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Gilles Villeneuve

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   Gilles Villeneuve
   Formula One Career
      Nationality     Canada Canadian
      Active years    1977 - 1982
        Team(s)       McLaren, Ferrari
      Grands Prix     68
     Championships    0 (2nd in 1979)
          Wins        6
   Podium finishes    14
     Pole positions   2
      Fastest laps    8
    First Grand Prix  1977 British Grand Prix
       First win      1978 Canadian Grand Prix
        Last win      1981 Spanish Grand Prix
    Last Grand Prix   1982 Belgian Grand Prix

   Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve (Gilles Villeneuve pronounced [ʒil
   vilnœv]) ( January 18, 1950 – May 8, 1982) was a Canadian Formula One
   racing driver. An enthusiast of cars and fast driving from an early
   age, he started his professional career in snowmobile racing in his
   native province of Quebec. He moved into single seaters - winning the
   US and Canadian Formula Atlantic championships in 1976 before being
   offered a one-off drive with McLaren at the 1977 British Grand Prix. He
   was taken on by reigning world champions Ferrari for the end of the
   season - in only his fifth season racing cars - and from 1978 to his
   death in 1982 drove for the Italian team. He won six Grand Prix races
   in a short career at the highest level. In 1979 he finished second by
   four points in the championship to teammate Jody Scheckter.

   Villeneuve died in a 140 mph crash with the March of Jochen Mass during
   practice for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder (see more below).
   The accident came only two weeks after an intense argument with his
   team-mate, Didier Pironi, over Pironi's move to pass Villeneuve at
   Imola. At the time of his death, Villeneuve was extremely popular with
   fans and with many journalists, on whom his death had a profound
   effect. Since 1982 he has become an iconic figure in the history of the
   sport, renowned for his car control, aggressive driving style, and a
   'never give up' attitude. His son, Jacques Villeneuve, became Formula
   One world champion in 1997.

Personal and early life

   Villeneuve was born in Richelieu, a small town in the French-speaking
   province of Quebec in Canada and grew up in the nearby town of
   Berthierville. He married Joann Barthe in 1970, with whom he had two
   children, Jacques and Melanie. During his early career Villeneuve took
   his family on the road with him in a motorhome during the racing
   season, a habit which he continued to some extent during his Formula
   One career. He often claimed to have been born in 1952. By the time he
   got his break in Formula One, he was already 27 years old and took two
   years off his age to avoid being considered too old to make it at the
   highest level of motorsports.

   Like certain other great drivers, including Clark and Senna, Villeneuve
   was a curious mixture of seemingly disparate personality types. Lauda
   wrote of him, "He was the craziest devil I ever came across in Formula
   1... The fact that, for all this, he was a sensitive and lovable
   character rather than an out-and-out hell-raiser made him such a unique
   human being". Flying, snowmobiling or driving, he was a risk-taker of
   classic proportions. Yet his fellow drivers said that on the track he
   was scrupulously fair and did not put anyone's safety other than his
   own in jeopardy and those who worked with him usually referred to him
   as introverted. This combination of traits made him exceptionally
   popular not only with fans but with teammates and opponents as well.

   His younger brother Jacques, known as "uncle Jacques", also had a
   successful racing career in Formula Atlantic, Can Am and CART. Gilles'
   son, also named Jacques, won the Indianapolis 500 and CART
   championships in 1995 and became Formula One World Champion in 1997.

Racing career

Pre-Formula One

   Villeneuve started competitive driving in local drag-racing events,
   entering his road car, a modified 1967 Ford Mustang. He was soon bored
   by this and entered the Jim Russell Racing School at Le Circuit Mont
   Tremblant to gain a racing license. He then had a very successful
   season in Quebec regional Formula Ford, running his own two year old
   car and winning seven of the ten races he entered. The next year he
   progressed to Formula Atlantic, competing there for four years, running
   his own car again for one of those seasons. He won his first Atlantic
   race in 1975 at Gimli Motosport Park in heavy rain. In 1976, teamed
   with Chris Harrison's Ecurie Canada and factory March race engineer Ray
   Wardell, he dominated the season by winning all but one of the races
   and taking the US and Canadian titles. He won the Canadian championship
   again in 1977.

   Money was very tight in Villeneuve's early career. He was a
   professional racing driver from his late teens, with no other income.
   In the first few years the bulk of his income actually came from
   snowmobile racing, where he was extremely successful and could demand
   appearance money as well as race money. His second season in Formula
   Atlantic was part-sponsored by his snowmobile manufacturer, Skiroule.
   He credited some of his success to his snowmobiling days: "Every
   winter, you would reckon on three or four big spills - and I'm talking
   about being thrown on to the ice at 100 mph. Those things used to slide
   a lot, which taught me a great deal about control. And the visibility
   was terrible! Unless you were leading, you could see nothing, with all
   the snow blowing about. Good for the reactions - and it stopped me
   having any worries about racing in the rain."

Formula One

   After Villeneuve impressed McLaren driver James Hunt by beating him,
   and several other Grand Prix stars, in a non-championship Formula
   Atlantic race at Trois Rivieres, McLaren offered Villeneuve a deal for
   five races in a third car during 1977 and the young Canadian made his
   debut at the 1977 British Grand Prix. Villeneuve qualified an
   impressive 9th in McLaren's old M23, splitting the regular drivers Hunt
   and Jochen Mass. Delayed for two laps by a faulty temperature gauge he
   ran competitively, setting fifth fastest lap and finishing 11th.
   Despite this the team decided not to opt for Villeneuve's services
   again. Then in August 1977, Villeneuve met with Enzo Ferrari. Ferrari
   was immediately reminded by Villeneuve of the legendary Tazio Nuvolari.
   The obvious interest shown by Ferrari towards Villeneuve prompted Niki
   Lauda to leave at that years Canadian Grand Prix, having already
   clinched his second championship. In the race, Gilles retired, after
   going off on another competitor's oil. He also raced in Japan, but also
   retired. On lap five of the race, Gilles tried to outbrake the Tyrrell
   P34 of Ronnie Peterson, but the pair banged wheels. Gilles' Ferrari
   went airborne and crashed down onto two spectators watching the race
   from a prohibited area. Both were killed.

   After making his debut for Ferrari, he would later remark that: "If
   someone said to me that you can have three wishes, my first would have
   been to get into racing, my second to be in Formula 1, my third to
   drive for Ferrari..."

   The 1978 season saw a succession of retirements for Villeneuve, often
   after problems with the new Michelin radial tyres, but also due to his
   own inexperience - this was his fifth season of car racing. Despite
   calls in the Italian press for him to be replaced, Ferrari persisted
   with him and Villeneuve scored his first Grand Prix victory at his home
   race at the end of the season in front of an ecstatic crowd.

   Villeneuve was joined by Jody Scheckter for 1979 after Carlos Reutemann
   moved to Lotus. The pair finished first and second in the championship,
   with Scheckter beating Villeneuve by just four points. Villeneuve won
   three races during the year. The 1980 season was a complete disaster.
   Villeneuve had been considered favourite for the drivers championship
   by UK bookmakers, but would only score six points in the whole campaign
   in the unwieldy 312T5 which had only partial ground effects. His world
   champion team-mate could manage only a single point and retired at the
   end of the season.

   In 1981 Ferrari's first turbo engined car, the 126C1, was hardly an
   improvement. Although it produced tremendous power its handling was
   poor. Villeneuve, partnered by Didier Pironi, won two races against the
   odds during the season, at Monaco and in Spain. For 1982 Villeneuve's
   first few races were blighted by mechanical failures and accidents. At
   Imola he was overtaken by his team-mate near the finish, while leading.
   Gilles Villeneuve died in an accident in qualifying for the next race
   at Zolder.

Notable races

   Dijon 1979: Remembered for his frenetic style which seemed more like
   that of a rally driver, Villeneuve's wheel-banging duel with René
   Arnoux in the last laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix at the Dijon
   circuit, when he stubbornly refused to accept his 312T4 was slower than
   Arnoux's faster Renault was one of the most intense moments in Formula
   One racing. Arnoux passed Villeneuve for second place with three laps
   to go, but Villeneuve re-passed him on the next lap. On the final lap
   Arnoux attempted to pass Villeneuve again, and the pair ran
   side-by-side through the first several corners of the lap, making
   contact several times. Arnoux took the position, but Villeneuve
   attempted an outside pass one corner later. The cars bumped hard, and
   Villenevue slid wide. Villeneuve then tried and inside pass at a
   hairpin turn and managed to make it stick. He then held off Arnoux for
   the last half of the lap to secure 2nd place.

   Zandvoort 1979: Remembered for Villeneuve's determination, as he had
   gone off the track and his rear-left wheel had come off; instead of
   retiring on the spot, he continued racing on three wheels, and in some
   moments on two wheels. He retired later on during the race.

   Watkins Glen 1979: During an extremely wet practice session for this
   race, Villeneuve set a time 11 seconds faster than any other driver.
   His team-mate Jody Scheckter, who was second fastest, recalled that "I
   scared myself rigid that day. I thought I had to be quickest. Then I
   saw Gilles's time and - I still don't really understand how it was
   possible. Eleven seconds!"

   Jarama 1981: Perhaps Villeneuve's greatest achievements came in 1981 at
   Jarama, where he wrestled an unwieldy turbo Ferrari 126C1 to victory in
   a classic of defensive driving at the 1981 Spanish Grand Prix, keeping
   5 quicker cars behind him using his tactical acumen and the superior
   straightline speed of his car. After an hour and 46 minutes of racing,
   Villeneuve led second-placed Jacques Laffite by only 0.22 seconds.
   Fifth-placed Elio de Angelis was only just over a second further back.

   Montreal 1981: Another example of Villeneuve's battling spirit was this
   drive in torrential rain. After severely damaging the front wing of his
   Ferrari, Villeneuve drove for most of the race with the wing obscuring
   his view ahead. There was a risk of being black flagged, but eventually
   the wing became detached and Villeneuve drove on to finish third with
   the nose section of his car missing.

Argument with Pironi

   Villeneuve went into 1982 a clear favourite for the crown. He was
   widely regarded as the best Formula One driver in the field, and
   Ferrari, with new designer Harvey Postlethwaite, produced an excellent
   design. After glimpses of promise in the opening races, Villeneuve was
   back at the front for the San Marino Grand Prix, (which was boycotted
   by some teams due to the FISA-FOCA war) and it was agreed that
   Villeneuve and his team-mate Didier Pironi would not contest for the
   lead past the final corner. However Pironi disobeyed this agreement and
   beat him to the line. It is Villeneuve's widely believed claim that he
   was merely coasting at that point, in the knowledge that victory was in
   the bag and trusted Pironi to do likewise under orders. Feeling
   betrayed and angry, Villeneuve vowed never to speak to Pironi again.

Death

   On May 8, 1982, on his final qualifying lap for the Belgian Grand Prix
   at Zolder, the front left wheel of his car came into contact with the
   right rear wheel of Jochen Mass's car, who moved aside to let
   Villeneuve through. Villeneuve moved the same way to pass Mass's car
   and was launched into the air before nose-diving into the soft earthen
   embankment just outside the armco and somersaulting along the side of
   the track. The violence of the accident reduced the car to its cockpit,
   and ripped Villeneuve's seat from the back of the monocoque.
   Villeneuve, still strapped to his seat, was thrown across the track and
   into the catch fencing just outside the corner. When the medical team
   arrived, he was not breathing. Villeneuve was resuscitated at the
   scene, but his injuries were fatal. He died in a local hospital that
   evening, his fatal injuries were likely caused by the force of his car
   landing for the first time after the initial impact. If his death was
   not greeted with great shock and surprise (everyone knew his style),
   that was more than offset by the profound sadness it produced. Even
   René Arnoux, his adversary in the Dijon epic, confessed that he cried
   after discovering that Gilles had died.

Legacy

   Villeneuve had already become an iconic figure before his death. His
   determination to win was obvious from outside the cockpit in the
   frequent oversteer and wheel-banging with his competitors. This
   endeared him to the crowd, and combined with his unusually open and
   honest approach, to many of the press as well. After the tragic death
   of Ronnie Peterson, Villeneuve was seen as his natural successor as the
   fastest natural driver on the grid.

   At the funeral in Berthierville, former team-mate, Jody Scheckter,
   delivered a simple eulogy: “I will miss Gilles for two reasons. First,
   he was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. Second, he
   was the most genuine man I have ever known. But he has not gone. The
   memory of what he has done, what he achieved, will always be there.”

   Villeneuve's spectacular driving is still considered an art form among
   Formula One fans. He is still remembered at Grand Prix races,
   especially those in Italy. There is a bronze bust of him at the
   entrance to the Ferrari test track; a challenging corner at the Imola
   Track, site of the San Marino Grand Prix, is named Curva Gilles
   Villeneuve; a Canadian flag is painted on the spot where he started his
   last race.

   The racetrack on Île Notre-Dame, Montreal, used for the Formula One
   Canadian Grand Prix and Champ Car Grand Prix of Montreal, was renamed
   in his honour at the Canadian Grand Prix of 1982 after his death. His
   homeland has continued to honour him. In Berthierville, a museum was
   opened in 1992 and a lifelike statue stands in a nearby park named in
   his honour. Villeneuve was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall
   of Fame at their inaugaural induction ceremony at the Four Seasons
   Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, August 19, 1993. In June 1997, Canada issued a
   postage stamp in honour of its favorite racing son.

   There is still a huge demand for Villeneuve memorabilia at the
   race-track shops, and several books have been written about him. The
   number 27, the number of his Ferrari for several years, is still
   closely associated with him by fans. A film based on the biography by
   Gerald Donaldson was announced in 2005, intended for release in 2007.

Helmet

   Villeneuve's helmet carried a stylised 'V' in red on either side - an
   effect he devised with his wife Joann. The base colour was black. His
   son, Jacques, uses the same basic design, but like his contemporary,
   Christian Fittipaldi, has changed the colours.

Complete Formula One results

   ( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)
   Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Team WDC Points
   1977 McLaren ARG
   BRA
   RSA
   USAW
   ESP
   MON
   BEL
   SWE
   FRA
   GBR
   11 DEU
   AUT
   HOL
   ITA
   USA
   CAN
   12 JPN
   Ret Ferrari - 0
   1978 Ferrari ARG
   8 BRA
   Ret RSA
   Ret USAW
   Ret MON
   Ret BEL
   4 ESP
   10 SWE
   9 FRA
   12 GBR
   Ret DEU
   8 AUT
   3 HOL
   6 ITA
   7 USA
   Ret CAN
   1 Ferrari 10th 17
   1979 Ferrari ARG
   Ret BRA
   5 RSA
   1 USAW
   1 ESP
   7 BEL
   7 MON
   Ret FRA
   2 GBR
   14 DEU
   8 AUT
   2 HOL
   Ret ITA
   2 CAN
   2 USA
   1 Ferrari 2nd 53
   1980 Ferrari ARG
   Ret BRA
   16 RSA
   Ret USAW
   Ret BEL
   6 MON
   5 FRA
   8 GBR
   Ret DEU
   6 AUT
   8 HOL
   7 ITA
   Ret CAN
   5 USA
   Ret Ferrari 12th 6
   1981 Ferrari USAW
   Ret BRA
   Ret ARG
   Ret RSM
   7 BEL
   4 MON
   1 ESP
   1 FRA
   Ret GBR
   Ret DEU
   10 AUT
   Ret HOL
   Ret ITA
   Ret CAN
   3 LAS
   DSQ Ferrari 7th 25
   1982 Ferrari RSA
   Ret BRA
   Ret USAW
   DSQ RSM
   2 BEL
   DNS MON USAE CAN DUT GBR FRA GER AUT SWI ITA LAS Ferrari 16th 10
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilles_Villeneuve"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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