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8 May 2003, 18:15 (Ref:593822)
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#1 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 5,276
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Gilles, 21 years
please leave JV attacks for another thread
I was sadly born too late to witness this racer drive, but thanks to videos and books, I can now attest Gilles was the best racer ever. RIP Gilles. |
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"Many people depend on motor racing for their livelihood, to them it is a business. To me, it is a sport." -Jim Clark 
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8 May 2003, 18:33 (Ref:593843)
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Veteran
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,958
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Gilles was of different ilk. I was lucky enough to see him drive, in Atlantics and F1. During his ascendence, my father was National Race Director and helped form the Player's Atlantic Series. His friend was the chief scruntineer. Gilles, Joanne and family used to camp beside us at the races that we would take the trailer to. He was a very serious guy at times, but could also be quite funny.
I remember at Trois Rivieres in 75' standing there as a kid, with my Dad, Romer and GV. Romer was taking the **** out of him for wrecking two cars in practise, and driving well over the limits. In a rather straight face he quickly retorted, "well if I don't go over the limits, how will I know where they are?" A great loss for us all, he should have been a WDC. Cheers. |
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8 May 2003, 18:37 (Ref:593847)
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Ten-Tenths Hall of Fame
Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 5,181
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The man who got me addicted to this sport.
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"And the most important thing is that we, the Vettels, the Bernies, whoever, should not destroy our own sport by making stupid comments about the ******* noise." - Niki Lauda
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8 May 2003, 18:46 (Ref:593851)
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#4 | ||
 Race Official20KPINAL
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 21,606
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Gilles, was one of my favourite drivers.
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__________________
Show me a man who won't give it to his woman An' I'll show you somebody who will
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8 May 2003, 20:54 (Ref:593979)
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#5 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,168
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RIP Gilles
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8 May 2003, 21:23 (Ref:594003)
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#6 | ||
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Racer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 322
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There was no one braver. He will always be my hero.
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__________________
It's a great great day for a motorcar race. J Stewart
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9 May 2003, 03:09 (Ref:594142)
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#7 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,565
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As Jacques Laffite was heard to say at a very wet Watkins Glen..."I don't know why we bother, he is just in a different league then the rest of us."
Unfortunately, I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news, same with Ayrton, but at least I can also say I saw him race in person, and I haven't forgotten that, either. R.I.P. |
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9 May 2003, 03:24 (Ref:594147)
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#8 | ||
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Llama Assassin and Sheep Botherer
Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,212
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9 May 2003, 18:03 (Ref:594784)
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#9 | |
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Rookie
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 90
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i never saw gille race but in told jv is his fathers son
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20 May 2003, 20:14 (Ref:605248)
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#10 | |||
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Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,346
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Quote:
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23 May 2003, 15:30 (Ref:607997)
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#11 | |
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20KPINAL
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 29,853
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Gilles: The greatest racer there ever was.
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29 May 2003, 01:10 (Ref:613046)
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#12 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,936
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Certainly the _purest_ racer since Nuvolari.
I never got to see Gilles race, I've only seen video clips, but the legend speaks for itself. I've said it before, what make a truly great driver are the legends. Fangio had the Nurburgring '57, Rosemeyer had the fogged-in '36 Eiffel GP, Senna had Monaco '84 and Donnington, Nuvolari the '48 Mille Miglia... Gilles has no less than 5 legends to his name! Watkins Glen qualifying, the blowout/incredible save/3-wheeled lap/yelling at the mechanics at Zandvoort (my sig!), the battle with Arnoux, the freight train at Jarama, and the short-lived feud with Pironi. The man was simply everything that modern F1 is not: Fearless, fair, and genuinely good-natured. Imagine the legends if they'd had Spa and the Nurburgring when Gilles was racing.
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"Put a ****ing wheel on there! Let me go out again!" -Gilles Villeneuve, Zandvoort, 1979
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29 May 2003, 06:07 (Ref:613124)
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#13 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,346
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Dont forget his Monaco win, when there was no way he should have been able to win in that unweildy turbo Ferrari, and Silverstoine in 1977 when in his first practice he deliberatly spun on every corner saying it was the quickest way to find the limit.
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29 May 2003, 11:48 (Ref:613415)
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#14 | ||
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Race Official 20KPINAL
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 21,606
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...and I remember one amazing hunting on Reutteman ! Can't remember where (Monza ?), but Reutteman missed the corner and entered in an alternative track swinging through the plastic piles followed by Gilles ! FANTASTIC !!!
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__________________
Show me a man who won't give it to his woman An' I'll show you somebody who will
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30 May 2003, 15:13 (Ref:614837)
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#15 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 13,000
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Yes, Gilles is truly one of the legends. He died doing what he spent his whole career doing - getting 110% out of cars that were not up to the job. No one since has had the same courage, car control, skill and guts (not even JV who I admire and respect). He is so much of the Ferrari legend, not to mention the #27 legend.
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30 May 2003, 16:02 (Ref:614904)
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#16 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,594
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a legend
Dijon 79 is such a classic |
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2 Jun 2003, 01:45 (Ref:617333)
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#17 | ||
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Veteran
Join Date: Jul 1999
Posts: 6,038
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Direct Film! I remember them!
Unfortunately, Gilles died a few days before I was born, and I never had the chance to see him race in person like so many other lucky ones. He's a legend, larger than life. |
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"I used to hate writing, but now I enjoy it. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!" - Calvin and Hobbes
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