AUTO RACING; ANOTHER VILLENEUVE.

Byline: Timothy Haddock Staff Writer

Rene Villeneuve has the racing name. After this weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona, otherwise known as the 24 hours of Daytona, the Woodland Hills resident hopes to become part of the champion Villeneuve auto racing family.

Rene Villeneuve is a distant cousin to Formula One driver and former CART series champion Jacques Villeneuve. He is also a cousin of former Grand Prix driver Gilles Villeneuve, winner of the 1979 Grand Prix of Long Beach. And he credits Jacques Villeneuve's uncle, whom Rene refers to as ``Big Jacques,'' as an inspirational force behind his pursuing an auto racing career.

Born in Canada and reared in Massachusetts, Rene grew up around his racing cousins. But it wasn't until he was 10, while living in France and after seeing the 1976 Grand Prix of Monaco with a fast-talking Frenchman who gave him a free ticket to the race, that Rene Villeneuve made up his mind to become a professional auto racer.

In 1976, Villeneuve's father, Raymond, moved his family to La Fontonne, France. Raymond Villeneuve was pursuing his master's degree in French and was doing research toward finishing his degree.

One day, Rene Villeneuve's older brother, Robert, decided he wanted to see the Grand Prix of Monaco, which was being run about 30 miles west of their hometown in France. The Villeneuves made the trek to Monaco but were shocked to discover that tickets to the race were selling for the equivalent of $50 apiece. Disappointed, they watched practice from outside the race course. That is until a fast-talking Frenchman approached 10-year-old Rene.

``He stunned me. I couldn't understand what he was saying,'' Villeneuve said. His father explained that the man had tickets for his family and one extra. He wanted to bring an impressionable young race fan into the race. Rene's father agreed and Villeneuve watched Niki Lauda win the 1976 Grand Prix of Monaco.

``That inspired me to want to become a race-car driver,'' Villeneuve said. ``Unfortunately, we were not necessarily a family of means. And it was unusual to pursue a dream. We went to college, then got a job. It was really unusual for someone in my family to do something different. But my parents are quietly proud. I'll never forget my father's face. I've never seen him so proud (than) after I finished my first race in Barber Saab at Del Mar. People don't understand this is a difficult journey - it's a difficult journey just to get there in the first place.''

After spending the past 10 years driving in series such as Barber Saab, Formula Ford 2000, Japanese Formula 3 and Speedvision Cup, the 35-year-old Villeneuve has landed a spot in endurance racing. It's been a long, steady road for him, but it's one he has few regrets taking.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona begins today and ends Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. This will be Villeneuve's first 24 hours of Daytona, but his racing teammates have plenty of experience. His co-driver and team owner, Scott Watkins of Atlanta, has raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona three times. His other racing teammates, Daniel Urrutia and Gaston Aguirre of Argentina, are strangers to Villeneuve. As of Wednesday, he had never met them. But he is confident that his team will finish in the top five in the Grand Touring Over (GTO) class.

``We have a very proven package,'' said Villeneuve, whose team will be driving a Corvette with a C-5 body and NASCAR-spec motor and transmission. ``We're not going to be equal in speed to the other Corvette and Viper teams. We have to capitalize on our reliability and minimize our time in the pits.''

The Rolex 24 at Daytona will be televised live on ESPN2. The sports network will show the opening part of the race Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PST). Coverage will continue Sunday from 4 to 10 a.m.

--Breaking records already: The NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series might set a record before its season even gets started.

A week before the opening race of the 2000 Southwest Series season, 74 teams have registered to race in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway Sunday. That would tie a record for the number of entrants in a Southwest Series race.

The Copper World Classic will field 40 cars for the 50-lap race. Race promoters are expecting the qualifying track record of 27.38 seconds at 131.748 mph set by Ron Hornaday Jr. in 1995 to fall.