Bobby Rahal was one of Gilles Villeneuve's hardest opponents in America. This is how he recalls their early days.
You raced many times against Gilles. Do you remember the first time? Did he come with a reputation?
The first time I raced against Gilles was the opening round of the 1975 Player's Formula Atlantic race at Edmonton, AB. I qualified 2nd for the first race but had electrical issues on the pace lap and finished many laps down due to numerous pit stops. I can't quite remember where Gilles qualified and/or finished. I certainly had heard of him, most notably from is accident in 1974 where he broke his leg!
In your mind, do you think he drove any differently once he got to Formula One?
Gilles always drove as if each lap was his last. He had tremendous car control and he relied on that. I don't know if Gilles had any pace other than flat out! As you know he drove many great races in F1, notably the 1981 Spanish GP, where in a car that shouldn't have won, did so. I don't ever remember Gilles driving "angry" because of something someone did in the race, but he was willing to take great chances for even a lesser placing (1979 French GP).
The American racing community is famous for it amicable mood...was it like this in the 70s?
Yes, perhaps even moreso. We were all young, trying to get to the top, and going from race to race was like a circus. We ate together, drank together, laughed together.
In the famous race at Trois Rivieres that included James Hunt, Patrick Depailler, Alan Jones and Vittorio Brambilla to name but a few, you qualified near the front and finished 5th. What was it about that race that sticks with you?
We all loved Trois Rivieres because it gave those of us over here the chance to show our "stuff" against the guys from over there! We all wanted to show the World that we could compete against the best F1 & F2 drivers of the time - and we did, with Gilles winning in 1976. The rest was history for him. It was a great victory and I think raised our own perceptions of where we stood against those drivers.
A number of drivers from the era who raced in Formula Atlantic eventually drove in Formula One. Was that your goal as well?
F1 was absolutely the goal! And of course I did drive the 1978 Canadian and U.S. Grand Prix. Unfortunately I did not really have a champion as Gilles did (Ray Wardell) to promote me to those in the know. Ray really turned Gilles, in my opinion, from a very fast driver to a race-winning driver.
After Gilles one-off drive for McLaren and he returned to Formula Atlantic, did he seemed to have changed?
No. For as long as I knew Gilles, he was the same from the day I met him til his death.
Were you surprised when he was picked up by Ferrari?
Not particularly although I thought it was wonderful for him. Talk about starting at the top! And of course he repaid that decision by Ferrari with many wins.
At the end of the 1978 season you again drove against Gilles when you drove for Walter Wolf in his Formula One car. Did you get a chance to chat with your old foe?
A little bit, but as always, everyone has a job to do and there wasn't much socializing on an F1 weekend.
You drove in that famous race in Montreal where Gilles won his first Formula One race right on his home track. What was that weekend like?
Cold, wet, miserable. Yet I was having a very good race until mechanical issues ruined my day but what a day for Gilles. To win his first GP for Ferrari and to do it in his own country .
Did you ever have contact again?
Not really as we were going in different directions.
Looking back over more than 30 years, how do you see his legacy in Formula One and North American racing?
One of the best for sure.
In the Indy 500 and the Indy series, you drove against Jacques, Gilles son and Jacques, Gilles brother. Were they similar or different types of drivers?
I drove against both of course. I personally don't think either of them were like Gilles.
Lastly, what do you think of Jacques returning to this year's Indy 500?
I think he'll find it a very different race from 1995.
A special thank for Allan de la Plante for the text and Robert Murphy for the photo.
