Gene surprised by Audi dominance

Peugeot's Marc Gene says that he is at a loss to explain the difference in lap times between his team's 908 and the Audi R10 over the first half of the Le Mans 24-hour race

Mark Glendenning Jun 16, 2007, 11:44 PM

The Peugeots had been lapping competitively with the Audis during qualifying, but the first part of the race has found them well short of their rival's pace.

"I don't know why they are quicker," the Spaniard told autosport.com. "But they are, and we need to understand why.

"Me personally, I have not done a lot of dry running at this track, and neither has Jacques [Villeneuve]. My fastest time was towards the end of my stint. So both of us will get faster as the race goes on.

"But right now, the Audis are fast everywhere. They are fast in a straight line, but they are not slow in the corners, either. I'm not surprised that they are fast, but I am a bit surprised that the difference in the lap times is so big."

"We're definitely surprised by their pace," Jacques Villeneuve agreed. "But they have been here a few times before, so they know what they're doing."