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Jacques: I'll Be Back

Mon 18 Jun, 07:09 AM


Jacques Villeneuve has seemingly been bitten by the Le Mans bug after he vowed not to rest until he emerges victorious.

Villeneuve's first crack at the 24-hour endurance classic over the weekend ended in retirement just 90 minutes from the finish, with the Peugeot sustaining an engine problem while running second.

However, the former Formula One world champion and Indy 500 winner is determined to claim a Le Mans victory and emulate the 'triple crown' feat achieved only once previously, by the legendary Graham Hill.

"Looking back at my first participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours, I have to say I found the early part of the race quite difficult due to all the traffic," reflected the 36-year-old.

"To be comfortable with a circuit like this - for example, to know where it is possible to overtake, - there are not many solutions.

"You've basically got to have done the event once - and my intention is to come back until I win it."

Villeneuve was instead forced to look on from the garage as Audi won for the seventh time in the last eight years, with the sister Peugeot of Sebastien Bourdais, Pedro Lamy and Stephane Sarrazin 10 laps down in second.

However, it was not the Audi that should have won as the R10 TDi driven by Allan McNish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen led for all but the run to the first corner when disaster struck after 16 and a half hours of dominance.

A nut on the left-rear wheel worked loose, sending Capello into a tyre barrier at the high-speed corner of Indianapolis, ending the trio's involvement.

That allowed Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner to take over the lead and see out the remainder of the race, with the last two hours driven in a torrential downpour.

A relieved Pirro, winning his fifth individual Le Mans, said: "The last nine hours were the longest I have ever done.

"I was really glad when the flag dropped. As the only Audi left, there was a big responsibility to get the car home."

The third Audi crashed out after 90 minutes when Mike Rockenfeller ploughed into a barrier at Terte Rouge after catching a damp part of the track.

In the other categories, Aston Martin returned to the winners' podium, taking the GT1 class and finishing fifth overall via David Brabham - son of the legendary Sir Jack - along with another Briton in Darren Turner and Swede Rickard Rydell.

Only two LM P2 cars finished, with Briton's Allen Timpany, Chris Buncombe and Bill Binnie - although the latter now lives in America - taking the honours, finishing 18th overall.

As for the GT2s, Frenchman Raymond Narac, Austrian Richard Lietz, and American Patrick Long emerged victorious in their Porsche 911, claiming 15th overall of the 29 finishers, with 25 retirees.

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