AUDI WINS IN THE WET AT LE MANS!

Audi and diesel power won again at the 24 Hours Le Mans as Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner teamed for the second straight victory Sunday in the world's greatest auto race in a race that featured the first diesel battle between Audi and Peugeot, a classic battle in GT1 and rain in the final two hours.

A soaked Werner crossed the finish line with his arms raised as the R10 TDI remained perfect in endurance contests. It won at Sebring, Le Mans and Petit Le Mans last year and now has won again at Sebring and the 75th Le Mans in 2007. The Audi finished 10 laps ahead of the factory Peugeot.

Pirro and Biela each took their fifth overall victories at Le Mans while Werner earned his third straight.

"Le Mans is always very, very difficult," Biela said. "The most recent result is always the sweetest one. Every single time I get to come here is an honor. If you win it's even more special. I definitely want to come back and do this again many more times."

Werner, Biela and Pirro were on their own as the last of three Audis entered in the world's greatest sports car race. The No. 3 Audi with Mike Rockenfeller at the wheel crashed and retired in the second hours after heavy contact at Tertre Rouge. But even more shocking was Dindo Capello's off in the 16th hour while leading by two laps. A broken left-rear wheel sent him flying into the gravel at Indianapolis Corner to end a race where the No. 2 Audi had dominated since the start.

So it was understandable that Audi wasn't taking anything for granted until the checkered flag. This year's race was particularly brutal with 25 retirements out of 54 starters.

"I am very satisfied with victory," said Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport. "The competition was very, very strong and there was never a moment to relax. The wrecks and not being able to bring the cars back is something that has never happened to us. We can be proud that Audi diesel technology rules on road as it does on the track."

In GT1, Aston Martin won at Le Mans for the first time in nearly 50 years as David Brabham, Darren Turner and Rickard Rydell finally knocked off Corvette Racing by a lap for a much-anticipated victory. The trio ran trouble-free throughout. The Corvette trio of Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Jan Magnussen was the factory's only car to finish after the No. 64 entry of Oliver Gavin, Olivier Beretta and Max Papis retired with a broken propshaft at the two-hour mark.

Porsche returned to the top of the podium in GT2 with a victory IMSA Performance and the trio of Raymond Narac, Richard Lietz and American Porsche factory driver Patrick Long. The trio ran a conservative pace and outlasted entries from Ferrari, Panoz and Spyker.

It was the second career Le Mans win for Long and third podium in four tries as the IMSA Porsche finished six laps ahead of the Risi Competizione/Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT of Nic Jonsson, Tracy Krohn and Colin Braun.

In LMP2, New Hampshire-based Binnie Motorsports won a battle of attrition for its first Le Mans win. Team owner Bill Binnie, Allen Timpany and Chris Buncombe finished well ahead of the factory Zytek of Adrian Fernandez, Haruki Kurosawa and Robbie Kerr.