ATLAS F1   Volume 6, Issue 46	Email to Friend   Printable Version
The Bookworm Critique GILLES VILLENEUVE: THE LIFE OF THE LEGENDARY RACING DRIVER
By Gerald Donaldson. Published by Motor Racing Publications.	by Mark Glendenning, Australia

This book, which first appeared seven years after Villeneuve was killed at Zolder in 1982, is probably the most famous driver biography of the past twenty years. It comes from the word processor of Canadian journalist Gerald Donaldson, who was also responsible for 'Teamwork', the McLaren team biography; and 'From Dream To Reality', which followed the debut season of BAR. Two titles, which, to be frank, are not among the more memorable literary events of the past couple of years. Familiarity with Donaldson's more recent work may dissuade some readers from checking out his earlier offerings. If this is the case, you are doing yourself a disservice, because his authoritative account of the life and untimely (yet perhaps not entirely unexpected) death of Gilles Villeneuve makes for an engaging and informative read. Donaldson does not take a heavily analytical approach to exploring Villeneuve's character, opting instead to simply tell the story. While it's always nice to see someone attempt to take their analysis beyond a descriptive level, in this case it is probably better that Donaldson adopted a more straightforward approach. For one thing, Donaldson doesn't seem to have been close enough to Villeneuve to have been in the position to understand the French-Canadian's personality - indeed, even his family and friends seem to occasionally be at a loss to explain some of his particular traits. But it also happens that what Donaldson does do in this book is done very well. Original research (something that is always met with much cheering and celebration in the Atlas F1 book review department) is at a premium; Donaldson having conducted extensive interviews with family members, particularly Gilles' window Joann, friends like John Lane (who played a critical role in kick-starting Villeneuve's career), and Gaston Parent (Villeneuve's manager); and former colleagues such as 1979 World Champion Jody Scheckter. As far as possible, Donaldson tries to let his subjects tell the story themselves, the result being a warmly personal account of a driver who managed to stand out against the backdrop of a sport traditionally rich in extraordinary characters. Not surprisingly though, the best parts come from Villeneuve himself. One particular passage struck me as being among the most revealing responses to one of the oldest questions in motorsport: Why do they do it? "First, I love motor racing. If I didn't like racing cars, there is nothing that would make me do it because it's far too dangerous. I love driving the car right to the limit, feeling it drifting and knowing the car is right at its maximum. Hitting that limit, the absolute flat-out fastest that a car will go through a corner, is a tremendous feeling - an absolutely fantastic sensation. It doesn't matter if there's anyone watching or even if there's a stopwatch on me. By itself, it is enough.' 'Then there's the super feeling of achievement in beating someone else. It's egocentric, but boiled right down, it's what racing is all about - beating the other guy. There is the money, too, and I don't deny I like that. But if there were no money in Formula One, just enough to live on, I would still do it. As it happens, there is money, so I'm like everyone else. I want to get as much as possible. Everyone does. I think I'm basically a lazy person, so I hope to make enough money so I can retire and spend it doing nothing. But I'm not doing it mainly for the money.' '...When I say racing is my job, it is a job when you look at what you owe your team and your sponsors. They pay you to do that job. They pay you to be quicker than the next guy. In that sense it is just a job and when a race is over and I've won, I've done my job. Period. Then I'd like to go home to Joann and the children" (p. 221). 'Gilles Villeneuve' manages to strike an even balance between Villeneuve's public and private face. The emphasis is on his racing career first and foremost, supplemented with developments in his personal life as they arose. The amount of personal detail is generally restrained to what is necessary to the story. This is refreshing, for such details rarely add anything of any real value. For example, Donaldson's account of Villeneuve's extra-marital affair with a woman from Toronto came across more as an integral contribution to the various pressures that Villeneuve was weathering at the time, and less like a sensationalised excerpt from a tabloid newspaper that it so easily could have resembled. There are few criticisms I can make of the biography, outside of a personal distaste for certain elements of Donaldson's writing style. That kind of thing has no bearing whatsoever on the overall quality of the book though, and should play no part in helping you decide whether to check 'Gilles Villeneuve' out. The pictures are largely unspectacular but they still do a reasonable job of complementing the text, while the race records and circuit diagrams are both worthwhile and appreciated inclusions. That the book is into its fifth print run is some indication of its popularity, though popularity is not necessarily an accurate measure of quality - just look at all the people that buy Celine Dion CDs. In this case though, the esteem in which the book is held is largely justified. If you're looking for an in-depth exploration of Villeneuve's character, his inspirations and motivations, then you might be disappointed. As a historical account of Gilles' career though, this book can scarcely be bettered. In circumstances such as this, the reader is at the mercy of the author when dealing with the question of whether the interview subjects have been faithfully represented; but, assuming this to be the case, Donaldson does a great job of allowing Villeneuve's story to be told by those closest to him.

Mark Glendenning	© 2000 Kaizar.Com, Incorporated.
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