Salut Gilles

[a. pettipas]

33 years ago today

[Swift17]

.......... of tears

[marc sproule]

and i'll say it again.....

i was fortunate in the extreme to have been there to take the images linked below.

i was even more fortunate to have shared a friendship with him.

https://www.flickr.c...57624008130538/

[John Duke]

Still remembered with great respect and fondness.

[provamo]

saw him at Sanair road course in 1973, he was running some Canadian FF, serious looking, he ran 9th to my partners 10th.....lots of fun going on a beer run with his brother Jaque though!!

being from that border town of Bufalo and treated to CTV race coverage of the Players and other F Atlantic races plus the one off street race in nearby Hamilton it was easy to become a JV fan

ran into him again with Teddy and Alexander at the church (St. Mary"s?) when registering at The Glen pro race 75 or 76??? ( IMSA i think, or maybe six hours?, he was supposed to drive a McLaren run BMW GT ?), between the three of them they did not have a pen to sign their forms LOL so of course i offered mine in exchange for a crew pass.........nobody smiled.

just LOVED watching him manhandle his Ferraris, and that wheel banging with Peroni(?)

Gilles was THE MASTER of car control, i was just lucky enough to see that live!!!

we will NEVER get to see anything like him again

[John Duke]

The wheel banging was with Renoux. It is wonderfully preserved on youtube. I saw him at Long Beach in 82. Sat directly above his pit and saw his amazing car control in the final two turns of that iteration of the track. It was enough to get me on the other side of the fence, go to Winfield in France and have some amazing experience and meet some incredible people. Thanks Gilles!

[Kazis31]

Probably the FASTEST and ballsiest driver in F 1 ever.
RIP.