VILLENEUVE’S FAIRY TALE RIDE TO VICTORY
Racer captured the hearts of Quebecers 40 years ago by winning his first Formula One race on home soil
“Salut Gilles.”
The two words painted at the Canadian Grand Prix finish line underline the reverence Montreal feels for Gilles Villeneuve. They were first added to the Formula One track that bears his name in 1982 only weeks after Canada’s greatest racer perished in a violent qualifying crash at the Belgian Grand Prix. The message to a lost hero has graced the track in Montreal every year since.
When many read those words, they immediately think of a frenzied and cold October afternoon 40 years ago when Villeneuve scored his maiden F1 win in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix, much to the delight of his adoring, hometown fans at Circuit Île Notre-Dame. Those in the crowd that day recall a crescendo beginning when JeanPierre Jarier dropped out and handed the lead to Villeneuve. The noise increased as Villeneuve led the final 20 laps until the 73,000 fans screamed so loudly when the scarlet No. 12 Ferrari crossed the finish line that they drowned out the roar of the cars’ engines.
“It was fantastic for Gilles to win his first race in French Canada,” said Bobby Rahal, who was behind the wheel of a Wolf-Cosworth in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix but retired early in the race.
“There was no more appropriate, dramatic place for him to get his first win in front of all his fellow Quebecers. I would think that after the race he had to feel like he had arrived.”
Villeneuve lined up third in his Ferrari on that day, but dropped to fourth at the start. Jarier streaked away in his Lotus, while Villeneuve fought back and climbed to second by one-third distance. Jarier was 30 seconds ahead when an oil leak robbed the French driver of his maiden F1 victory, and handed the race to Villeneuve.
“Winning a Grand Prix for the first time is really something and doing it right here is something else,” Villeneuve said after the race. “This is the happiest day of my life.”
The day served as a fairy-tale beginning for Formula One in Montreal and a key piece in the building of the Villeneuve legend. The win added glory to the already compelling story of Villeneuve’s incredible car control skills that precipitated a rags to riches rise from the twisty back roads of Quebec to driving for the most famous name in racing in the pinnacle of motorsport.
Fans who would like to get an upclose look at the No. 12 Ferrari 312 T3 Villeneuve drove to victory in 1978 should head to the Montreal Casino, where the car will be on display until the end of the weekend. Those wanting to touch the message at the finish line can get their chance beginning at 6 p.m. Friday in “The Grand Walk” fundraiser to benefit the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Tickets are $45 in advance or $50 at the track, subject to availability.
The 1978 win was a huge triumph for Villeneuve, and also marked a turning point for the brash SaintJean-sur-Richelieu native, who previously made headlines for his daring style that often led to spectacular crashes and retirements. There was never any doubt Villeneuve could pedal a car in the most spectacular way possible, but converting that speed into wins is what really counts in F1.
“Once you win, you know that you belong there and everybody else thinks you do, too,” said Mario Andretti, who won the 1978 world championship driving for Lotus.
“Winning puts you in a different category and until you do that, you’re a pretender. There’s a change in the way everybody looks at you and how you look at things. Hell, yes, absolutely it’s a wonderful feeling and once you win, you accept no less.”
Villeneuve went on to take only five more victories in his short F1 career. Along the way, he became the most famous Canadian of his day, earning legions of fans around the globe with his always flat-out style that often left jaws wagging.
“Gilles electrified people around the world with his driving style and he took a lot of risks — there’s no question of that,” said Rahal, who also raced against Villeneuve in Formula Atlantic in the mid-1970s.
“He just operated on a different kind of plane — a different planet — than everybody else. He would get the most out of any car and never give up. People really loved that about him and so did Enzo Ferrari.”
That style ultimately cost him his life, and Villeneuve’s fans never saw him win a coveted world championship. The Villeneuve legend continues and he’s as revered today as he was when “Salut Gilles” first appeared on the track.
Sometimes, though, it’s difficult not to think about what might have been. Had Villeneuve avoided the fatal crash in Belgium, 1979 world champion Jody Scheckter believes time would have tempered the Quebecer, and a title would have come.
“He wanted to be fastest all the time and he was aiming for a different thing,” said Scheckter, who finished second to Villeneuve in a Wolf-Cosworth in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix and became his teammate in 1979.
“I was very wild when I started, but I realized you don’t win championships like that and you’ve got to finish. If he had of been around for a lot longer, he would have gotten to the stage where he said: ‘OK, listen, I want to win a championship.’ ”