The first qualifying session for the 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours has given a hint what spectators can expect weekend in the 75th running of the French endurance classic: a thrilling battle between the diesel-powered sportscars from Audi and Peugeot.

Two red-flags and a rain shower caused a quite unusual Le Mans qualifying on Wednesday evening. On a track which dried only slowly, the fastest times were set just before the end of the practice at midnight. When at exactly 12 p.m. the chequered flag was waved, Allan McNish in the number 2 Audi R10 TDI was topping the time list. However, the Scotsman was narrowly relegated to provisional second spot on the grid by the best Peugeot in the dying seconds.

With a 3m 26.916s, McNish recorded the fastest ever Le Mans lap of an Audi R10 TDI on soft race tyres despite the difficult conditions and the darkness. A few minutes later, the Scotsman had missed the provisional pole time set by Stéphane Serrazin by just 0.572 seconds. Audi Sport Team Joest's other two R10 TDI sports cars hold positions four and five after the first qualifying session.

On Wednesday, Audi Sport Team Joest concentrated primarily on qualifying all nine drivers for the race - including the mandatory laps in darkness. The Audi squad used the few dry laps and also the wet track to test different tyre compounds, suspension set-ups and aerodynamic configurations for the race. All three Audi R10 TDI prototypes ran without any technical problems.

More than satisfied was Tom Kristensen at the end of the first qualifying session: The Le Mans record winner immediately felt comfortable at the wheel of the 650-hp sports car in his much noticed comeback.

The final starting grid will be decided in the second qualifying session on Thursday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. and 10 to 12 p.m. Similar changeable weather conditions are forecast as on Wednesday.