The 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve will be driving this beautiful-looking Peugeot 908 in this year’s epic endurance event – the Le Mans 24-Hour race.
The French-Canadian driver left Formula One after a frustrating time at BMW/Sauber even though his short stint last year was actually not too bad.
After leaving the sport, there were rumours of him joining the American stockcar series – NASCAR – like his fellow racer Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian also grew tired of racing F1 cars after a disappointing period at McLaren.
With the news that Villeneuve is taking part in the 2007 Le Mans, this will be a fascinating challenge for the driver. He has already won the Indy 500, the Champ Car title and the F1 title. Winning at Le Mans will be the ultimate prize for the French-Canadian.
Villeneuve will drive the Peugeot 908 alongside Nicolas Manassian, Stephane Sarrazin, Pedro Lamy, Marc Gene and three-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais. Eric Helary, who won Le Mans for Peugeot back in 1993, joins the new race team as a test and back-up driver.
The Peugeot 908 follows the overwhelming success of the Audi R10 diesel racing car with an all-aluminium twelve-cylinder common-rail direct-injection twin-turbo diesel with the latest advanced particulate filter system.
Between the green power, the star drivers and the return of the French carmaker to the series, there are many reasons to keep an eye on Peugeot this year, kicking off at Monza in April.