Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve was born to parents Gilles Villeneuve and Joann Barthe, on April 9th, 1971, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada. Jacques's father Gilles was a great Formula One driver for Ferrari. In 1976, Gilles moved the family to Monaco, but in 1982, the senior Villeneuve died in a qualifying accident for a race in Belgium. Jacques was only eleven at the time of his father's death.
Much to the horror of his mother a couple of years later, the then 13-year-old Jacques Villeneuve told her that he wanted to pursue a professional driving career. His mother reluctantly agreed to her son's request, on the condition that he maintained high marks in school.
At the age of fifteen, under the guidance of his uncle Jacques Sr., the teenaged Villeneuve enrolled at the Jim Russell Racing Driver's School in Quebec. While at the very same racing school that his father attended, Jacques Villeneuve learned all about the Formula Ford 1600cc. In his first few laps around the track, Villeneuve immediately demonstrated his potential for racing stardom.
In 1987, after a brief stay at the Richard Spenard Formula 2000 Racing School in Ontario, Canada, Villeneuve felt as though he was ready to race professionally. The following year, he left his Switzerland boarding school to pursue his driving dream.
In 1992, after more than three years of driving in Italy (including competing in F3), Villeneuve made the move to Toyota and competed in Japanese F3. He managed to win three races and finished second in the driving championship. The following season, Villeneuve raced for Team Forsythe-Green in the Formula Atlantic and finished third.
In 1994, Jacques continued to race for Forsythe-Green, but this time, it was in Indy Car Racing. He managed to finish sixth in the driver standings, which included a runner-up finish at the Indianapolis 500 and the title of Rookie of the Year. The following season, Villeneuve won the Indianapolis 500 and the Indy Racing Championship.
After conquering IndyCar, Jacques set his sights on F1 racing. Many doubted that he could make the transition. After a successful test session, Jacques signed with Team Williams for the 1996 F1 season. Just as he had done in Indy racing, Jacques won Rookie of the Year honors, as he finished second in the driver standings. The following season, he was on top of the world, as he amassed the most points and won the World Championship.
In 1999, Villeneuve left Williams to drive for a new team: British American Racing. While it was no surprise that a new team would mean at least a couple of lean years in terms of results, Villeneuve never backed away from a challenge. In 2000, he finished seventh in the Drivers' Championship.
In 2001, Villeneuve's team did not seem to improve. He became increasingly frustrated with his car's performance and looked forward to the next season. But in 2002, Villeneuve has not been a factor in any race thus far. While his BAR team continues to try and improve, Villeneuve has learned to accept the sub-par performance of his racing vehicle.
While Villeneuve wishes that he could contend as he once did, he knows that no one can take away the success he has achieved thus far.
Currently, rumors persist about Villeneuve returning to CART for 2003 and then returning again to F1 for 2004, for an incredible $50 million. However, both Villeneuve and his agent continue to deny these claims by the media.
Despite his lack of recent success, Jacques Villeneuve remains one of the most intriguing figures in motorsports.
Latest News Headlines for Jacques Villeneuve
07/12/2009 Tide 250 rained out - Canada.com NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 - Tide 250 Inside Track Motorsport Newsall 5 news articles » http://www.canada.com/Tide+rained/1783490/story.html&usg=AFQjCNGM..
AP SportlighteTaiwan News, Taiwan1995 _ Jacques Villeneuve overcomes one penalty and wins by another in the Indianapolis 500. Villeneuve drives to victory after fellow Canadian Scott Goodyear is penalized for passing the pace car on the final restart. 2000 _ Dutch swimming star Inge
Jacques Villeneuve opens racing school near MontrealAutoblog, CAThat's what former Indy and Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve has done, following various attempts to remain in F1, switch to NASCAR, starting a music career, and opening his own club/restaurant in downtown Montreal. The new school is located at
Is Schumi the best driver ever?ESPN STAR Sports, SingaporeSchumacher was known to stop at nothing when it came to winning, perhaps commendable if it didn't mean deliberately colliding with Damon Hill in 1994 or with Jacques Villeneuve in 1997 in a bid to prevent them from capturing the year-end title.
Wahl wins again at Bonnechere CupPembroke Daily Observer, Canada"Any time you can beat Jacques (Villeneuve) it's a big accomplishment," he said. "He's pretty fast." After the main event, organizers were calling the races a success with larger crowds and entries in the single-cylinder vintage classes up 52 per cent
Dannii's man meets her parentswww.thisissurreytoday.co.uk, UK of pop superstar Kylie and cameraman brother Brendan - added: "Plus they want more grandchildren -- they're greedy." Dannii's relationship CV includes Aussie actor Julian McMahon, former Bros star Craig Logan and racing driver Jacques Villeneuve.
Villeneuve to miss Dubai Speedcarautosport.com, UKBy Steven English Jacques Villeneuve will miss this weekend's Speedcar rounds in Dubai because he is suffering with food poisoning. The 1997 Formula One world champion will be replaced at the Durango team by David Terrien, who finished runner-up in the
Williams suffers 10-million-pound sponsor blow - reportAFPWilliams has won seven drivers titles in its history, but the last was delivered by Jacques Villeneuve in 1997. In 2008, the team celebrated its 500th Grand Prix, but finished in eighth place in the championship.
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