Villeneuve expects to be competitive

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.