Audi leads at Le Mans race marred by driver death
McNish completed 271 laps in 18 hours of racing to lead Stephane Sarrazin's Toyota No. 8.
LE MANS (AP) - Allan McNish's Audi No. 2 held off two Toyotas to lead the 24 Hours of Le Mans after 18 hours Sunday morning in an endurance race overshadowed by the death of Danish driver Allan Simonsen at the start.
McNish completed 271 laps in 18 hours of racing to lead Stephane Sarrazin's Toyota No. 8 and Kazuki Nakajima's Toyota No. 7 by two laps.
Audi was much quicker than its Japanese rival, but Toyota hopes fuel consumption and tire management could tip the scales in its favor during the race.
Lucas Di Grassi's Audi No. 3 was in fourth place, three laps off the pace. Defending champion Marcel Fassler's Audi No. 1 virtually fell out of contention, dropping to fifth place, 11 laps behind McNish.
Simonsen was the first driver fatality at Le Mans since 1997. Organizers said the 34-year-old was taken to a hospital after his Aston Martin spun at high speed only 10 minutes into the race and skidded into the barrier at the Tertre Rouge corner where cars typically reach speeds of up to 170 kph (105 mph).
Simonsen died at the hospital soon after arrival "due to his injuries," organizers said.
Aston Martin Racing, which entered five Vantage V8 cars in the GTE-Pro and GTE-Am classes, continued in the race at the request of Simonsen's family.
Audi is seeking a 12th title at the world's most famous endurance race. It is second for most victories by a manufacturer behind Porsche's 16.
Audi had the top three spots on the grid while Toyota started from fourth and fifth. Under a light drizzle, the Japanese manufacturer soon climbed two spots as Nicolas Lapierre's Toyota No. 7 moved into second place and Anthony Davidson's Toyota No. 8 rose to third after two laps.
The safety car came out after Simonsen's crash and the race was held up for nearly an hour to repair the guard rail at the Tertre Rouge corner.
Toyota has had three runner-up finishes at Le Mans, and never won. The only Japanese manufacturer to win was Mazda in 1991.
Toyota briefly hit the front when the Audis pitted in the second hour. But the German manufacturer started dominating the race with its pace, recovering the top three spots in the third hour under a pouring rain.
However, speed is no guarantee of victory. Reliability matters just as much in a competition won by the team that completes the most laps in 24 hours, with up to three drivers alternating.
Just when Audi looked irresistible on a track that was drying out, two of its cars faced reliability issues in the seventh hour.
Benoit Treluyer's Audi No. 1 was stuck in the garage for more than 40 minutes because of a crank sensor failure. The Audi No. 3 driven by Oliver Jarvis suffered a puncture and later had his front bodywork changed.
A total of 56 cars started in the 81st edition of Le Mans, which will end at 1300 GMT on Sunday.
Sebastien Enjolras lost his life in pre-qualifying in 1997. The last driver fatality during the race itself was Jo Gartner in 1986.
The worst crash in Le Mans history occurred in 1955 when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes flew into the crowd, killing more than 80 spectators.
