Bourdais set to race at Le Mans

Saturday, 07 February 2009 13:35

Sebastien Bourdais will dovetail his second season of Formula 1 with a bid to win the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar classic.

A Toro Rosso spokeswoman confirmed to itv.com/f1 that a report in French newspaper L'Equipe suggesting Bourdais would be part of Peugeot's 2009 Le Mans line-up was correct.

Peugeot will make an official announcement at its headquarters in France on Monday afternoon.

Although grand prix drivers used regularly to make time in their schedules for the famous endurance race, and many former F1 racers and test drivers still take part, Bourdais' involvement in the 2009 event will be the first time in recent years that an active full-time F1 driver has also tackled Le Mans.

The 29-year-old Frenchman, who was confirmed as a 2009 Toro Rosso driver on Friday, hails from Le Mans and has contested the 24 Hours six times while racing in the junior classes and Champ Car, taking second for Peugeot in 2007.

Bourdais has strongly hinted that he will return and try to go one better with Peugeot this year.

"I will be with Peugeot on Monday to talk at a press conference," he told L'Equipe.

"But if I take part [at Le Mans] it will definitely be to win it."


Belgian pit babes

Belgian pit babes

Cast your eye over the latest batch of pit babes from the Spa-Francorchamps weekend

Video: Spa track guide

Video: Spa track guide

Mark Webber shows us the quick way around F1's most dramatic circuit

Driver and team profiles

Driver and team profiles

Get the lowdown on all 24 drivers and 12 teams that make up the grid in 2010