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Jacques of all Trades

Peugeot may not admit it, but signing Jacques Villeneuve to join their 2007 Le Mans 24 Hours line-up is nothing short of a PR masterstroke. It's also a historic opportunity for the Canadian to achieve an unprecedented 'quadruple' titles, after winning the F1 world championship, the Indy 500, and the CART title. Gary Watkins explains why this year's Le Mans will be a must-watch event

Gary Watkins Jan 10, 2007, 1:18 PM

Peugeot were going to have to pull something special out of the hat if they were going to grab the headlines on the launch of their new 908 HDi Le Mans 24 Hours racer this week.

Turbo-diesel prototypes are old news, of course. It's more than a year since Audi's alternatively-fuelled R10 burst into the limelight from under the Eiffel Tower and seven months since the same design claimed an historic victory in the French enduro. The Audi will be a tough act to follow in every respect, but Peugeot made an announcement on Wednesday that will ensure they get their fair share of column inches between now and June.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.