Marc Gene: It's always nice to bring F1 close up to the public on this sort of occasion. In this part of the world, the growth in interest in motor sport is visible to the naked eye, partly down to the efforts of major companies like Shell.
They had always described the programme as a three-year project, and Peugeot have proven to be every bit as good as their word in the 77th edition of the legendary le Mans 24 Hours this weekend - finally bringing to an end Audi's domination of the race dubbed the 'hardest in the world' with a com
Though he may have finished in the runner-up spot in only his second appearance in the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours, Jacques Villeneuve insisted he was far from satisfied, and has vowed to return to finish the job off.
Tom Kristensen insists he is pleased to not be entering the Le Mans 24 Hours as the favourite for once this year, suggesting that by stealing all of the headlines, Peugeot have also taken away from Audi all of the pressure.
Peugeot maintained its 100 per cent Le Mans Series record with a third win of the 2008 endurance season at Spa-Francorchamps, setting the French squad up for its assault on the 24 Hours in June.
Ferrari development driver Marc Gene says he has reason to believe that Renault will be more of a force come the opening round of the Formula One world championship than its testing performances suggest.
It was all action at the Kyalami International Raceway near Johannesburg today, as the Minardi F1 two-seater team got underway in earnest with preparations for Monday's Altech South African F1x2 Charity Grand Prix.