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Gilles' Biography
Gilles Villeneuve (1950-1982)
- 1950 Birth of Joseph Gilles Henry
Villeneuve on January 18 in Chambly, Quebec, Canada.
- 1953 Birth of Gilles' brother, Jacques.
- 1955 Gilles enters elementary school in Chambly.
- 1958 The Villeneuve family moves to Berthierville.
- 1966 Gilles finishes secondary school. He obtains his driver's
license and his first car.
- 1967 Gilles takes
part in his first snowmobile competition.
- 1970 Gilles marries Joann Barthe on October 17.
- 1971 Joann gives birth to Jacques.
- 1972 Gilles
joins the Moto-Ski snowmobile racing team.
- 1973 Joann give birth to Mélanie. Gilles has his first race
in automobiles (Formula Ford). He is voted "Rookie
of the Year" after he wins the Quebec Formula Ford Campionship.
- 1974 Gilles wins the World Snowmobile Championship
at Eagle River, Wisconsin. He enters his first Formula Atlantic race. Breaks his leg at Mosport.
- 1975 Gilles
wins his first Formula Atlantic race at Gimli, Manitoba.
- 1976 Gilles wins nine out of ten Formula Atlantic races to win
the Canadian and American Formula Atlantic titles. He drives in
his first European race, a Formula Two race in Pau,
France.
- 1977 Gilles races for the first
time in Formula One at Silverstone in the British
Grand Prix. He wins his second Canadian Formula Atlantic Championship.
He signs with Ferrari to drive in Formula One. The Villeneuve
family moves to Cannes, France.
- 1978 Gilles
wins his first Formula One race at home in the Canadian Grand
Prix.
- 1979 The Villeneuves move to Monaco.
Gilles wins the South African, the U.S. Grand Prix, both West
and East in Long Beach and Watkins Glen repectively. The team
Ferrari win the Championship with the team-mate Jody Scheckter.
Gilles is second.
- 1981 Gilles wins his fifth
Grand Prix at Monaco and his sixth at Jarama in Spain.
- 1982 Gilles is killed at age 32 on Saturday May 8, during the last
minutes of qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder.
- Allan
de la Plante -
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