May 8th ....30 years ago a Canadian legend died | GTAMotorcycle.com

May 8th ....30 years ago a Canadian legend died

Sorely missed, hasn't been another driver in F1 since that drove with such heart.
 
invictus43 said:
I dunno..Senna had a lot of heart..and a similar wrecklessness..
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Mansell had heart too....

Gilles was different, driving that turd of a car and winning two races in 1981 esp at two tracks that the car had no business to even be in the top 6.

Always a downer for me, had tickets to the British GP in 82...alas a couple of months too late.
 
Jayv said:
Mansell had heart too....

Gilles was different, driving that turd of a car and winning two races in 1981 esp at two tracks that the car had no business to even be in the top 6.

Always a downer for me, had tickets to the British GP in 82...alas a couple of months too late.
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Just great natural car-handling ability..out of shape half the time..but still givin'er. Just too many risks unfortunately. Was great to see Jacques driving the 312-T4 around Fiorano.
 
He was a man of his time. The cars weren't as well sorted as they are now, with their razor edge handling and components that are extremely fragile under any force they were not specifically designed for. Racers like Gilles could still be around but they will never make it to the top echelon of the racing ladder.

Mansell was a bit that way, but it took an insanely superior car before he could win a championship. Paul Tracy was similar, and he never won a championship. I thought Hamilton was the same way in his first year of F1 (when he threw away the championship due to his exuberance). Following that, he toned down his aggressiveness and won the WDC.

Not to dismiss Gilles' legacy. The world could use more like him.
 
Imagine driving a Lotus back in the day..fragile..parts breaking every weekend..Jochen Rindt at Monza..brake half-shaft failure..wings coming off..no self-sealing tanks..I mean, they were death-traps. Scary..
 
And let's not forget Ricardo Paletti..died the same year as Villeneuve in Montreal.
 
Gilles was Jeremy Clakson idol.
 
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