Zolder 27 years ago today | FerrariChat

Zolder 27 years ago today

Discussion in 'F1' started by Nuvolari, May 8, 2009.

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  1. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    Sep 3, 2002
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    Rob C.
    How time passes. 27 years ago today we lost the great Gilles Villenuve when his #27 Ferrari crashed at Zolder in qualifying.
     
  2. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #2 Crawler, May 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  3. Motorcitydriver

    Motorcitydriver Karting

    Aug 9, 2006
    172
    Bloomfield, Michigan
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    Graham
    He was something special !!!!!
     
  4. RP

    RP F1 World Champ

    Feb 9, 2005
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    Tone Def
    #4 RP, May 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  5. Fast_ian

    Fast_ian Two Time F1 World Champ

    Sep 25, 2006
    23,397
    Campbell, CA
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    Ian Anderson
    +1 He was just awesome to watch! Car control off the scale. [Ronnie Peterson was the same way IMHO]

    For those here who think it was all so much "better" back then (beyond the dangers of course) I'll quote something Gilles said almost 30 years ago:

    Gilles attachments had their own gravitational field.......

    IIRC, he was also the last driver the Old Man "revered"?

    Cheers,
    Ian
     
  6. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

    Mar 16, 2002
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    Jack
  7. TonyL

    TonyL F1 Rookie

    Sep 27, 2007
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    Tony
    I remember watching him at monaco when he won the race after A jones williams packed up.

    Going through St Devote his wheel just nudged the armco barrier every lap.............awesome
     
  8. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ
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    Nov 11, 2003
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    Anthony T
    I didn't know it was that long ago. My boyhood hero from when I saw him win Long Beach here in 1979. There was an excellent book written about his life by Christopher Hamilton. Still one of the fastest drivers that ever lived who truly had a passion for racing, no matter how bad the car. He fought with Arnoux like crazy for 2nd place at Dijon in 79, and than with a horrible car in 1980 he was delighted to fight with Jabouille at the same race the following here, not knowing that Jabouille was in the lead and trying to pass him. What a Fighter Villeneuve was and so perfect that they named a street for him in Maranello.
     
  9. TonyL

    TonyL F1 Rookie

    Sep 27, 2007
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    Tony
    thats really the point of being a Ferrari driver. He drove with passion and everybody knew and could see it.

    Great pity he never had a good car to do it in. Those late 70's and early 80's cars were total rubbish.

    Sad day for F1 when he died at Zolder
     
  10. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    An excellent book on Gilles is 'Villeneuve the life of the legendary racing driver' by Gerald Donaldson. To this day the best biography on anyone I have read.
     
  11. Senna1994

    Senna1994 F1 World Champ
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    Anthony T
    That is the book, I mistakenly put Christopher Hamilton.
     
  12. 87-Countach

    87-Countach Karting

    Oct 12, 2004
    222
    Dallas, Texas
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    Richard
    For me, he was the best ever.

    I know that there are many rational, numerical and statistical arguments to the contrary.

    But on this one topic; for this one special man; my brain leaves logic at the door.

    Magic happened when he drove, and for me, no one has had it since.

    :-(
     
  13. classic308

    classic308 F1 Veteran

    Jan 9, 2004
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    Paul
    Would have won the WDC in 82 but for that fateful day.. My all time favorite and his Spain 81 victory in possibly the worst handling car in the field was genius...when I read that Ferrari went to a thinner seatbelt material on the f60b I thought of his accident.....RIP Gilles.
     
  14. ferraridude615

    ferraridude615 F1 Veteran

    May 4, 2006
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  15. Nuvolari

    Nuvolari F1 Veteran
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    Rob C.
    In 1999 Motor Sport counted down the top 100 drivers of all time. While these lists are always frought with argument I considered the list to be inspired, well documented and considered. That said I present the listing of Gilles Villeneuve as #2 only to Tazio Nuvolari. The words tell the truth and give credit to the man:

    'Never have statistics misled so radically. The brevity of his career, too much uncompetitive machinery and his absolute refusal to accept defeat have seared in many minds a memory of a brilliantly gifted but uncontrolled driver. Wrongly so. The qualities so often cited as reasons for ultimate track record would under different circumstances have been the conerstones of fabulous success.

    His natural speed - 9 seconds faster than anyone in the wet of Watkins Glen in 1979, putting a tractor of a 126C Ferrari on Monaco's front row when the next fastest man of the time, Pironi, was 17th in a sister car - allied to a searing competitive intensity, saw him often pull off the impossible. Deprive such a man of an equal playing field and for each feat there will be corresponding drama. Had his career gone its full course and he found himself in better cars, days like Jarama '81 and Watkins Glen '79, where his restraint and control wre sublime, would have become the norm. Don't judge him on snapshots of tightrope drama; marvel instad that sometimes - more than anyone but Nuvolari - he pulled off the miracle'
     
  16. ferraridude615

    ferraridude615 F1 Veteran

    May 4, 2006
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  17. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ
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    #17 Gatorrari, May 8, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    An interesting photo I took at Watkins Glen in 1980 in the Boot during Saturday practice and qualifying. Gilles in the wretched 312 T5 leads Surer's ATS and Rebaque's Brabham in a unique "echelon" formation. Gilles only qualified 17th (better than teammate Scheckter's 22nd!) and failed to finish the last GP held at the Glen.
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  18. Sean F.

    Sean F. F1 Rookie

    Feb 4, 2003
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    Sean F
    Sorry, but that is just plain stupidity. He destroyed the back end of the car. I'm sure his mechanics loved him for that.
     
  19. GVBorsari

    GVBorsari Rookie

    Oct 19, 2005
    38
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    Mark Valsi
    SEAN F.,


    I don't know if you knew/know any of the mechanics during that period. I knew several. I had lunch with 4 of them along with 2 of Enzo's secretaries last September.


    THEY ALL LOVED GILLES, NO MATTER WHAT !!!
     
  20. Wolfgang5150

    Wolfgang5150 F1 Rookie

    Oct 31, 2003
    4,706
    Jim:
    You need to post this in the 'Watkins Glen' photo thread...
     
  21. ricksb

    ricksb F1 Veteran

    Apr 12, 2005
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    B. Ricks
    THE MOST entertaining if not the best driver. He was a daredevil on wheels...probably too willing to take huge risks to be considered the best ever but gosh you knew that guy would (literally!) drive the wheels off a car to win a race. Of all things, the way he died seemed so unpoetic. It wasn't going for a mad dash to the finish in a high-speed game of chicken, it was during a practice when Jochen Moss tried to move over for him and he went the same way. Definitely the best driver to watch racing.
     

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