Talk about a bombshell.

French automaker and Le Mans powerhouse PSA Peugeot Citroen has announced that Peugeot->ke68 will be dropping out of Le Mans racing indefinitely. The news was first reported by Reuters, saying that the French manufacturer will be solely concentrating all their efforts on improving their sales figures for 2012, thus dropping any other endeavors, including in motorsports.

In a press release sent to the media, Peugeot confirmed this stunning turn of events, saying that "this decision has been taken against the backdrop of the challenging economic environment in Europe coupled with a particularly busy year for the Brand in terms of new vehicle launches."

The news that Peugeot is dropping out of Le Mans comes as a shock to a lot of racing fans, particularly those that have seen and witnessed the company's recent dominance in the series, as well as its well-chronicled rivalry with Audi->ke14.

We're not quite sure how the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans is going to play out now that one of the perennial contenders has withdrawn their entry to the field, but Audi is probably uncorking a bottle of champagne.

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