- 08 Jan 09, 15:17#87132
Beats NASCAR thats for sure
EXCLUSIVE: FORMULA One world champion Jacques Villeneuve is being groomed for a place in V8 Supercars this year.
The retired grand prix ace is the first choice to become the new teammate for Bathurst winner and touring car champion Russell Ingall at Super Cheap Racing.
Villeneuve has been targeted by Paul "The Dude" Morris, who retired at the end of last year, and is a strong chance to race in Australia.
"This is real. Absolutely. He is pretty keen to do it," Morris said yesterday.
"It would be the full season. Not just one race. If we can make a bit of a buzz about it then I think it can definitely happen.
"We would have to write about
$2 million in sponsorship so we could run the car and pay him to drive."
The Villeneuve deal surfaced halfway through last year when Morris was talking to one of the Canadian's management team, expatriate Australian Barry Green.
Morris knows Green from when he raced in the US. Green is linked to Villeneuve in much the same way, as he competed in Champ Cars and won the Indianapolis 500 before graduating to Formula One.
"Barry contacted me about getting him a ride for Bathurst last year. But it was a bit late," Morris said.
He re-activated the link after retiring and deciding to put some guest drivers into his second Super Cheap Commodore alongside Ingall.
Morris has already tested Leanne Tander, and considered young gun Steve Owen, but was also drawn to American racer Boris Said who co- drove for him last year in the Bathurst 1000.
But he is keen on Villeneuve and wants to get him to Australia.
"Yes, I want it to happen. And I think it can," Morris said.
Villeneuve is a global superstar despite fizzing in the final years of his grand prix career with the BAR, Renault and BMW Sauber teams before retiring in 2006.
He was second at the Australian Grand Prix in his first Formula One start, with Williams in 1996, and would have won but for an engine problem which gifted the race to teammate Damon Hill.
He won his world championship with Williams in only his second year in F1, but his results in Australia were marred by the crash which killed a track marshall Graham Beveridge in 2001.
Since his retirement from Formula One, and after a failed attempt at a music career, Villeneuve has made sporadic starts in other categories.
He has competed for Peugeot in the Le Mans 24-hour race in France, raced Speedcar sedans in the Middle East and has also been trying to crack a regular drive in the Nascar series in the US.
Morris said he would be ideal in V8 Supercar racing and is pushing hard for a deal.
"Man, how good would it be? How long since we've had a Formula One driver in touring cars in Australia?" Morris said. "The last one was Alan Jones. And if he drives as good as AJ, he will be all right."
Morris leaves next week for a business and racing trip to the US when he is likely to meet Green to push the deal further.
"The next step would be to get him out here to drive the car," he said.
"He also has some sort of connection with French television, so I'm looking at how we could make that work."
Story
Beats NASCAR thats for sure
I would like to see a V8 supercars race in person. I'm putting it on my bucket list. 
