By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, January 9th 2007, 16:04 GMT
Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve will return to competition with Peugeot at Le Mans this year, sources close to the Canadian have confirmed to autosport.com.
Villeneuve has been out of action since he left Formula One after last year's German Grand Prix, but he has been linked with a return in both NASCAR and the DTM.
However, French car manufacturer Peugeot have won the battle for his signature as they return to the French endurance classic with their diesel-powered 908 sportscar.
Although Villeneuve himself has been unavailable for comment since a report about his return first surfaced in L'Equipe this morning, a source close to him has confirmed that a deal is in place for Le Mans.
An official announcement about Villeneuve's presence in the team will be made by Peugeot on Wednesday, when they are also expected to confirm a line-up including Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais and Ferrari test driver Marc Gene.
Villeneuve has made no secret of his interest in Le Mans, especially because success there would make him the first man to capture four of motor racing's biggest prizes - the endurance classic, the F1 world championship, the Indy 500 and the Champ Car title.
Speaking to Autosport in 2005, Villeneuve said that it would be vital for him to compete at Le Mans as soon as possible after his F1 career ended because he needed to be race sharp.
"The reason for me to do Le Mans is that nobody has won all four. Three have been won, but never four," he said.
"If you stop racing for a few years, then you are not on it anymore. You can still be quick, but not absolutely on it. So I'd want to do Le Mans straightaway after F1, get it over with and then I can get away from racing completely."
Peugeot have declined to comment on the driver line-up ahead of the official announcement on Wednesday. The other drivers in the two-car entry are expected to be Stephane Sarrazin, Nicolas Minassian and Pedro Lamy.
