31/05/2008
NEWS STORY
Christian Klien's busy season reaches an important milestone on Sunday, June 1st, when he takes part in the official test for the 76th Le Mans 24 Hours on the world famous Le Mans circuit. This will be the 25-year-old Austrian's first taste of the 13.629-kms/8.468-miles track in the factory Peugeot 908 Hdi FAP, and it comes at the end of another busy period for the official Test and Reserve Driver for the BMW Sauber F1 Team.
Last week Christian attended Peugeot Sport's training camp prior to attending the Monaco Grand Prix where he supported his BMW Sauber F1 Team team mates Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld at one of the busiest races in the Formula One World Championship season.
While Sunday produced an exciting race around the streets of Monte Carlo, including a strong 2nd placed finish for his team, Christian had to depart early for Magny Cours where he tested his Peugeot on Monday. He then moved to Italy on Tuesday to undertake further aerodynamic testing for the BMW Sauber F1 Team, and then returned home to Switzerland for three days of fitness training and a visit to the F1 team's headquarters in Hinwil.
Tonight, however, he will be travelling once again, this time to Le Mans where the 55 entries for this year's Le Mans 24 Hours will participate in Sunday's official 8-hour test. Christian will partner co-drivers Ricardo Zonta and Franck Montagny in one of the three Team Peugeot Total cars.
"I am really looking forward to the challenge of driving at Le Mans for the first time this weekend," said Christian," and I know everyone involved in Team Peugeot Total has prepared as well as possible for this moment. The race is only two weeks away, and this test in not only mandatory for new drivers, but also vital for us to evaluate our performance alongside the competitive.
"Balancing my commitments to the BMW Sauber F1 Team and Peugeot Sport has worked out perfectly so far, even during a week like this when I was in Monaco, then testing the Peugeot 908 on Monday and jumping back into the BMW Sauber F1.08 on Tuesday; it is very satisfying to be part of two highly competitive teams in sports car racing and Formula One. This weekend my focus will be on Le Mans, and on taking the next step towards Team Peugeot Total's objectives for this year's event. I am sure it will be a great experience."