Enjoy the Canadian GP with the experts

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The Canadian Grand Prix alternated between Mosport Park and Circuit Mont-Tremblant, and moved to Montreal after both were considered unsafe. Ile Notre Dame was chosen, and there was great interest in a new Canadian driver Gilles Villeneuve.

Villeneuve drove the number 27 Ferrari. Gilles did not know the meaning of losing; he would keep going no matter what car problems he was having. Phil Hill once told me a story about waiting for Gilles with Enzo Ferrari at Fiorano. Gilles was flying his new helicopter to show it off to Enzo. They waited and waited, until Phil saw an exhausted man riding a bicycle. It turned out to be Gilles, who had crash-landed his helicopter in a field and borrowed the farmer's old bike so as not to be too late. It was his way -  he always fought to the last.

Niki Lauda said of him: "He was the craziest devil I ever came across in Formula 1. The fact that, for all this, he was a sensitive and lovable character rather than an out-and-out hell-raiser made him such a unique human being".

There was the time he banged wheels with Rene Arnoux over the final three laps of the 1979 French Grand Prix, the most exciting F1 action I've ever seen. Gilles was like the Black Knight in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie. Fighting King Arthur, the Black Knight fights on after losing both arms and legs. This could have been Gilles.

At the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix he had agreed with his teammate not to pass in the early part of the race. However Didier Pironi didn't keep his word and there was an intense argument after the race. The next race was at Zolder for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix. Gilles was on pole, only to lose the position to Pironi late in qualifying. Giles jumped in his car to win it back, but collided with Jochen Mass at 140mph. He died, and racing lost a wonderful person. Such was Gilles' popularity and the fact that he won the very first Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, they named the track after him in '82.

The track in Montreal came about because they were getting ready for the Canadian World Expo and were building an underground rail system to connect the underground city to hotels and transport the Expo visitors. There was nowhere to put the ground they took out for the underground railway, so they put it in the St Lawrence and built Ills Notre Dame for the future World Expo, and later, the race track.

Montreal's popularity in June is easy to understand. The Province of Quebec is waking up from a long cold winter, and the whole population comes out to celebrate in the spring-like conditions. They are full of life, particularly during the week of the Canadian Grand Prix. The whole city is alive until the early morning; some miss practice due to celebrating too much. Many streets are closed down for the revelers where concerts and auto displays abound.

Grand Prix Tours has offered Formula 1 weekend experiences to race fans for over 30 years. Their inside connections allow them to get the best rooms and the best viewing locations available, and with their knowledge of the each event location you will be sure to have an experience of a lifetime and a hassle-free weekend. Call Grand Prix Tours today at 1 800 400 1998 for more information on the Canadian Grand Prix and their many VIP viewing options, or visit their website at http://www.gptours.com/raceinfo.php?name=Canadian-Grand-Prix to see all the weekend experiences they offer.