Peugeot’s 2009 Le Mans revenge remains France’s modern benchmark at La Sarthe

5. Rondeau 1980

This great privateer triumph came after driver/constructor/patron Jean Rondeau, above left, had been knocking on the door through the ’70s. The Rondeau M379B had moved in front when Ickx, in a Porsche, lost half an hour in the pits with a stripped fifth gear. Rondeau and Jaussaud, above right, moved in front. Over the final few hours, the Porsche slashed the deficit from five laps to one and a half, helped by the Rondeau brushing the barrier in sudden rain. But the local boys held on.

4. Talbot Lago 1950

A record 112 entries, from which 60 were selected. Among them? Jaguar XK120s, Aston Martin DB2s, Ferrari 166 MMs, Gordinis… The 1950 running ended in a Talbot Lago 1-2, with what rivals harrumphed were thinly disguised F1 cars. But what a win for Louis Rosier, above. He drove all the way except for when he leapt out to replace a rocker shaft, and son Jean-Louis took over while dad had a banana. Oh, and Rosier Sr also sustained a black eye from hitting an owl.

3. Matra-Simca 1973

The bookending victories of Matra’s 1972-74 hat-trick could not rival ’73 for the competition faced by the French V12s: four blue machines vs Ferrari’s trio of 312Ps. Matra’s Henri Pescarolo, above left, and Gérard Larrousse, above right, stayed there or thereabouts as others wilted. When ‘Pesca’ lost 25 minutes having the starter motor rebuilt at midday Sunday, only the sick Ferrari of Jacky Ickx and Brian Redman was in range, and that car’s demise 90 minutes from the end ensured a home win.

2. Alpine Renault 1978

The four-car battalions of Renault and Porsche were soon whittled down. When fifth gear broke at 6am on the Porsche 936 into which Jacky Ickx had been transferred alongside Bob Wollek and Jürgen Barth, the race was in Renault’s hands. Engine failure at 10am for the leading Alpine of Jean-Pierre Jabouille and Patrick Depailler caused furrowed brows, but the sister A442B, above, of Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud held firm. Renault’s first Le Mans win; now it could focus on F1.

1. Peugeot 2009

The victories for the 905 in 1992 and ’93 were impressive, but in 2009 Peugeot avenged its narrow defeat of the previous year at the hands of Audi, the dominant force of the early 21st century. It was the third-string works 908 HDi turbo-diesel, above, of David Brabham, Alexander Wurz and Marc Gené that triumphed after the order had gone out during Sunday morning to hold station, consigning polewinner Stéphane Sarrazin, Sébastien Bourdais and Franck Montagny to second. Audi’s talismanic Kristensen/McNish/Capello trio was third, the new R15 TDIs suffering from sand clogging their intercoolers, plus a compromised set-up due to a Peugeot protest on their high-downforce bodywork during Le Mans week.