Audi has announced Benoit Treluyer as one of its works drivers for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The Frenchman, who has spent ten years living and racing in Japan, has been a champion in Formula Nippon, Super GT and Japanese F3 and has previously raced at La Sarthe on five occasions with a best finish of fourth overall coming in 2004 with Pescarolo Sport.

 After finishing as runner-up in Formula Nippon last season, Treluyer announced his retirement from single-seater racing to concentrate on finding a top drive in European sportscars and admitted his delight at immediately securing a prized seat at Audi.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with this news,” said the 33-year-old. “The plan for 2010 was to look for a prototype drive in Europe with a view to securing a works contract in the future. So to have been given this opportunity, with a manufacturer with the history and prestige of Audi, almost straight away is literally a dream come true.”

Treluyer will join German Andre Lotterer and Swiss Marcel Fassler in one of the diesel-powered Audi R15 TDI prototypes at Le Mans and he is looking forward to linking up with two drivers he knows very well.

“Andre is my best friend in motor sport and we have raced together a lot in Japan over the past few years,” he said. “I also know Marcel really well as we began our careers racing against each other in Formula Campus. They’re both excellent drivers and I’m confident we’ll work together well as a team.

“It is also exciting to have drivers of the calibre of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello as team-mates at Audi. They have so much experience at Le Mans and with Audi and we will learn a lot working with them.”

Audi will undergo an intensive testing and preparation programme over the coming months before the Le Mans 24 Hours begins on Saturday 12 June, and Benoit has just one target for the world’s most famous motor race.

“I have dreamt about winning Le Mans for a long time and part of the reason I wanted to come back to race in Europe was to achieve that ambition,” he said.

“Audi have won the race eight times, so there is no better place for me to be in order to achieve my goal. I’ve never worked as hard physically during the winter, because I am determined to be in the best possible shape for Le Mans. I am proud to be an Audi driver and I will leave nothing to chance as I do everything I possibly can to win the title back for them.”

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