Sportscars Race Reports

Aston Martin Racing has been crowned the 2009 Le Mans Series champion claiming the Team and Driver titles 50 years on from the manufacturer winning the World Sportscar Championship in 1959 with the DBR1.

1. Panis/Lapierre Team Oreca Oreca 01-AIM 5hr 29min 12.688secs 195 laps LMP1 2. Belicchi/Fassler/Prost Speedy Racing Team Sebah Lola B08/60 Aston Martin 195 laps LMP1

Record-breaking five-time World Rally Champion S?bastien Loeb will be free to make his Formula 1 debut in the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale should the occasion present itself, Citro?n has revealed - as the French manufacturer officially acknowledged that it would not stand in the way of

Three Lolas-Aston Martin will start from the first and second rows of the grid for the N?rburgring 1,000kms this weekend - with the stated aim to replicate that performance when the points are handed out on race day.

1. Panis/Lapierre Team Oreca Matmut-AIM Courage-Oreca LC70-AIM 1min 31.020secs LMP1 2. Charouz/Enge/Mucke Aston Martin Racing Lola Aston Martin 1min 31.160secs LMP1

Luc Alphand, winner of the Dakar Rally back in 2006 and leader of his own Luc Alphand Aventures sportscar team, has been seriously injured during an accident in France.

Professional racing driver and entrepreneur Peter Hardman has confirmed that he is making plans to hand over the reins of Strakka Racing and that he is in negotiations with an 'undisclosed' buyer.

David Brabham has admitted that his first outright win at the Le Mans 24 Hours was taking time to sink in, but here are his first thoughts on exactly how it felt to have finally tasted success while on loan to the factory Peugeot squad.

Former Monaco Grand Prix winner Olivier Panis has described the prevailing political in-fighting in F1 in 2009 as 'a joke' - and one that is threatening to overshadow and spoil what is turning out on-track to be a classic season.

Guy Smith endured a disappointing run in the Le Mans 24 Hours last weekend after the Quifel-ASM team was forced to retire from the La Sarthe Classic.

Paul Drayson admitted he was thrilled to have lived the dream of competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours, despite the Drayson Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage failing to make it to the finish of the La Sarthe classic.

Benoit Treluyer has admitted that he stood no chance of keeping control of his Pescarolo Sport-entered Peugeot 908 ahead of the high-speed accident at Le Mans which destroyed the car and left the Frenchman lucky to escape injury.

David Brabham has secured a place in the annals of Le Mans 24 Hours history with his first overall and LMP1 victory at La Sarthe - helping Peugeot to win with the 908 HDi at the third time of asking.

Olivier Quesnel paid tribute to his 'warriors' in the #9 car after David Brabham, Marc Gene and Alex Wurz secured victory for Peugeot in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

They had always described the programme as a three-year project, and Peugeot have proven to be every bit as good as their word in the 77th edition of the legendary le Mans 24 Hours this weekend - finally bringing to an end Audi's domination of the race dubbed the 'hardest in the world' with a com

The safety car has been deployed once again barely an hour from the end of the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours, with a sizeable accident for the #5 LMP2 Navi Team Goh Porsche RS Spyder on the Mulsanne Straight.

The anticipated duel-to-the flag in the GT1 class of this year's Le Mans 24 Hours is seemingly all-but over less than two hours from the end of the race, after the #64 Corvette ground to a halt with suspected transmission woes.

Peugeot has taken a step closer to securing victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours after further problems for rivals Audi left the #9 and #8 cars holding a healthy lead out front.

After the dramatic early morning action at La Sarthe, which saw the Pescarolo Peugeot and the Flying Lizard Porsche both crash out, a period of calm descended on the Le Mans 24 Hours, with Peugeot continuing to lead the way.

Henri Pescarolo's decision to run a Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP in a bid to return to the podium at the Le Mans 24 Hours has ended in a heavy accident for Formula Nippon frontrunner Benoit Treluyer at the start of hour 14.

Aston Martin Racing's Stuart Hall has been banned from taking any further part in the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours after the Automobile Club de l'Ouest came down heavily on him for his part in the accident involving the #008 AMR entry and the #26 Bruichladdich Bruneau Radical.

As it had from the start of the race, Peugeot continued to pace the Le Mans 24 Hours into the night, but the race was not without drama for the French marque or its main rivals.

Peugeot continues to hold the high ground as the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours prepares to head into the night, but what was a commanding one-two for the home favourites fell apart just under six hours in, when the long-time leader ran into problems that have cost it three laps and five positions.

Peugeot leads the way after the opening three hours of the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours with the diesel-powered 908 HDis occupying the top two positions, but it has been far from a trouble-free start for either the home heroes or arch-rivals and defending race-winners Audi.