25 years after his death, Villeneuve’s legend lives on

Gilles Villeneuve never won a world championship in his six seasons with Ferrari on the Formula One circuit, but the little man from Berthierville, Que., won the hearts of race fans the world over.

At the time of his death, following a tragic accident on May 8, 1982 at Imola, Italy, while practicing for the Belgian Grand Prix, Villeneuve was at the height of his career.

He was easily the best Canadian race car driver in history then and remains that today — 25 years after his death.

Villeneuve's legacy goes beyond his world champion son, Jacques, it is a part of almost every racing series in this country.

Drivers such as Paul Tracy, Patrick Carpentier, Ron Fellows and Alex Tagliani all have won races and each one of them credits Gilles Villeneuve's prowess behind the wheel as the catalyst for their success. More at Sun Media