
Villeneuve happy with first 908 test 


Jacques Villeneuve has said that he didn't expect the Peugeot 908 to perform as well as it did during his first test with the car.

The Canadian completed his first laps behind the wheel at Paul Ricard on Thursday, and Villeneuve was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the diesel-powered car, which he will race at Le Mans later this year.

"This is a true racing machine," Villeneuve was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I didn't expect that from a diesel.

"It accelerates quickly, it runs in curves at high speed, and it brakes in an impressive way.

"

Many of Villeneuve's observations were similar to those of the Audi drivers when they first sampled the diesel-powered R10 last year.

"I've discovered it's a real racing engine with lots of power at its disposal," he added.

"What struck me most is the absence of noise in the cockpit when you're standing still.

Villeneuve expects to be competitive

Jacques Villeneuve believes that Peugeot will be competitive in the first year of their return to Le Mans.

The Canadian will make his first start in the 24-hour classic later this year, as he will attempt to add a victory in the race to his titles in Formula One and Champ Car, and his victory in the Indianapolis 500.

"Le Mans is a mythical race like Indianapolis," he told reporters in Paris.

"It will be a great experience and I think we should be extremely competitive.

"

Villeneuve added that now is the perfect time for him to race at Le Mans, as he doesn't have any other commitments.

However, he said that he is still chasing a NASCAR drive.

"Right now the only occupation I have is being a father so I will have plenty of time to prepare for Le Mans," he said.

"I've been looking for something to do, and I'm still pursuing NASCAR.

"

Villeneuve's debut in the race will mark the first time a Formula One world champion has entered the race since 2000, when Mario Andretti made his final start in the race.

The American entered the race on several occasions as he attempted to add a Le Mans victory to his F1 and Indycar successes, but his best result was a second place in 1995.

Other drivers to enter the race as former world champions include Nelson Piquet in the mid-nineties, Alan Jones in the mid-eighties, and Keke Rosberg, who was part of Peugeot's previous Le Mans effort in 1991.

Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher have both competed in the race before, in 1989 and 1991 respectively, however neither had started racing in F1 at the time of their exploits.

Peugeot confirm Le Mans line-up

Peugeot have announced their driver line-ups for this year's Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours.

Jacques Villeneuve will join Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian in June, while Sebastien Bourdais will race with Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin, who have been teammates in the past at Aston Martin.

Team manager Serge Saulnier said:

"It didn't take long to realise that it would be difficult to split Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin.

"Sebastien's feedback concerning the 908 is quite similar and his build is not unlike Stephane's.

"

Saulnier also believes that it makes sense for Gene and Minassian to be paired up for the LMS.

He added:

"Marc and Nicolas have a great deal in common too, beginning with their driving style.

"They both know Jacques from Formula One and Nicolas even tested Jacques title-winning car in 1997.

"

Peugeot Sport Director Michel Barge is confident that the team have two line-ups capable of winning this year.

"In terms of both performance and analysis of the car, all these drivers are of an extremely high calibre," he said.

"Choosing who drove with whom was based on simple criteria and the two cars are consequently on an equal footing with respect to the results we can expect.

"

Peugeot have conducted three tests in recent weeks to allow their drivers to become familiar with the team and the car.




