Audi claims LMS titles

Audi drivers Alexandre Prémat and Mike Rockenfeller joined a select group who have triumphed in a major international championship without winning a race when they took the Le Mans Series title at Silverstone.

The pair claimed the drivers’ crown with a fourth-place finish in the Autosport 1000Km in September. They emulated the likes of Tom Sneva, who was winless on his way to the 1978 USAC Indycar crown, and Elliott Forbes-Robinson, who claimed the inaugural ALMS title without a win in 1999.

Audi also won the manufacturers’ crown after Peugeot hit the self-destruct button. Nicolas Minassian, who led the points going into the finale with team-mate Marc Gené, retired after tangling with a lapped car (above right), while Stéphane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy failed to score after the former clashed with Audi’s Rinaldo Capello. The Italian and Allan McNish won to record Audi’s first LMS victory since 2005.