The race was won for Audi by Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Faessler in a diesel-powered R18 TDI. It was one of the closest victories in the history of the famous endurance race, with Audi beating arch rival Peugeot by just 13 seconds.
Audi's win was made all the more special as the German company had lost both of its other works entries. British driver Allan McNish went out in the first hour after a spectacular crash involving a Ferrari 458 Italia.
As McNish went to pass the slower Ferrari, he clipped the Italian car's side, sending them both spinning into the barriers. McNish's car jumped into the air and collided very heavily with the tyre barriers, causing the safety car to take to the track while the recovery took place. Fortunately, McNish walked away from the crash.
The second Audi retired after its driver, Mike Rockenfeller, lost control while avoiding a slower car at the end of the flat-out Mulsanne straight. Again, no drivers were seriously injured, but it left just one Audi to battle with the Peugeots.
Audi's Head of Motorsport, Wolfgang Ullrich admitted it was a lucky win and said: "One more lap and we could not have finished as we had so little fuel."
If there is anything about this story we have not covered, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.