At speeds exceeding 100 mph he sharpened his reflexes and developed an ability to race "on instinct" in the middle of a tight pack of experienced competitors. He learned to read the ice, manoeuvre the powerful snowmobile inside the deep furrows dug by the cutting blades, and fear no one on the race track.
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| Photo: Musée Gilles-Villeneuve |
Villeneuve went on to win many races, cash good prize money, modify the components of his racing machine, and become the undisputed king of snowmobile racing.
"In February 1971, when I worked as a mechanic and racer at Skiroule, Gilles knocked on our door looking for a job," Couture continued.
"After some discussion, my boss came to see me and said Villeneuve would be borrowing my snowmobile (440 cc) for the rest of the winter. I had just discovered a trick for improving the suspension, and my machine was the fastest in the racing department. So, Gilles and I came to an agreement: he would ride my machine, and I would get 30% of any purses he won. We won every race the rest of the winter!" he added.
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| Photo: Musée Gilles-Villeneuve |
In 1973, he won the World Snowmobile Championship on an Alouette at Eagle River in Wisconsin.
Villeneuve's engineering talents even led him to build his own machine, based on a one-seater. Instead of straddling the seat, his design allowed him to be stretched out like a driver in a race car. This twin track monster with fully independent front suspension, created by his own hands, turned out to be clearly superior to other machines. Its reliability, however, was a work in progress, and Villeneuve would often have trouble finishing his races.
However, racing snowmobiles became a lucrative activity, and Villeneuve would use his winnings to finance his start in auto racing.