Peugeot take early lead in Le Mans 24 Hours
LE MANS, France (Reuters) - Peugeot took the early lead in the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race at the Circuit de la Sarthe on Saturday.
The French manufacturer filled the top three positions, with France's Franck Montagny leading from pole ahead of Portugal's Pedro Lamy and Austrian Alexander Wurz.
Champions Audi were fourth with Scotland's Allan McNish at the wheel and facing a possible penalty after TV footage appeared to show him cross the start line just ahead of Montagny.
Audi, who claimed eight of the nine last editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours, suffered an early setback when Frenchman Alexandre Premat crashed out after only nine minutes.
The winner may have to wait until July to be officially crowned after Peugeot said they would appeal a decision by the organisers.
An International Automobile Federation (FIA) panel have a month to say whether Audi's cars conform to the regulations, as organisers stated despite Peugeot's complaints.
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