''Salut Gilles! 25 ans déjà!'': Kick-off to the special activities

Mr. Hanson was the man who presented Gilles with the checkered flag for the victory lap. He told how much the Quebec driver was a man of his word. Indeed, Gilles had promised Mr. Hanson to give him a Ferrari flag if he agreed to let Gilles keep the checkered flag. It took two years before Mr. Hanson received his gift and he had almost forgotten all about that story!

Unfortunately, he never had Gilles sign his flag because he did not carry it with him during the 1981 Canadian GP, the last time Gilles raced in Montreal before his fatal accident.

A choked-throat Mr. Hanson declared on Sunday that he wanted to share this precious souvenir, namely the Scuderia flag, with all of Gilles' followers. It will be showcased at the museum for a while. "Not too long, though! In fact, I'm already nervous," he said.

The rest of the day went smoothly and happily. First, Joanne and Jacques Villeneuve as well as Alain Bellehumeur unveiled a "Salut Gilles" plaque in front of the museum. Champaign was served to everyone who wanted to raise a toast.

What's more, visitors had the opportunity to watch for the very first time a special video presentation with a song by Jean-Pierre Ferland in the background: ''Un Gentilhomme et un Champion''.

A DVD is being prepared and will be available during the next Canadian Grand Prix. But first, an agreement has to be reached with Bernie Ecclestone and the F1 Management Team, who own the rights to some of the footage.

Next up on the agenda is the annual golf tournament, on May 30th. You can book your foursome by calling at this toll-free number: 1-800-639-0103.


Note: Part of this article is credited to Geneviève Trudeau-Senécal, who did a great job of capturing the atmosphere during Mr. Hanson's speech. Geneviève is a student at the International Journalism School and a regular contributor to Flagworld.com. Thank you, Miss...