The circuit was that of Zolder, in Belgium, the same one that, many years later lent to cycling, saw the world triumph of Mario Cipollini in 2002. The day was May 8, 1982, exactly thirty years ago. 13 pm, when there were just a few minutes left before the end of qualifying for the Formula One GP.
He was Enzo Ferrari's favorite driver, that gentleman from Canada who made the Prancing Horse fans dream with overtaking and fast laps: Joseph Gilles Henri Villeneuve, for all Gilles. More than a driver, one of the family, who remained in the hearts of Drake and fans for his charisma and his way of interpreting life and sport as well as for his (few) victories.
“He was the most genuine man I ever knew, as well as the fastest on the track”, was the significant tribute of the South African rival Jody Scheckter, who also did better than Villeneuve in the 1979 World Cup, won right in front of the unforgettable Gilles. Who, on his part, however, did not win a single World Cup: 6 GPs won out of 68 disputed, 13 podiums and only two pole positions. But everything else was pure poetry: tenacity, courage, masterpieces of talent and adrenaline between overtaking and reckless bends.
Until that tragic crash, on a Saturday in early May: aboard his Ferrari 126 C2 Villeneuve tackles what will be the last corner in his own way of his short but legendary existence. The “Terlamenbocht”. He is about to take it at 260 km/h, in fifth gear, when he is faced with the slower March number 17, driven by Jochen Mass.
The very violent collision contains the essence of the spirit in its mocking dynamics which made Villeneuve perhaps the most loved racer of all time. In fact, Mass sees Gilles' Ferrari arrive and moves to the right, thinking of being overtaken on the left. But this too simple solution did not please the Canadian fighter, who absolutely wanted to recover positions on the grid (at that moment he was sixth) and take the bend in the narrow part.
The car squirts into the air, flies over 25 meters with two loops. Villeneuve is thrown out of the single-seater and also loses his helmet, his shoes are found 200 meters from the scene of the accident, his helmet 100 meters away, the steering wheel 180 meters away. The car literally disintegrated. The images go around the world and are still shocking today, at least as much as those of Ayrton Senna's tragic accident at Imola in '94 and of all the riders who fearlessly left their lives on the asphalt.
Immediately transported to the Louvain hospital, the pilot's hopes of surviving are very small and, in any case, destined for a pure vegetative state from the neck down due to the very serious injuries sustained. His wife Johanna understands that the real Gilles has already left, and she authorizes him to pull the plug.
Thus, thirty years ago, a genius of Formula One passed away at the age of just 32.
