Earlier this morning it was released that Jacques Villeneuve will officially join his legendary father Gilles in the pantheon of Canadian sporting greats when he is inducted into the nation's Sports Hall of Fame later this month. I was all excited that I would be able to travel to Toronto to witness this spectacle. Unfortunately, it was also released that Canada's Sports Hall of Fame is also moving to Calgary. That is about a 5 hour flight away. I guess my chance of making it is slim to nil.
Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 world champion is one of Canada's most decorated motor sport names, having also won both the 1995 CART Series and Indianapolis 500, becoming only the third man to have won the 500 and both the F1 and IndyCar championships, after Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi. Earlier this year, former Williams, BAR and BMW Sauber driver Villeneuve made history again by becoming only the second driver to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in three major series, adding NASCAR's Brickyard 400 to his previous F1 and CART appearances.
In 1984, the start of his racing career which occurred two years after his father's death, Jacques asked his mother if he could follow his father's footsteps and go motor racing. His mother, Joann, promised she would allow him to drive a kart if he got good marks in one of his weakest subjects, Mathematics. Villeneuve applied himself at school and soon got the marks he required for his mother to fulfill her promise. A year later, Joann fulfilled her promise to her son and allowed him to drive a 100 cc kart at a kart track in Imola. The owners of the track, Luigi and Massimo Buratti, were impressed by the Canadian and after proving himself in a 100 cc machine, he moved up to the 135 cc version before, on the same day, being allowed onto the Grand Prix circuit with a Formula Four car.
“It's a great honour to be inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame,” admitted Villeneuve, “I'm extremely fortunate to have represented my country throughout my racing career, and to have achieved international success as a Canadian athlete. The Hall has honoured a great many outstanding sports men and women, who I'm sure will continue to inspire young Canadians for generations to come.”
Although he was denied ultimate success on the world stage, Gilles Villeneuve was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the inaugural induction ceremony in August 1993. I am happy to announce that there will now be a grand total of two Formula One driver's in the hall, father and son. I guess it is better than in some countries, where they have never been able to see the race or experience the pride of having a World Driver's Champion as a fellow country man. The Induction Gala will be held on Wednesday, November10th, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Calgary.
And a little bit on Canada's Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1955 to 'preserve the record of Canadian sports achievements and to promote a greater awareness of Canada's heritage of sport', and Villeneuve will be inducted alongside ice hockey legend Patrick Roy, freestyle skier Jean-Luc Brassard, wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc, speed skating and cycling Olympian Clara Hughes, and Olympic gymnast Kyle Shewfelt.
See, here in Canada, we are not just about hockey.
This is great news, go Jacques! :)
ReplyDeleteShame you can't go though, that would've been really nice...