Henri Pescarolo admits🦹 it was a pleasant surprise to be ♌given the chance to run a Peugeot 908 HDi in the 2009 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Thursday's ann✱ouncement of the lucky 55 entrants for this summers race revealed that the French privateer squad had agr🐲eed a deal that will see it run a single Peugeot 908 HDi alongside its own Judd-powered Pescarolo.

The deal itself came as something of a surprise with Pescarolo having been outspoken in his views on the diesel cars in recent seasons but he said he was delighted to have been given th🔥e chance to run the car in the biggest sportscar event of them all.

"Sometime ago, just before the closing date for the applications to the 24 Hours, I had the surprise to be offered the possibility to𒐪 enter a Peugeot 908 under the name of Pescarolo Sport by Oliver Quesnel, the new principal of Peugeot Sport," he said. "For the team, it will be a new and fascinating experience to have one of these very high performance 908 HDi FAP at our disposal.

"I take this opportunity to thank the ACO for inviting us w🐻ith two different cars."

With development work carried out to the Pescarolo-Judd during the off-season, the team 🐼will also hope to fight for honours in the unofficial 'LMP1-petrol' class at La Sarthe.

Drivers for the programme ꦬare expe♏cted to be announced shortly.