Gerald Donaldson witnessed Gilles Villeneuves’ F1 debut in 1977 and twelve years later his best selling biography on Villeneuve’s life graced the bookshelves of the world. Donaldson recalls the birth of his famous book and Canada’s most famous racing driver.
What was your connection to Gilles and his family?
I first met Gilles (with Joann) at the 1977 British GP where he was driving a third McLaren in his F1 debut. He was very happy to talk to a fellow Canadian, since hardly anyone at Silverstone knew who he was.
Was Villeneuve well known and loved in Canada?
In his early F1 days he was not well known in Canada, where the main sports are ice hockey and stick and ball games. Later on he became more and more famous at home, starting with his first F1 win in Montreal, after which he received more media coverage. I helped in this regard,as the only Canadian full-time F1 journalist writing for the largest newspapers
and then covering the sport as a TV commentator for the country's two main TV networks. As Canadians became more aware of his fame in the F1 world his stature grew at home, though he still did not have the high profile he had in countries like Italy. Sadly, his death at Zolder and his funeral in Canada finally brought him into full prominence at home.
How did Gilles' life and death drive his fame and legend?
As I wrote in my book, he became a legend in his own time, a driver whose skill and daring personified the ideals of GP racing. His tremendous fighting spirit and pure passion for driving produced so much high drama and deeply felt emotion that he became one of the greatest sporting heroes. His enduring legend owes much to its classic elements of tragedy,
for he was a charming young man of humble origins who achieved undreamed of fame and fortune by giving his all to the sport that ultimately took his life.
When did you decide to write the book?
I had thought about it for several years and while there were other books about him, none of them told the full story. So when a Canadian publisher agreed the full story should be told it gave me the opportunity to write it, after which my book was published in several other languages. It has been reprinted many times and is now also available (along with my Hunt and Fangio biographies) as an e-book.
How did you research the book work?
It was very hard work, though very encouraging since everyone who knew him wanted very much to contribute. I spent about three years doing the research and another year doing the final writing.
Did Gilles wife and family cooperate with this research?
Everyone cooperated to the highest degree. My interviews were sometimes very sad, especially those with Joann, Jacques Sr and Gilles' manager Gaston Parent, who probably knew him best and who helped immensely with my project.
How did you organize your research?
I travelled extensively during my research, interviewing people and collecting every available item of material I could find about Gilles' life and career. I organised all my interviews and research into approximately sequential form and began writing from there. The book went through several drafts, with rewriting and polishing occupying at least as much time as the first draft. It was very gratifying for me that the finished manuscript was subsequently used for study at Canada's best school for aspiring writers.
Did you find anything which was a complete revelation to you about Villeneuve?
I found lots of material that was new to me, and to most people. One example was Brenda Vernor, Enzo Ferrari's secretary, who loved Gilles like a son (as did Enzo himself) and she gave me much inside information.
When did you feel you had everything you needed?
I probably felt I had everything I needed after those years of very hard work researching and writing the story. I knew from past experience writing other books that the finished product is only as good as the effort put into it by the author.
Twenty-five years have passed since your wonderful book was first published. Have there been any changes in your thoughts about Gilles and the era on your part? Would you consider an update to the book?
My book, first published in 1989, is the most highly regarded biography of any F1 driver. Its continuing international success as a bestseller and its worldwide critical acclaim is a tribute not just to my book but also to The Life Of The Legendary Racing Driver himself. Nothing much has changed from my point of view and I would worry that my updating the story might weaken the original rather than strengthening it.
