Audi takes early lead at Petit LeMans

Audi Sport’s Dindo Capello led Nic Minassian’s Peugeot under yellow as the 12th annual Petit Le Mans powered by MAZDA6 moved past the two-hour mark. The Audi R15 TDI and Peugeot 908 diesels were the only cars on the lead lap on a drying track with the threat of rain still lurking.

The front-row sitting Peugeots fell back early after Allan McNish, Capello’s teammate, broke away on the opening lap. The French diesels fought their way back, and the third-place Peugeot of Franck Montagny got back on the lead lap right after the restart.

The caution came out when Scott Dixon planted the de Ferran Motorsports XM Acura ARX-02a in the tire wall at Turn 5.

Luis Diaz held a comfortable lead in LMP2 for Lowe’s Fernandez Racing. The Acura ARX-01b was clean while the pole-sitting Lola-Mazda of Marino Franchitti fell back with gear issues, and the Team Cytosport Porsche RS Spyder had intermittent power issues and was well down the standings.

In GT2, Corvette Racing ran 1-2 with Jan Magnussen out front in the No. 3 Corvette C6.R. The top six cars were on the lead lap in class.