Huge fight in store for Le Mans win

This weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours has been billed as the great rematch between Peugeot and Audi. It has the potential to reach epic proportions.

The two powerhouses of the international sportscar racing of the last decade should dispute the victory between them. After all, the last time anyone beat them was October 2008.

However, choosing a winner in general between the two manufacturers that have dominated the race for the last four years - and a winning line-up in particular - is not easy.

Audi suffered a humiliating defeat last year as its R15 machine was comprehensively beaten by two of the three Peugeot 908s. This year, it wants payback.

The German manufacturer, which worked tirelessly through the winter and came up with the restyled and upgraded R15-plus as a result.

The machine won on its debut at the Paul Ricard Eight Hours in the hands of former Le Mans winners Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello (although not against factory Peugeot opposition).

With the pair joined at La Sarthe by Tom Kristensen, the only man to win the race eight times, they form probably the strongest line-up in the field.

Their Castrol Rankings positions may indicate otherwise, with Kristensen 103rd, McNish 242nd and Capello 255th. However, this is largely down to the trio having only raced sporadically over the past 12 months.

The highest-ranked of the Audi contingent is Mike Rockenfeller, who usually competes in the DTM alongside his sportscar commitments.

The German, 98th in the Castrol Rankings after a sharp rise last week, shares his R15-plus with Romain Dumas (218) and Timo Bernhard (252), and their machine might just be the quickest, if perhaps not the most consistent, of the manufacturer's cars.

The third machine, to be driven by Marcel Fassler (404), Andre Lotterer (259) and Benoit Treluyer (341), three drivers more used to GT than LMP machinery, is likely to be the slowest of them.

In Audi's way is an unbelievably strong line-up from Peugeot. Like its rival, it too has three cars entered and the 908 HDI has won both races its entered so far this year.

Its 2009 winners Alex Wurz and Marc Gene (equal 234) return, albeit without David Brabham, who will instead compete in the Highcroft HPD he regularly races in the ALMS.

Into his place comes Britain's Anthony Davidson (382), who started his year well with victory at the Sebring 12 Hours.

Wurz and Gene will lose ground in the Castrol Rankings next week unless they repeat their victory, whereas Davidson, who was 13th in a Lola-Aston Martin last year, he will enhance his score just by finishing higher.

Stephane Sarrazin (207), who has taken pole position for the last three years, teams up with fellow Frenchmen Franck Montagny (207) and Nicolas Minassian (211) in the second 908.

Perhaps the quickest of the three cars though is the one that includes Simon Pagenaud (pictured) who, at 47th in the Castrol Rankings, is the highest-placed driver taking part at Le Mans.

Pagenaud, who will surely be the favourite to end Sarrazin's run of poles, is joined by Sebastien Bourdais (62) and Pedro Lamy (132) and warmed up by winning the Spa 1000km in May.

It will be a huge shock if the winning car comes from a rival team. After all, the turbodiesel-powered cars are the most powerful and most economical in the field and have their pick of the drivers too.

If the unthinkable does happen though, like in 1991 when Mazda produced the most unlikely of victories after the Mercedes, Jaguar and Peugeot challenges simply fell to pieces, there is a glut of other LMP1 machines waiting in the wings to inherit a win.

Aston Martin Racing has two prototypes and three top drivers. Unfortunately for the team, they're not all sharing the same car.

Instead the unlucky Darren Turner (241) has to partner two slower drivers while Le Mans Series Champion Stefan Mucke (125) and Adrian Fernandez (134) get Harold Primat (195) in their car.

The petrol-powered B09/60 will spend more time in the pits than the rest of the factory cars thanks to its greater fuel consumption, and that could give the advantage to the only non-works diesel in the field.

That is a Peuegot run by ORECA, which has grand prix winner Olivier Panis (178), Loic Duval (272) and Nicolas Lapierre (189) on board.

Then there's the Rebellion Lolas, one of which features two of the most famous names in motorsport. Admittedly neither Nicolas Prost nor Marco Andretti have quite achieved the same as other members of their families, and probably will struggle to keep up with co-driver Neel Jani (747).

However, Prost (461) has got a Euroseries 3000 title to his name and Andretti's podium finish in last week's Texas IndyCar race makes him the second highest-ranked driver in the event at 49th. They should not be discounted in the battle to be best among the petrol-powered cars.

See. Choosing a winner is not easy, is it?