Sports / Motor Racing |
Villeneuve to race Le Mans with Peugeot(Reuters)Updated: 2007-01-11 10:41 Canada's former Formula One world champion Jacques Villeneuve will drive a diesel-powered Peugeot in this year's Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race, the French manufacturer announced on Wednesday. Peugeot said in a statement that Villeneuve would form part of a six man, two-car team for the June 16-17 race at the Sarthe circuit. The 35-year-old will be the first Formula One champion to compete in the classic since American Mario Andretti's last appearance in 2000. The Canadian joins Ferrari's Spanish Formula One test driver Marc Gene, Portugal's Pedro Lamy, France's ChampCar champion Sebastien Bourdais and French drivers Nicolas Minassian and Stephane Sarrazin in the squad. "Jacques is someone who has turned up and won every competition that he's undertaken," said Peugeot's team manager Serge Saulnier in a statement. "I like his sporting spirit and knew that he'd dreamed of taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours. When I contacted him, he convinced me that he could become the first driver in the world to win Formula One, Champcar, Indianapolis and the Le Mans 24 Hours," he added. Villeneuve, dropped by BMW Sauber last August in favour of young Pole Robert Kubica, won the Indy 500 in 1995, the CART title that same year and then the Formula One crown with Williams in 1997. "Le Mans is a mythical race like Indianapolis," the Canadian told reporters at a presentation of the 908 car. "It will be a great experience and I think we should be extremely competitive." Villeneuve added that he was still also interested in eventually following Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya from Formula One to NASCAR. Peugeot won Le Mans in 1992 and 1993 and started their current programme in 2005 after they withdrew from the world rally championship. The manufacturer said 2007 would be a 'breaking-in' period before going for victory in 2008. |
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