PEUGEOT ROCKS SEBRING.(Competition)

Peugeot blitzed Audi during the official American Le Mans Series preseason test at Sebring International Raceway, on the French manufacturer's first visit to the bumpy 3.7-mile circuit.

The lone Peugeot 908 HDi turbodiesel prototype set a best time of 1 minute 42.801 seconds in the hands of Stephane Sarrazin. That was more than two seconds faster than last year's LMP1-class pole position time and 0.7 second faster than Audi's best, set by Allan McNish.

Peugeot is yet to confirm whether it will compete in the ALMS season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race in March. It will announce its decision on Feb. 15, when it reveals its full 2008 plan.

Audi, meanwhile, is committed to Sebring but has not announced whether it will race in the ALMS after that. McNish and Rinaldo Capello, who won the LMP1 championship last year, and a second car driven by Mike Rocken-feller and Alexandre Premat, will contest the full Le Mans Series in Europe. Date clashes mean that Audi will miss at least rounds two (St. Petersburg) and four (Houston) of the ALMS season, even if it decides to run the other races.

In LMP2 action, Acura bested Porsche. Andretti Green Racing's Bryan Herta edged out Romain Dumas in the best of the Penske Porsche RS Spyders by 0.1 second.

NO DEAL

To drag-racing insiders, the announcement that investment group HD Partners had decided not to acquire the professional racing assets of the National Hot Rod Association did not come as a complete surprise. Not long after the deal was announced last May (Competition, June 11, 2007) came rumors that both sides were uncomfortable with the deal.