Jacques Villeneuve to Drive Gilles Villeneuve’s 312 T4 in Commemoration of 30 Years Since Gilles’ Death

On the 8th of May, 2012, Jacques Villeneuve will hop in his father’s 312 T4 and head out onto Ferrari’s Fiorano test track to celebrate the life of Gilles in the most suitable way possible – tearing around a racetrack in a Ferrari Formula One car.

This incredibly special event commemorates the 30th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve‘s death after a tragic accident during the final qualifying session for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix and celebrates his life, lovable personality and exciting driving style.

He drove for Ferrari in every race bar one in his six years of Formula One; “His memory is still vivid and alive in the minds of many at Maranello. His talent, his speed, his bravery which bordered on recklessness, all go to make his name still hugely popular with our fans, even among younger ones who have only been able to see him on replays of his races or read about him in stories written by journalists.”

“It will be a fitting occasion to evoke the memory of a man who has and always will have a place of honour in the history of Ferrari.”

Ferrari’s 1979 312 T4 was his most successful machine and the car in which he drove to wins at Kyalami, Long Beach and Watkins Glen on his way to second place in the 1979 drivers’ championship, supporting teammate Jody Scheckter’s run to the drivers’ title. The pair’s ’79 performance would secure Ferrari the constructors’ title.

Gilles’ son Jacques entered the family business in 1996, driving for Williams and taking pole position and subsequently second place in his first ever Formula One race – the 1996 Australian Grand Prix. He went on to finish second in the drivers’ championship in his first season in Formula One, a feat he would improve on in the following year by taking the 1997 Formula One World Drivers’ Championship.

Image courtesy Ferrari