UPDATE 1-Motor racing-Peugeot lead Audi in Le Mans 24 Hours

(updates after eight hours)

LE MANS, France, June 13 (Reuters) - Peugeot were in control of the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race at the Circuit de la Sarthe after eight hours on Saturday.

The French manufacturer was in first and second place with Spain's Marc Gene having completed 131 laps and leading Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais by one lap at 2100 GMT.

Eight times champion Tom Kristensen of Denmark, driving an Audi, was 29.900 seconds further back.

"We are trying to improve the car's performances since the race started and the fact we changed the bonnet helped us make a big step forward," said Italian Rinaldo Capello, who shares the Audi number one wheel with Kristensen and Briton Allan McNish.

"We are not ready yet to go faster than the Peugeots although we are doing quite well in the traffic," he told the race's official website (www.lemans.org).

Audi, who have won eight of the last nine editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours, suffered a setback when their number two car was pulled out at 1954 GMT after their German driver Lucas Ruhr crashed by the Porsche curve.

Underdogs Aston Martin, who are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their first Le Mans 24 Hours victory, were fifth with German Stefan Muecke at the wheel three laps off the pace.

The race ends at 1300 on Sunday but the winner may have to wait until July to be officially crowned after Peugeot said they would appeal a decision on Audi by the organisers.