Today marks the 30th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's tragic death. It's a sad anniversary indeed: we've lost not only a great champion, but also a formidable ambassador.
Auto racing and Formula 1 in particular were relatively unknown in Quebec before Gilles arrived. The sport was nowhere near as popular, accessible, and advertised as it is nowadays.
I remember when Villeneuve won the first of six Grand Prix, right here in Montreal, on October 8th, 1978. After the race, a few friends and I stopped at a restaurant for dinner.
''You look ecstatic!'' the waitress told us.
''Well, of course! Gilles Villeneuve just won the Canadian Grand Prix!'' we replied.
''Gilles Villeneuve? Who's that?''
A mere four years later, the entire world knew who he was: an incredibly talented driver, excessively determined to succeed, who managed to race in F1 with basically no money, just his driving skills. Villeneuve introduced auto racing to hundreds of young Canadians such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stéphane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.
The circumstances surrounding his fatal crash at Zolder, in Belgium, aren't exactly clear even 30 years later.
Why didn't he ease off the throttle when his tires were destroyed? Why did he go to the same side of the track as Jochen Mass? Was he looking to beat the time of his Ferrari teammate (Didier Pironi) at all costs?
Some people have raised the possibility of a mechanical failure. I've heard others mention faulty brakes and a stuck throttle cable. If that's the case, only a few people would know about it, and I think they'll take the secret to their grave. We'll never know for sure what really happened with the #27 Ferrari on May 8th, 1982.
A pilgrimage to Maranello, home of the Scuderia's headquarters, reveals how big a legend Villeneuve was. In every bar, every restaurant, every hotel lobby, and every gift shop, one can find posters, busts, pictures, stickers, and books about Gilles Villeneuve. Everywhere. He's still a god in Italy.
Today, in Fiorano, his son Jacques drives one of his favourite cars: the 312 T4 that helped Gilles finish second in the 1979 F1 Drivers' Championship. A fitting tribute.
Salut Gilles!
Auto racing and Formula 1 in particular were relatively unknown in Quebec before Gilles arrived. The sport was nowhere near as popular, accessible, and advertised as it is nowadays.
I remember when Villeneuve won the first of six Grand Prix, right here in Montreal, on October 8th, 1978. After the race, a few friends and I stopped at a restaurant for dinner.
''You look ecstatic!'' the waitress told us.
''Well, of course! Gilles Villeneuve just won the Canadian Grand Prix!'' we replied.
''Gilles Villeneuve? Who's that?''
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| Photo: Jean-Claude Loustau |
A mere four years later, the entire world knew who he was: an incredibly talented driver, excessively determined to succeed, who managed to race in F1 with basically no money, just his driving skills. Villeneuve introduced auto racing to hundreds of young Canadians such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stéphane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.
The circumstances surrounding his fatal crash at Zolder, in Belgium, aren't exactly clear even 30 years later.
Why didn't he ease off the throttle when his tires were destroyed? Why did he go to the same side of the track as Jochen Mass? Was he looking to beat the time of his Ferrari teammate (Didier Pironi) at all costs?
Some people have raised the possibility of a mechanical failure. I've heard others mention faulty brakes and a stuck throttle cable. If that's the case, only a few people would know about it, and I think they'll take the secret to their grave. We'll never know for sure what really happened with the #27 Ferrari on May 8th, 1982.
A pilgrimage to Maranello, home of the Scuderia's headquarters, reveals how big a legend Villeneuve was. In every bar, every restaurant, every hotel lobby, and every gift shop, one can find posters, busts, pictures, stickers, and books about Gilles Villeneuve. Everywhere. He's still a god in Italy.
Today, in Fiorano, his son Jacques drives one of his favourite cars: the 312 T4 that helped Gilles finish second in the 1979 F1 Drivers' Championship. A fitting tribute.
Salut Gilles!