LAS VEGAS | At the end of the phone call, in Saint-Cuthbert, Jacques Villeneuve senior, kindly called “Mononcle Jacques”, speaks as fast as a Formula 1. He tells his epics on the racetracks, both in Formula 1 and Formula 1 -Racing on a snowmobile. . And even though his memory falters a bit during a race in the desert in the fall of 1981, he still remembers the event in Las Vegas. “I stirred up a bloody mess from the back of the yard. A fucking bastard. A real piece of trash.”
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The Bazou or Cossin in question was an Arrows-Ford from the 1980 championship. The British team with Italian Riccardo Patrese had collected 11 points that season and finished 7th out of the 11 teams.
The following year, at the first Grand Prix in Vegas, Villeneuve was behind the wheel of the third “Chariot”. Despite all his goodwill and his desire to drive at full speed while monitoring the wear on his tires, his “bazou,” as he likes to call it, just wasn’t making any progress.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
So much so that he didn’t even manage to qualify for the event.
“That was impossible with this tank. He was already at the bottom the year before. I couldn’t do anything. I didn’t manage to get to the front from the back of the grid.”
Villeneuve, Gilles’ brother, still has fond memories of this experience, one of his three rounds in Formula 1.
Jacques Villeneuve (uncle) and Jean-Guy Roy. September 1981 THE ARCHIVE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTREAL
Routes 1981 and 1982
Without giving him a clue, he remembered the crazy arrangement in a cramped lot near the Strip.
“We shot in a flat parking lot. It was still fun because I wasn’t a fan of oval tracks, even though I’ve raced a lot on these types of tracks in my career. I enjoyed the city tours.”
In 1981 and 1982, Formula 1 came to Las Vegas at the temporary Caesars Palace race track. PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
At the 1981 and 1982 editions of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, evil tongues claimed that the owner of Caesars Palace had bought a race. There is truth. The event was held on a makeshift circuit in the parking lot behind the hotel complex. The layout was strangely similar to that of the Pac-Man character in arcades of the time.
Photo from X account @Vintage Las Vegas
Today this space is home to the Forum Shops and the Colosseum. The Hotel Mirage is also being built there.
Villeneuve remembers staying at Caesars like all of his colleagues. But the racing enthusiast in him wanted nothing to do with gambling.
“Like everywhere Formula 1 has been, it was a happening. We saw how all the money went into the casino. But I didn’t care what happened outside the track and the garages. I was given a tank and I took care of it. “I wasn’t interested in the whole conversation,” said the 70-year-old.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
And the 2023 championship, interesting?
Four decades later, Formula 1 returns to Las Vegas. Will this ordeal, which promises to be colorful, bring back memories for Uncle Jacques?
“Max (Verstappen), who wins everywhere, doesn’t interest me. “Max, he’s not an aunt, but he drives a damn good thing,” he analyzed with a laugh after a generous 45-minute discussion.
“That’s what Formula 1 is like. If you don’t have it, you’re in trouble. Before, the driver made a big difference.”
Photo AFP
Between the lines, this means that Villeneuve is more or less interested in the discipline. At least live. Whether in Brazil, Singapore, Abu Dhabi or even Vegas.
He takes a look at it belatedly, observing the fights in the peloton, the accidents and the overtaking maneuvers. He enjoys the “show” more.
With what the organizers in Vegas promise, “Mononcle Jacques” could be well served in front of his television.
2 first editions of the Las Vegas GP
- Caesar’s Palace
- City course set up in the facility’s parking lot
- 3.6 kilometers
- 14 revolutions
Podium 1981
►Pole position | Carlos Reutemann (Williams)
► Gilles Villeneuve disqualified
Podium 1982
► Pole position | Alain Prost (Renault)