In the absence of Audi and Peugeot, the independent teams rose to the fore and Aston Martin Racing, Pescarolo ORECA led the way in LMP1, while the hotly-contested lower classes were as close as ever

The 2009 Le Mans Series wasn't a manufacturer versus manufacturer gladiatorial epic like the previous year's head-to-head between Audi and Peugeot. Instead, the championship became a shoot-out between a larger group of smaller but quite evenly-matched teams.

Aston Martin Racing's new LMP1 project was the highest-profile squad in the field, and it eventually prevailed in the title battle after a close fight with the sometimes quicker Pescarolo. ORECA was also a winner, while there were surprisingly strong challenges from the Sebah and Strakka teams too.

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