24 hours later ...

What a race. Day, night (once), day. Sun, rain (several times), sun. Porsche and Toyota determined to win, Audi the defending champions, determined to thwart them. That was the scene at Le Mans this weekend. Twenty four hours of manic motorsport, intense rivalry and ecstatic excitement.

Race over, it was a 1-2 (or actually 2-1, from the numbers on the cars) win for Audi, with Toyota third and Porsche disappointed. Porsche's 2014 Le Mans slogan, 'Back where we belong', was decisively trumped by Audi's 'Welcome challenges'. Audi is rather good at Le Mans, with today's victory remarkably the company's 13th win.

This was the scene in the pits just after the race finished, rammed with people and awash with flags wearing those four interlinked rings. Tonight it is party time for Audi, and also in the Maison Blanche campsite where we have been staying for the Le Mans weekend. Tomorrow the long drive home.