Villeneuve joins Peugeot for LMS round

The Canadian, who was dropped from the Bill Davis Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup after Daytona through lack of funds, will join the No.7 Peugeot 908 HDI crew of Marc Gene and Nicolas Minassian to maximise his preparation time ahead of his Le Mans assault with the team.

Peugeot team manager Serge Saulnier explained the decision to add Villeneuve to the team's LMS programme: "We have sought to ensure that all our 2008 drivers have the same number of kilometres under their belts and that they are equally race-fit. As a result, we have three crews that have an equal chance of winning Le Mans."

"Deciding who would share the N°7 car was a very straightforward decision, since Nicolas, Marc and Jacques all wanted to be together again," he added.

Peugeot plans a three-car assault on Le Mans in 2008 and has hired a number of former F1 stars to boost its driver roster, including Alex Wurz, Christian Klien, Franck Montagny, Ricardo Zonta and Villeneuve.

Wurz will join Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy in the No.8 car for the 24 Hours, while Zonta, Montagny, and Klien will join forces in the third 908.

One of the afformentioned will also partner Sarrazin and Lamy in the No.8 car for the LMS round at Spa.