Montreal's GP: why it's so much fun for spectators, drivers, teams

[BobHWS]

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first Canadian Grand Prix (which was held at Mosport, near Toronto). In the ensuing years, the race was held a couple times at Mont Tremblant (in the mountains north of Montreal) and back at Mosport in the other years. The race moved to Montreal in 1978 when it was won by hometown boy Gilles Villeneuve.

Here's a story about the 40th anniversary from The Montreal Gazette. It quotes Bernie on the Montreal venue, and for once, I agree with his opinion...though I do think Bernie will eventually stab Montreal in the back and take the race away from the city, so he can award it to someplace that is more willing to pay his ever-escalating price for the rights to host a race.

Inaugural F1 helped celebrate Canada's centennial
Monday, June 04, 2007

MONTREAL - The Grand Prix of Canada has been held 38 times, but this year marks the 40th anniversary of Formula One racing in this country.

Aug. 27, 1967, saw the first F1 race in Canada, held at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ont., 100 kilometres east of Toronto...

...Ecclestone has said that F1's arrival in Montreal in 1978 was the best thing to have happened to the Canadian event.

"Some thought the move was a gamble, but history has proven it was the right decision," Ecclestone is quoted as saying in Benoit Clairoux's book, Montreal - 25 Years of Formula 1, published in 2003 on the 25th anniversary of the race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

"Montreal has become one of the best-loved venues in the championship and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has produced some of the most exciting races," Ecclestone said.

"Monaco and Monza are great venues and must-see events for the fans for many reasons, including their great history and tradition, but today they are not alone. Today, Montreal and the (Grand Prix of Canada) also have pride of place within the Formula One community."

[BobHWS]

Also, here's another article from today's Montreal Gazette, about the economic impact of big-spending F1 fans (I fit more into the "small spending" group) on Montreal's economy:

The Grand Spree
For the richest of the f1 fans pouring into Montreal, nothing but the finest will do. Our hotels, restaurants and boutiques are ready
The Gazette
Monday, June 04, 2007

This isn't just a car race. Montreal's Grand Prix will be over in less than two hours from start to finish on Sunday afternoon. But in the days leading up to race time, tens of thousands of visitors will fan out across the city for long outings of shopping, eating and partying, spending an estimated $75 million...

[Leighton Irwin]

On the subject of 40 years of the GP. The first one in 67 was also Canada's 100th birthday. VARAC's vintage festival at the end of June is celebrating this event with several Vintage F1 cars and at least 2 drivers who competed in that event. I gophered for the Cooper team (Jochen Rindt and Dick 'Tatty Atty' Attwood). Roy Salvadori was the team manager and some guy called Ron Dennis was a mechanic.

[BobHWS]

Monday's Montreal Gazette describes the Montreal F1 Grand Prix scene in the downtown area...best advice--don't try to drive anywhere near downtown from Thursday through Saturday.

City revs its engines for Grand Prix week
Anne Sutherland, The Gazette
Monday, June 04, 2007

Cars costing millions of dollars will be zooming around the racetrack on le Notre Dame later this week, but for those of us who have to contend with considerably less expensive wheels, the streets of Montreal will be almost as challenging to navigate during Grand Prix week...

[Leighton Irwin]

Driving in MTL. at any time is exciting! At least most drivers are fairly competent even if aggressive. If you are hesitant in MTL. you are toast.
Toronto on the other hand is full of totally incompetent drivers.

[BobHWS]

During last year's Montreal GP, there were articles in the francophone press about threats made by Bernie Ecclestone (what else is new? ) to take away Montreal's race if certain improvements were not made to the facilities at the track. Now it seems that some of those improvements will be made and paid for by various governmental agencies before this year's race.

Renovation work for the Canadian GP
Fri 22 Feb

Montreal's Gilles-Villeneuve circuit, site of the Canadian Grand Prix, will be undergoing a small make-over. The announcement follows confirmation of a government grant dedicated to partial reconstruction of the paddock area, with the work to be completed in time for the June race.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone had declared last year that upgrades were required to bring the facilities up to par...

...The proposed plan aims at installing additional floating platforms on the basin that once served for the 1976 Olympic games in order to augment the available square footage, relocate the media centre, and allow for a new press cafeteria...

...The Canadian Grand Prix, which will be celebrating its 30th edition on the famous Gilles-Villeneuve circuit this year, generates approximately 80 million dollars into the local economy.

[BobHWS]

Here's an update on the improvements to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

F1 orders change to Montreal track
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Canadian Press

...The hairpin turn at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit that was the site of a death-defying crash [by Robert Kubica] during last year's Canadian Grand Prix will be tamed ahead of this year's race.

...That will be the most noticeable of the $4.5 million worth of renovations being made to the 4.35-kilometre track.

Organizers are also expanding and modernizing the areas reserved for the drivers and their teams...

..There will be offices for engineers, a kitchen for support staff and, in response to a long-standing complaint, private bathrooms for each team...

[BobHWS]

For those of you headed to Montreal for the Grand Prix du Canada, here's the schedule of events for the 2008 Crescent St. Grand Prix festival in downtown Montreal.



10th anniversary Crescent Street Grand Prix of Canada Festival Schedule

Thursday, June 5, 2008

12:30pm Opening Ceremony
2:00pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:00pm Official Weigh-In for “Gala du Boxe Budweiser du Grand Prix III”
4:30pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:45pm DJ on the Budweiser stage
7:00pm Budweiser presents Joshua (tribute to U2)
9:00pm Budweiser presents Young Soul

Friday, June 6, 2008

12:00pm DJ on the Budweiser stage
2:00pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:00pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:45pm DJ on the Budweiser stage
5:00pm Honda Charity Auction
7:00pm Budweiser presents Wicked Access
9:00pm Budweiser presents Madonna Tribute

Saturday, June 7, 2008

12:00pm DJ on the Budweiser stage
2:00pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:00pm Entertainment on Crescent Street North
4:45pm DJ on the Budweiser stage
7:00pm Budweiser presents This Side Up
9:00pm Budweiser presents Shake Show Band

[BobHWS]

Here is a press release about the new facilities for journalists and F1 teams unveiled Saturday at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve:

$5.5 million investment - The Canadian Grand Prix opens its international press centre and new paddock installations

MONTREAL, May 31 /CNW Telbec/ - Approximately 350 members of the national and international press covering the Canadian Grand Prix, as well as 1,000 Formula One members now have modern facilities that provide more space and comfort.

At a cost of $5.5 million, the new international press centre and new paddock installations at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve were opened today in the presence of Mr. Normand Legault, president and CEO of the Grand Prix of Canada, the Honourable Michael M Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and Minister responsible for the Region of Montreal, the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada, Mr. Raymond Bachand, Minister of Tourism, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade and Minister responsible for the Region of Montreal, and Gérald Tremblay, mayor of Montreal, and Mr. John Dunn, executive vice-president of Tourism Montreal.

Mr. Legault thanked the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec and Tourisme Montreal for offering financial support to this project to modernize important facilities of the Canadian Grand Prix. "I am convinced that journalists who use the services of our press centre to talk about Montreal, Quebec and Canada throughout the world, will greatly appreciate the fruits of this investment," he said.

The new press centre is installed at the Olympic Basin. For the first time, all media services will be grouped together: the media centre, the media cafeteria and the photo area. Photographers, who had to go to the opposite end of the Olympic Basin to process and send their images, will be no longer isolated.

Until last year, accredited Canadian Grand Prix journalists were crowding into the control tower to cover the event. Becoming too cramped, this tower no longer met their needs.

On the other hand, some 1,000 paddock members can also gather in renewed area. In addition to the usual facilities, the Canadian Grand Prix now offers each of the teams new modules, built on two floors, which will allow them to work in a much more spacious, more functional and more comfortable environment.

Mr. Legault said that the press centre and new paddock installations were temporary accommodations. After each Grand Prix, they will be dismantled and reinstalled for the next edition. "They will not have to suffer the effects of our harsh winters," he said.

In addition, the existence of the new press centre and new paddock facilities will enable representatives of Formula One Management (FOM) and the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to occupy the installations in the control tower.

"We have had to live with a site that presented a lot of challenges with the space available to handle everything involved around a Formula One race. And that's why today I am very proud of what we have achieved for our great event next weekend. So, I would like to thank our team for the superb work they have accomplished inside the very limited area. They succeeded brilliantly, and in a short period of time, to maximize the limited spaces still available on this section of Ile Notre-Dame," said Legault.

Lastly, Mr. Legault emphasized the financial participation of the City of Montreal to improve the electrical power supply for the circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Power supply systems will be installed nearby the garages by the Société Jean-Drapeau. They will replace the existing generators, which were to be leased annually to ensure the electrical power required. This work will be completed in time for the 31st edition of the Canadian Grand Prix in 2009.

The 30th edition of the Canadian Grand Prix will be held from June 6 to 8, at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on Ile Notre-Dame.

[BobHWS]

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. An article in the National Post takes a look back at how the race found a permanent home in Montreal and how the track was designed.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve celebrates 30 years
Randy Phillips, Canwest News Service
Sunday, June 01, 2008

MONTREAL -- It has stood the test of time.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, a race track built on Ile Notre Dame, a man-made island a stone's throw from downtown Montreal, and site of the Formula One Grand Prix of Canada.

The track is the lasting legacy of Maurice Brisebois - a well-known personality in the communications field in Montreal - and the group he assembled to ensure the survival of the Grand Prix in the late 1970s, but in particular British-born Canadian Roger Peart...

[hyphen]

is there a Bridgestone open track day on Thu.Jun.05 as in years prior?
I can find no reference for 2008

(go Sutil!)

_h

[BobHWS]

Originally Posted by hyphen

is there a Bridgestone open track day on Thu.Jun.05 as in years prior?
I can find no reference for 2008

Yes, there is a Bridgestone open house at the track again this year on Thursday morning. As explained on the home page of the GP, you're supposed to pick up tickets at a Bridgestone tire dealer. There's a list of dealers here:

Bridgestone Open House Thursday, June 5, 9AM-1PM

Also, here's the race schedule for the weekend:

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

07: 30 Venue opens to public
08 : 45 - 09 : 15 Formula BMW :: Free Practice Session (30 min)
10 : 00 - 11 : 30 Formula 1 :: 1st Free Practice Session (90 min)
12 : 00 - 12 : 30 Formula BMW :: Qualifying Session (30 min)
14 : 00 - 15 : 30 Formula 1 :: 2nd Free Practice Session (90 min)
16 : 00 - 16 : 45 Ferrari Challenge :: Free Practice Session (45 min)
17 : 00 - 17 : 45 IMSA GT3 Cup by Michelin :: Free Practice Session (45 min)


SATURDAY JUNE 7

07: 30 Venue opens to public
08 : 50 - 09 : 20 IMSA GT3 Cup by Michelin :: Qualifying Session (30 min)
10 : 00 - 11 : 00 Formula 1 :: 3rd Free Practice Session (60 min)
11 : 10 - 11 : 55 Ferrari Challenge:: Qualifying Session (45 min)
13 : 00 - 14 : 00 Formula 1 :: Qualifying Session (60 min)

FORMULA BMW
14 : 30 - 14 : 45 Grid Access and Formation Lap (15 min)
14 : 45 - 15 : 15 Race (30 min)
15 : 15 - 15 : 30 Podium Presentation (15 min)

IMSA GT3 CUP BY MICHELIN
15 : 45 - 16 : 00 Grid Access and Formation Lap (15 min)
16 :00 - 16 : 30 Race (30 min)
16 : 30 - 16 : 45 Podium Presentation (15 min)

SUNDAY JUNE 8

07: 30 Venue opens to public

IMSA GT3 CUP BY MICHELIN
08:15 -08:30 Grid Access and Formation Lap (15 min)
08:30 - 09:00 Race (30 min)
09:00 - 09:15 Podium Presentation (15 min)

FORMULA BMW
09:15 - 09:30 Grid Access and Formation Lap (15 min)
09:30 - 10:00 Race (30 min)
10:00 -10:15 Podium Presentation (15 min)

FERRARI CHALLENGE
10 : 30 - 10 : 45 Grid Access and Formation Lap (15 min)
10 : 45 - 11 : 15 Course (30 min)
11 : 15 - 11 : 30 Podium Presentation (15 min)

FORMULA 1
11 : 30 Formula 1 Drivers Parade (30 min)
12 : 00 Nations' Presentation (30 min)
12 : 30 Pit Lane Opening (15 min)
12 : 45 Pit Lane Closing (15 min)
13 : 00 GRAND PRIX DU CANADA 2008
71 laps (including formation lap)

[BobHWS]

An article in Monday's Montreal Gazette reveals that Peel St., the location of the annual Ferrari club drive-in on Thursday night of Grand Prix week, will be completely closed to traffic during all four days of the F1 weekend.

Montreal gears up for the Grand Prix
The Gazette
Monday, June 02, 2008

MONTREAL - Grand Prix madness is revving up and we've still got three days to go before cars start roaring around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve...

...It's about shutting down Peel St. between Ste. Catherine St. and de Maisonneuve Blvd. for four full days, a first for the merchants who lobbied long and hard for permission from the city of Montreal.

...the street will be pedestrian- and - more important - tent-friendly, for four days and nights, from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 p.m Sunday.

The fancy cars will be back on Peel: 40-plus Ferraris on Thursday night, Lamborghinis, Fiats and Austin-Healys on Friday, Rolls-Royces, Bentleys and a rare Maserati on Saturday, and assorted Porsches on Sunday.

[BobHWS]

With only 2 weeks to go until le Grand Prix du Canada, it's time to revive this thread. I'm looking forward to my first Montreal F1 race since 2008 (no race in 2009 and I went to Le Mans in 2010). Here's an article from the Montreal Gazette about preparations for the race and the man who replaced Normand Legault as promoter.

Sodden spring turns to speed
F1 Grand Prix organizers battle elements, but expect summer madness to begin in earnest
By DAVE STUBBS, The Gazette May 26, 2011 7:32 AM

MONTREAL - A springtime that's required more rust remover than sunscreen has been a soggy inconvenience for François Dumontier.

In two weeks time, Dumontier will welcome 300,000-plus of his closest friends to Île Notre Dame's Parc Jean Drapeau for the 42nd Canadian Grand Prix. And Formula One racing cares not at all about lousy weather or a race promoter's headaches because of it...

Montreal's Canadian Grand Prix has forever been a popular stop for F1 teams because of the track's proximity to a vibrant, cosmopolitan city, the passion of the fans and the unpredictability of a race which is never the start-to-finish processional seen on many ultramodern, superbland circuits...

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...#ixzz1NStGkppj

[BobHWS]

With only 10 days to go until the start of the F1 weekend in Montreal, here's the schedule for the Crescent St. F1 Festival:



LG Crescent Street Grand Prix Festival
2011 Programming

Program

Thursday, June 9, 2010
12:30pm Opening Ceremony
1:00pm Celebrity Pit Stop Challenge, presented by Ford
5:00pm Media Pit Stop Challenge, presented by Ford
5:00pm DJ Jango Queston the Virgin Mobile stage
5:45pm Driver autograph session at TW Steel with Vitaly Petrov
7:00pm GCR on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:00pm DJ on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:30pm Virgin Mobile presents Fefe Dobson

Friday, June 10, 2011
All Day Pit Stop Challenge, presented by Ford
5:00pm DJ Steph on the Virgin Mobile stage
7:00pm Body Groove on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:00pm DJ Steph on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:30pm Virgin Mobile presents Sloan

Saturday, June 12, 2011
All Day Pit Stop Challenge, presented by Ford
12:00pm DJ on the Virgin Mobile stage
5:00pm DJ Karl B on the Virgin Mobile stage
7:00pm Freddie James on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:00pm Special guests on the Virgin Mobile stage
9:30pm Virgin Mobile presents Down With Webster

[icemachine]

For those interested, this years GP coincides with 18th Mondiale de la Biere, a 5 day beer festival that is always a good time. They relocated Mondiale this year to Place Bonaventure to accomodate the growing crowds. I can't make it this year due toa customer product launch, but its a great time with some of the best beers in the world from various craft (and commercial, but why would you bother) breweries.

http://festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/en...montreal_2011/

[Sodemo]

A close friend of mine (known him since school) has just moved over from the UK to Canada. Probably next year I will pay a visit (never been before, or to the US for that matter) so I might try and do New York and catch an internal flight to Montreal, hopefully to catch the GP as well.

[chillibowl]

sweet, Sloan is playing on the Friday. just saw them a few nights ago and as always they were great.

great Canadian rock band and its a free show so you cant go wrong!

[werner]

Originally Posted by Bononi

Loved the pic, but sorry... too big, too hot.

If you just had deleted it. Now with your comment I want to see it!

[BobHWS]

Originally Posted by werner

If you just had deleted it. Now with your comment I want to see it!

I can't remember which photo that was, but it was one of the many that I have taken over the years of les belles Québecoises that can be seen here:

Montreal F1 Babes

Montreal F1 Fashion Babes

The fashion festival is no longer held in conjunction with the F1 weekend, because it got so big that it didn't need to be cross-promoted with the F1 weekend. It's now held in early August.

I'll be attending the race again this year and I'll post my Montreal F1 babe photos sometime during the week after the race. If I have time, maybe I'll post a few during the race weekend.

[BobHWS]

Montreal Gazette columnist Dave Stubbs on why this year's race should be fun for the drivers:

Get set for excitement in Montreal
By DAVE STUBBS, The Gazette May 31, 2011

...Tire supplier Pirelli, having replaced Bridgestone, is shipping soft and super-soft compounds here as the prime and option rubber, based only on team data and anecdotal feedback. So that's an unknown.

...FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting explained last Friday in Barcelona that the DRS will be enabled on the sprint from the start toward the tight, physical Senna Corner, then again down the sillyfast back straight toward the legendary right-left chicane that's within sight of the finish line.

"That's already an exciting zone," Dumontier said of the so-called Wall of Champions that's been met ungracefully by many of the sport's greatest drivers through the years. "Imagine it with more passing there!"

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sport...#ixzz1Nz8IVyQI

[BobHWS]

Another reason that Montreal is a great venue for F1 (as opposed to, say, Shanghai, Bahrain, Istanbul or Austin) is that the province of Quebec has produced some pretty good drivers, primarily Gilles Villeneuve and son Jacques in F1, but also Alex Tagliani and Patrick Carpentier in Indycar. Having famous native sons Gilles and Jacques achieve great things in F1 gives the local fans a special connection to the sport that can't be duplicated in places that have no racing heritage. Here's an article from today's Montreal Gazette about the Gilles Villeneuve Museum near Montreal.

Berthierville museum honours Gilles Villeneuve
By David Johnston, THE GAZETTE June 3, 2011

...Younger fans know Gilles by reputation, and more derivatively as the father of Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion. But older F1 enthusiasts, including Bellehumeur, have not forgotten Gilles’s sudden rise in the 1970s from world snowmobiling champion to an F1 drivers’s spot with the fabled Ferrari team...

...the first exhibit inside Musée Gilles-Villeneuve shows Enzo and Gilles sharing a laugh, with a caption quoting Enzo’s memorable observation, which reads in part: “and when they presented me to this tiny Canadian, this minuscule bundle of nerves, I instantly recognized in him the physique of the great Nuvolari, and I said to myself, ‘Let’s give him a try.’ ”

For more information about Musée Gilles-Villeneuve visit... www.museegillesvilleneuve.com

[BobHWS]

The Little Italy district of Montreal now has its own F1 Grand Prix weekend festival. Little Italy is located a couple miles north of downtown and it is easily reachable by car or metro (the nearest stations are Jean Talon, De Castelnau or Beaubien). Here's a link to the schedule of events for the weekend:

Little Italy Grand Prix Weekend events



Little Italy is also home to my favorite store in Montreal:

Grand Prix Miniatures
6807, St-Laurent
Montréal, Québec
Phone : 514-278-1005

[BobHWS]

The weather forecast for the F1 GP weekend looks pretty good right now:

Thursday
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Mostly Cloudy. High: 82 °F. Wind WSW 14 mph. 50% chance of precipitation (water equivalent of 0.09 in). Heat Index: 84 °F.
Thursday Night
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Overcast. Low: 59 °F. Wind South 13 - 16 mph. 60% chance of precipitation (water equivalent of 0.13 in).
Friday
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Partly Cloudy. High: 73 °F. Wind SSE 7 - 11 mph. 20% chance of precipitation (water equivalent of 0.03 in).
Friday Night
Chance of a Thunderstorm. Partly Cloudy. Low: 57 °F. Wind NNE 13 - 17 mph. 20% chance of precipitation (trace amounts).
Saturday
Partly Cloudy. High: 75 °F. Wind East 3 mph.
Saturday Night
Clear. Low: 66 °F. Wind SSE 3 - 6 mph.
Sunday
Partly Cloudy. High: 77 °F. Wind NE 4 - 10 mph.

[BobHWS]

Lotus Renault team members on Montreal:

Nick Heidfeld

I look forward to every race, yes, but this is a very special one because I’ve finished second here before. The race itself is unique - Montreal is a big city and it must be the only venue in Formula 1 where the city lives and breathes the sport for that week. There are postcards and souvenirs everywhere, and the support really is fantastic. It’s not every day you come across an F1 venue where the whole city gets behind the race like Montreal does.

Eric Bouillier (team principal)

Canada is a massive asset for the sport because it is the one race in North America. The atmosphere and the fans are just amazing. A lot of races could only dream of having the attendance Canada has, and of getting such a great level of support. It really is magical to come back because of the tremendous level of support from everyone in the city.