Comments on: Remembering Gilles at play

By: Charles Carling

Charles Carling — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:23:21 +0000

My brother and I witnessed his tragic accident. We saw the Ferrari clip Mass’ car and appear to climb up through the trees into the sky, and somehow we knew that he would not come back.

By: Nine-tenths

Nine-tenths — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 15:25:41 +0000

I had the good fortune to see Gilles Villeneuve race Formula Atlantic during his banner year of 1976. He simply drove away from everyone else, including talented drivers like Bobby Rahal. If only he had been better able to keep his emotions in check, he may have become a multiple world champion. didier pironi deserves only the utter contempt of all who love racing.

By: Brett Hart

Brett Hart — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 02:08:38 +0000

I think one of the most enchanting things I read about Gilles was that had Enzo told Gilles he could have the honour of driving for Ferrari, but with no retainer, apart from travel expenses, Villeneuve would still have driven Ferrari’s with the same passion & glee as he did, & done it happily.

Which has me thinking constantly, how many of the ‘stars’ from the past 30 years would (have) drive(n) F1 for ‘nicks’?

Touche, Richard Bleksley.

By: Richard Bleksley

Richard Bleksley — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:57:19 +0000

I doubt if Gilles Villeneuve would have lasted long in the money-grubbing international media business that calls itself Formula 1 these days. Even in his own time he was a bit of an anachronism: a driver who drove from the heart, with passion and with total commitment, never giving less than 100%. He could liven up any race merely by his presence in it, something I cannot say of any driver since. His exploits had me on the edge of my seat, time and time again.

And with all this, he was just as strongly dedicated to honour and fair play – concepts utterly foreign to today’s “sport.”

He was my last sporting hero, and his death was the beginning of my disenchantment with Formula 1, which is now complete – had you noticed?

Salut Gilles.

By: Dave Cubbedge

Dave Cubbedge — Wed, 12 May 2010 14:25:49 +0000

….and he was a down to earth type of guy, very approachable at the tracks by fans, the toughest of fighters in the car but always very fair. I’ll never forget his race at the Glen in ’79 – from fourth on the grid he just powered away on a greasy track in changing conditions. of course previewed on the friday practice when in the wet he was eleven seconds quicker than the next guy, who I believe was his team mate Jody Scheckter.

there will never be another one like him.

By: Peter Coffman

Peter Coffman — Wed, 12 May 2010 12:51:00 +0000

Gilles is not revered because of what he MIGHT have done had he lived. he is revered because of what he DID do while alive.

He was stunningly, freakishly quick. His car control in treacherous circumstances beggared belief. Much of the time he drove complete dogs, but he never for one millisecond gave anything less than his best, and so often dragged those dogs into places they had no right to be (see Monaco and Spain 1981, for example). He was the epitome of the warrior on the track, but never underhanded and always scrupulously fair. His driving expressed not just how to go fast, but the inherent joy and thrill of doing something with such virtuosity.

He was one of those rare drivers who could remind us why we love this sport.

Thanks, GK, for the article.

By: A.S.Gilbert

A.S.Gilbert — Tue, 11 May 2010 22:11:06 +0000

I was working that day, and informed of an insistant caller.
When I picked up, a voice I knew as another enthusiast asked” What is the worst news, I could possibly give you?”
I knew exactly that second, and it was affirmed.
He had been called from Zolder, a race now meaningless, a place repugnant.
Sad day, grinding, emptying and one we all feared possible. Racing was very risky then.
I remember having a thought for Enzo Ferrari, who regarded Gilles paternally.
Gilles was known in Canada, but few understood the gravity of his moment.
We haven’t seen his like again, nor will we.

By: MS

MS — Tue, 11 May 2010 17:14:36 +0000

Gilles was a legend long before his death.

By: Dave Cubbedge

Dave Cubbedge — Tue, 11 May 2010 16:02:08 +0000

Forza Gilles!

By: Conrad

Conrad — Mon, 10 May 2010 13:00:15 +0000

Michael S, I have to agree witn you. Gilles was a huge talent, a real racer, but those that die young leave a void that needs to be filled, especially when they are as charasmatic as Gilles. Who knows what he might have acheived, and of course we will never know and that in many ways keeps his memory burning bright.

By: Gary Spaven

Gary Spaven — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:59:33 +0000

Gilles was a towering talent even in an era of really great drivers and tough competition.
I saw him on several occasions and vividly remember sitting in a near empty grandstand at Silverstone just on the exit of the old Woodcote chicane during morning practice at the 1981 Grand Prix. The first turbo Ferrari displayed what can only be described as evil handling characteristics. Every lap the thing snapped sideways in the middle of the chicane but Gilles not only caught the slide but refused to lift his foot in his quest for a lap time. This went on for over an hour. It was a display of talent from the stratosphere.
Every few years I read Nigel Roebuck’s tribute to Gilles in the 1982 AutoCourse annual and am moved almost to tears. It is still impossible to accept that Gilles is no longer with us.

By: António Posser

António Posser — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:32:12 +0000

Gilles one day said something like this:
“I never believe that I can hurt myself seriously. If I believe that this can happen to me how can I do this job? If I am losing eight tenths of a second or anything similar because my thoughts are in a possible accident then i´m not doing a proper job and if not, then I am not a pilot. Some pilots in F1 … well, for me, they are not real pilots, they just drive competition cars and are doing only half of the work. And in this case I wonder why they do it”
For everybody who saw him driving they know he was exactly like this.
For me the good thing about Gilles was that each time i was watching him racing everything was possible. There was no limits, there was no routine, is “honesty” inside a F1 was …. a dream.
Sallut Gilles

By: DS

DS — Sun, 09 May 2010 09:38:19 +0000

Michael we are entitled to our opinions – however the reasons i feel so many of us revere Gilles isn’t neccessarily those who die young thing but was his inherent sense of fair play – so sadly lacking subsequently – one of the nicest stories i heard was Gilles asking the reporters to go easy on Didier when Didier was having a bad time of it only to be betrayed for it-

as i mentioned before Gilles doesn’t actually feature in my personal top-ten drivers of all time- but he does as a person – and the fact i enjoyed his off road antics, the whole set-up really-

as for Brando and Dean- sorry both were ‘method’ actors and neither worthy of comparison -

By: Michael S

Michael S — Sat, 08 May 2010 18:17:33 +0000

No disrespct to Giles, but I never got the love affair that Nigel and most of the Motorsport crew has for Giles… I think it is the James Dean theory of dying young keeps you at the top, and never having to fullfil promise allows athers to imagine their own script to your life. Brando and Dean were both young, handsome stars, Dean dies young and is forever a 23 years old star, Brando lives to 80, gets fat and is made fun of all the time in by impersonators.

By: Paul Chenard

Paul Chenard — Sat, 08 May 2010 16:44:25 +0000

It a sad day remembered today, but it also allows us to fondly look back the man, the father, the racer who took our breath away.

Thanks for the story.

Gilles pour toujours!

By: Blair Knudson

Blair Knudson — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:28:16 +0000

I have only seen footage, but a man i know in Germany was there at the French gp, said was the BEST RACE he ever saw and has seen plenty, he said the crowd was roughing for Rene, then it just changed “Quit” and Gilles had no enemy the crowd was behnd him 100%%%, just unbelievable he said how 1 man won over an entire GP crowd, he just kept saying “the crowheartd jhust kept roaring” what a racer and charismatic none EVER like him. He converted me from sprints to F-1 like jimmy clark did42 years previouslly, forever in my HEART. bk

By: DS

DS — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:19:57 +0000

ah Gordon – a wee tear wells – what is so striking for me is the guy’s sense of fairness and fair play and how that philosphy seems so out of kinder with today- sad but with people like Gilles you do wonder what they would have thought of the tactics and brutality of more modern drivers-

i had the pleasure of watching Gilles a few times, remembering vividly the win at Brands ala Race of Champions – that really was a forgotten race but he really drove like a champion that day- people seem to remember the wilder drives but seem to forget the clever drives [Spain 1981 and Monaco 1980 ?] for instance – i also had the frustration of trying to see him race at Zandvoort and Silverstone and crashed out of both- although not his fault- one of the tragedies of this sport of ours is the loss of people like Gilles who could drive like a champion and act like one as well

rest in peace

By: Rich Ambroson

Rich Ambroson — Fri, 07 May 2010 17:04:44 +0000

Gilles raced before my time, but his exploits are timeless. Reading about him and seeing some of the footage of his incredible feats inspired me to go to the Villeneuve museum in Berthierville after attending the Canadian GP in 1994.

As much as his awesome talent on the track, it was his ultimate fairness and honesty that won me over as an ardent fan. Great racing drivers such as Keke Rosberg and Alain Prost have nothing but fine things to say about the man. And the editor of this fine publication, Nigel Roebuck, has provided me with a wonderful education about one of the all time great Grand Prix drivers.

Forever Gilles.

By: Paal Hanson

Paal Hanson — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:14:00 +0000

Gilles was out of this world! I still tremble inside when my mind takes me back to those horific TV pictures from Zolder. Still brings tears to my eyes remembering. He was the perfect racer!

1982 was a year when Formula 1 changed for ever for me, loosing both my favorite driver and my favorite team owner.