Autosport Plus

The Audi versus Peugeot war steps up a gear

The Audi/Peugeot rivalry has dominated sportscar racing for years - and now they will both be starting from square one in a new rules package and a worldwide contest. Gary Watkins looks ahead to the ILMC fight

One of the great rivalries in sportscar racing history is about to get even better. The Audi versus Peugeot confrontation has already produced some amazing racing that will be remembered in years to come, but this season the battle has an extra frisson. The two heavyweight manufacturers start on level terms, each with a brand new car designed to new rules, and what's more they will compete together no fewer than seven times in what is a world championship in all but name.

The 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup kicks off this weekend in the US. A field of 50-plus cars with a brace of Audis and Peugeots at its head battling it out around the historic Sebring International Raceway is a fitting way to kick off the first full season of the ILMC.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.