car that won was a little faster than we were, but we got second and it was a good fight in all the classes from the beginning until the end. Everybody is happy with the results."

Harold Primat, whose Pescarolo Sport #17 ran out of fuel (one litre short) on the last lap: “It’s a sad end to the weekend as things looked to have gone well. Midway through the race a warning light started showing on the dashboard and the team asked me to pit a bit earlier than planned to check it out. That changed our fuel strategy a little and that has ultimately cost us the points. The three points for sixth would have put us third in the drivers’ championship, ahead of a works Peugeot and a works Audi, so to miss out in this way is a real shame.”

Christophe Tinseau (Pescarolo Sport #17) added: “It’s a tough break. We only stopped 500 metres short of the line, but still won’t be classified under the rules. A splash and dash late in the race would have got us to the finish without losing many places, so it’s very frustrating. In a five-race series you can’t afford to miss out on points and sadly we’ve done that today.”