Allan McNish and Audi led the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race on Sunday after rain hit Peugeot's hopes of winning the battle of the diesels.

After 17 hours, the number two Audi with the Scot at the wheel was 23 seconds clear of Spain's Marc Gene in the number seven Peugeot.

French driver Franck Montagny was two laps adrift in the next Peugeot.

The 76th running of the sportscar classic was turned on its head during the night as conditions worsened with rain leaving parts of the 13.629km La Sarthe track difficult to negotiate.

The superior pace of the Peugeots in the dry was suddenly changed with Audi, the defending champions, proving much quicker with full wet tyres.

Peugeot's hopes were not helped with all three cars spending time in the garage because of overheating problems with mechanics force-feeding dry ice into the system in a bid to cool the engines.

The rain started midway through the race with Canada's 1997 Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve enjoying a comfortable lead for his team that also included Gene and France's Nicolas Minassian.

Villeneuve is aiming to become the only man alive, and only the second driver ever, to have won Le Mans, the F1 world championship and the Indy 500. The late Briton Graham Hill achieved the feat in 1972.

But the Canadian was caught by Denmark's seven times Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, who was lapping five seconds a lap quicker in the wet conditions.

The duo came into the pits together but Audi snatched the lead with Kristensen staying in the car while Villeneuve handed over to Gene.

Kristensen had extended the advantage to over one minute at one stage before conditions began to improve, allowing Peugeot to cut the deficit as the track started to dry.

Audi have won the event seven times in the past eight years, including the last four, but have faced their biggest challenge this year from the French manufacturer who dominated qualifying by filling the top three places.