F1 Grand Prix of Canada Preview: The Quebecer Who Started It All

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06-09-2003, 10:37 AM

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The Quebecer who started it all: 25 years after Gilles Villeneuve became the first driver from this country to win a Formula One race, the Canadian Grand Prix has become the country's most successful annual sports event

IAN MACDONALD
Freelance

Monday, June 09, 2003

Local hero. After winning the Canadian Grand Prix in 1978, Berthierville's Gilles Villeneuve said: \"To win a Grand Prix is something, but to win your first Grand Prix at home is completely unthinkable.\"

CREDIT: AP

Deadly crash. Track officials examine the wreckage of Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari after crash that killed him during qualifying at the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. \"I don't think of dying, but I accept the fact that it's part of the job,\" the Quebec-born driver once said.

A hero's farewell: Gilles Villeneuve's wife (behind casket) and young son Jacques (left) at driver's funeral in 1982.

By far, it was the most memorable of the 24 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix races held on