So despite all sorts of mishaps, including a couple of crashes, technical difficulties, and even losing a driver to injury, Audi emerged victorious at 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours. What we like about it all is that they start their press release not with “Audi wins Le Mans” but with “Audi defeats Porsche and Toyota.”

Audi has been under a lot of pressure this year, mainly because Porsche and Toyota had both prepared mighty teams and top-notch cars, ready to put an end to Audi’s reign at Le Mans. Then came Duval’s massive crash followed by poor performance in qualifying, and it seemed a real possibility that Audi may have to accept defeat.

But half way through the race Audi drivers bounced back and showed they are still the best in the game. They worked real hard for it, which is why this particular victory tastes really sweet. Once again Audi takes home to Ingolstadt a 1-2 victory, proving that the previous 12 wins were not down to luck.

The victorious car was Audi Sport Team Joest with Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer. It was followed by Tom Kristensen in car number two. For Audi, 2014 Le Mans marked the 13th victory in the ‘24 Heures,’ the eighth one with TDI Power and the third one with a hybrid race car. The team of Reinhold Joest celebrated its 15th success.

“We’ve seen many exciting races and celebrated great victories at Le Mans but this success has a very special significance,” said Professor Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, following the triumphant finish by the two Audi R18 e-tron quattro cars. “We didn’t enter this race as favorites and in Porsche and Toyota had two very strong rivals. That we managed to win Le Mans again this time in spite of this is a fantastic achievement by the whole Audi squad. We’re tremendously happy and my thanks go to all who have made this success possible.”