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#1
05-08-2007, 11:27 AM
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Gilles Villeneuve: 25 Years Later
Today, May 8, 2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of racing legend Gilles Villeneuve. I did not want this day to go unnoticed as this is a day where the racing world lost a great driver, and a great person.
Gilles Villeneuve will be remembered as one of Canada's greatest drivers and greatest sportsmen - he is surely revered by all Canadian racing fans and an instance of a uniting force in a country that is freuqently divided by language. I wasn't even born when Gilles died, but I know that his death had a profound impact on the sport and robbed F1 of a world-champion level driver. Of what I have read and seen in videoclips, he was an astonishing driver that had the ability to make his car much, much more competitive than it was. Most memorable to me was his stunning battle with René Arnoux at Dijon in '79 - maybe the few laps in F1 history. Anyways, feel free to post videos, quotes, thoughts, stories, whatever you will about Gilles. I've selected a few quotes by and about Gilles that I think are memorable (there are more at Wikiquote): "I knew I had been beaten by the best driver in the world." ~René Arnoux "His death has deprived us of a great champion - one that I loved very much. My past is scarred with grief; parents, brother, son. My life is full of sad memories. I look back and see the faces of my loved ones, and among them I see him." ~Enzo Ferrari "Niki Lauda always said that Villeneuve was the best of their era. ... Behind the wheel of a racing car he was fearfully quick, never stopped trying, and could extricate himself from the most precarious situations with deft brilliance." ~Alan Henry "I know no human being can do miracles but Gilles could really surprise us sometimes." ~Jacques Laffite "Gilles was the fastest driver in the history of motor racing. But more important for me is that he was the most genuine person I have ever known." ~Jody Scheckter "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." ~Gilles Villeneuve "I don't have any fear of a crash. No fear of that. Of course, on a fifth gear corner with a fence outside, I don't want to crash. I'm not crazy. But if its near the end of practice, and you're trying for pole position maybe, I guess you can squeeze the fear..." ~Gilles Villeneuve 
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#2
05-08-2007, 11:45 AM
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"His death has deprived us of a great champion - one that I loved very much. My past is scarred with grief; parents, brother, son. My life is full of sad memories. I look back and see the faces of my loved ones, and among them I see him."
~Enzo Ferrari Wow.. +1 mate.. I also wasn't born when he died but may he still R.I.P
__________________
.................................................................................:¦Back Again¦:.................................................................................
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#3
05-08-2007, 01:09 PM
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Sempre Gilles!
__________________
If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth. (Ted Joans)
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#4
05-08-2007, 01:15 PM
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Quote:
EDIT: Today I have also realized marks an important day in history, the cessation of most hostilities in the European theatre in WWII; Victory in Europe day. Last edited by Kitdy; 05-08-2007 at 01:23 PM. Reason: edit
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#5
05-08-2007, 01:41 PM
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Gilles truly was a great driver, racing poorly balanced Ferrari's. He showed his abilities often, such as the battle with René Arnoux in France and his 3rd place at the Canadian GP with his front wing broken... A true legend from my province, I'm proud of him and he's one of the reasons why I'm proud of being Québécois.
Rest in Peace, Gilles.
__________________
"Sophistication, snobbery, and a sense of being better than the rest of the world." - Adam Quigney
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#6
05-08-2007, 02:49 PM
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Quote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3tXJm9tYGM
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Lack of charisma can be fatal. Visca Catalunya! Last edited by Ferrer; 05-08-2007 at 02:51 PM.
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#7
05-08-2007, 03:13 PM
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He was trully a great driver. We were deprived of of his talent too soon.
I often think of what he might have acomplished, and my mind wanders off as it often does when i thiunk of him or senna.
__________________
Who killed the Electric Car? GO HABS GO!
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#8
05-09-2007, 03:25 PM
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Quote:
 Absolutely insane. He is one phenomenal driver. His death reminds me of losing Ayrton Senna (someone I can refer to). Villeneuve was even younger than Senna. Both of them were long gone by the time I was born. Both great drivers.
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#9
05-09-2007, 11:35 PM
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those overtaking manouvers were insane, I so wish F1 was that competitive these days. Sucks peeps like this pass away before their time.
It seems the cars were much more robust back then.
__________________
RUF CTR Yellowbird is what dreams are made of
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