Jun 19, 2012 11:29 AM EDT
First hybrid vehicles win Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race (with driver's side video)

A team of four Audi R18 e-trons held the top positions at the close of the 80th annual Le Mans 24 Hours, marking the first time a hybrid vehicle won the famous day-long race held in Le Mans, France. At the close of the 24-hour race, which concluded Sunday, June 17, the cars of Audi Sport Team Joest occupied positions one, two, three and five.

"By achieving this further success at the world's most important endurance race our engineers demonstrated their technological expertise in a particularly impressive way," said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, in an Audi press release.

Drivers Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer - all winners of last year's Le Mans - secured the first-place victory. The win marks Audi's fourth after previous victories in 2000, 2002 and 2010.

About 200,000 spectators witnessed the 80ths Le Mans race, the world's oldest endurance race, dating back to 1923.

"With the e-tron quattro in combination with ultra lightweight design, we put a completely new technology on the grid and immediately won with it - this cannot be taken for granted by any means, particularly here at Le Mans," Stadler said.  

 

A view from inside Tom Kristensen's Audi R18 e-tron during the Le Mans 24 Hours race. Kristensen's team placed second.

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