It was late in the afternoon that Stéphane Sarrazin posted the day’s third quickest effort (3m 27.876s), just after fellow Frenchman and Peugeot team-mate Sébastien Bourdais had set a 3m 28.304s.

“We worked through our programme and focused on improving the set-up of the 908. I think the end-result is quite good. The car is both quick and a pleasure to drive. By the end of the day, its handling was nicely balanced and I was able to push a little harder.”

Stéphane Sarrazin was doubly happy at the end of the day when he learned that his friend Philippe Gilbert had won the punishing Liège-Bastogne-Liège cycle race ahead of the Schleck brothers following a sprint finish. “It’s incredible. It’s his third victory in a row in one of the sport’s classics after the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne. We often go cycling together: except that he will ride for eight hours at a time, whereas four hours are amply sufficient for me!”

Stéphane Sarrazin and Peugeot Sport team boss Olivier Quesnel are both big cycle racing fans and strong amateur riders. The Peugeot brand has an enviable record in the sport, too, with no fewer than nine Tour de France wins, three Tour of Spain successes and five Paris-Roubaix victories to its name. Peugeot and MICHELIN were partners in the sport from 1965 until 1985. LeMansLive will return to the topic of Peugeot’s relationship with cycling and Le Mans very soon…

Michelin, Peugeot, Sarrazin