Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, OQ (French pronunciation: ​[%CA%92%C9%91k vilnœv]) (born April 9, 1971), is a Canadian automobile racing driver and amateur musician. He is the son of Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle, who was also a racer. Villeneuve won the 1995 CART Championship, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 Formula One World Championship, making him only the third driver after Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi to achieve such a feat. To date, no other Canadian has won the Indianapolis 500 or the F1 Drivers' title.

Following two successful years in CART, Villeneuve moved into Formula One with the front running Williams team, alongside Damon Hill. In his debut season, Villeneuve challenged Hill for the title, winning four races and taking the fight to the final round in Japan, where the Canadian retired and Hill won the title. Villeneuve, however, did win the following year's title, this time challenging Michael Schumacher and once again taking it to the final round in Jerez. In the race, the two collided, resulting in Schumacher's retirement and subsequent disqualification from the 1997 World Championship, with Villeneuve going on to take third place in the race, and the overall title.

1997 would be the last year in which Villeneuve would win a championship level race and finish the season in the top three. Renault had pulled out of Formula One for 1998 and Villeneuve's Williams team had to fare with less competitive Mecachrome engines. Villeneuve moved to the newly formed British American Racing team in 1999 and stayed there for the next four seasons but, following poor results he was replaced by former British Formula Three Champion Takuma Sato. After a short run with Renault at the end of 2004, Villeneuve moved to the Sauber team for the 2005 season where he was outscored by his less experienced teammate Felipe Massa. The Sauber team were bought out by BMW for the following season and Villeneuve struggled to score points, taking seven points from eleven rounds before suffering an injury in Germany. The Canadian was replaced by Robert Kubica and soon BMW and Villeneuve parted company.

Outside Formula One, Villeneuve has taken on several new careers: in sportscar racing, racing for Peugeot in the 2007 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, jumping to NASCAR in August 2007 and racing as an invited driver in the Argentinian Top Race V6 series and the Australian-based International V8 Supercars Championship. As a musician, he has released an album titled Private Paradise.

Villeneuve was born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, to aspiring Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve and his wife Joann and raised in Monaco.[1] He has a sister Melanie and a half sister Jessica. His uncle, Jacques Sr., was also a racing driver and in 1985 at Road America became the first Canadian to win a CART race. When Villeneuve was eleven years old, his father was killed during the qualifying session for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder following a collision with Jochen Mass.

Villeneuve's first girlfriend was Sandrine Gros d'Aillon. They dated until the late 1990s.[2][3][4] Villeneuve was also engaged to Australian singer Dannii Minogue in the late 1990s and was once engaged to American ballerina Ellen Green. He married his Parisienne girlfriend Johanna Martinez on May 29, 2006, at a civil ceremony in Switzerland. After the ceremony, it was announced the Villeneuves were expecting a baby in November. Johanna gave birth to a son, Jules, on November 14, 2006. Their second son Jonas was born on December 23, 2007. The couple divorced in July 2009.[5] In June 2012, Villeneuve married Camilla Lopez.[6]

Villeneuve was among the first group inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.[7] He was named Canada's Athlete of the Year, receiving the Lou Marsh Trophy in 1995 and 1997.[8] In 1998, he was made an Officer of the National Order of Quebec.[9]

From 1996 to 2002 he lived in Monaco, a state without income tax.[10] From 2002 to 2007 he lived in Switzerland where non-working foreigners can pay, instead of income tax, a "lump-sum tax" nominally levied on living expenses. In 2007 he moved to Quebec, buying a $3 million house in Westmount, Montreal, with his mother acting as real estate agent.[11] Villeneuve owned a nightclub and restaurant in Montreal called Newtown, but he sold it in 2009.[12] While in Quebec he was subject to income tax of about 50 per cent.[13] In 2012 he moved to the tax haven[14] Andorra, stating that he was leaving Quebec because of the province’s language laws, business climate and the general “morose ambiance.”[15] Racing career Early career

In 1984, two years after his father's death, Villeneuve asked his mother if he could follow his father's footsteps and go motor racing.[16] His mother, Joann, promised she would allow him to drive a kart if he got good marks in one of his weakest subjects, mathematics. Villeneuve applied himself at school and soon got the marks he required for his mother to fulfill her promise.[16] A year later, Joann allowed him to drive a 100 cc kart at a kart track in Imola.[16] The owners of the track, Luigi and Massimo Buratti, were impressed by the Canadian and after proving himself in a 100 cc machine, he moved up to the 135 cc version before, on the same day, being allowed onto the Grand Prix circuit with a Formula Four car.[16]

Soon, Villeneuve's uncle, Jacques Sr., enrolled him at the Jim Russell Racing Driver School in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. Villeneuve's course lasted three days and in that time the Canadian demonstrated a great amount of concentration for a boy of his age.[16] At the end of his course, the young Canadian received his diploma and chief instructor Gilbert Pednault declared Villeneuve as the best student he'd ever seen.[16] During the summer of 1987, Villeneuve attended a racing school set up by former instructor Richard Spenard. In return for helping in the garage, the Canadian received guidance in terms of race craft as he attempted to hone his skills.[16] At the age of seventeen, Villeneuve was too young to obtain a racing license in both his native Canada and Italy and so, with help from the Canadian Automotive Federation, got a license from Andorra.[16]

In 1988, the seventeen-year-old entered the Alfa Cup and, against former Formula One drivers Johnny Cecotto and Mauro Baldi, finished the two legged race in tenth position.[17] Two weeks later at Monza, Villeneuve was up against the likes of Riccardo Patrese and Nicola Larini.[17]

Villeneuve competed in the Italian Formula Three series from 1989 through 1991, but failed to make an impression.[1]

In 1992, he raced in the Japanese Formula Three series with the TOM's team, winning three races and placing second in the championship, as well as third in the non-championship Macau Grand Prix.

Villeneuve soon received an invitation from Craig Pollock to compete as a one–off in the Trois Rivières Formula Atlantic race, Villeneuve finished the race third and Pollock was impressed by Villeneuve, leading him to arrange for the Canadian to race in the North American Toyota Atlantic series for the upcoming season.[1]

During the 1993 season, Villeneuve took seven pole positions and five race victories from the 15 races.[1] However, a few crucial driving errors cost the Canadian the series title and so finished his debut season third in the standings

 more on  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Villeneuve

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Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, OQ (French pronunciation: ​[%CA%92%C9%91k vilnœv]; born April 9, 1971), is a Canadian professional auto racing driver and amateur musician. He is the son of Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle, who was also a racer. Villeneuve won the 1995 CART Championship, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 Formula One World Championship, making him only the third driver after Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi to achieve such a feat. As of 2017, no other Canadian has won the Indianapolis 500 or the Formula One Drivers' title.

Following two successful years in CART, Villeneuve moved into Formula One with the front-running Williams team, alongside Damon Hill. In his debut season, Villeneuve challenged teammate Hill for the title, winning four races and taking the fight to the final round in Japan, where Villeneuve retired and Hill won the race, and the title. Villeneuve, however, did win the following year's title, this time challenging Michael Schumacher and once again taking it to the final round in Jerez, where Schumacher retired after the two collided.

1997 would be the last year in which Villeneuve would win a championship level race and finish the season in the top three. For 1998, Villeneuve's Williams team had to fare with less competitive Mecachrome engines, and Villeneuve moved to the newly formed British American Racing team in 1999. He stayed there for the next four seasons but, following poor results he was replaced by former British Formula Three Champion Takuma Sato. Villeneuve also drove for Renault at the end of 2004, and Sauber in the 2005 season and eleven races of the 2006 season before suffering an injury in Germany. Villeneuve was replaced by Robert Kubica and soon BMW and Villeneuve parted company.

Outside Formula One, Villeneuve has taken on several new careers: in sportscar racing, racing for Peugeot in the 2007 and 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans, jumping to NASCAR in August 2007 and racing as an invited driver in the Argentinian Top Race V6 series and the Australian-based International V8 Supercars Championship. As a musician, he has released an album titled Private Paradise.

As of 2016, Villeneuve adds Track Designer to his list of accomplishments with Area 27 Motorsports Park, a private membership-based motorsport club outside of Oliver, British Columbia, Canada. As one of four co-founders (including Trevor Seibert, David King, and Bill Drossos), Villeneuve led a collaboration with Seibert (engineer and builder) and Drossos (who had the idea initially) to design a 4.83 km/3 mi road circuit with 16 corners in the heart of British Columbia (south Okanagan) wine country. Area 27 officially opened in 2017.

Villeneuve was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Villeneuve

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A Canadian automobile racing driver and amateur musician. He is the son of Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle, who was also a racer. Villeneuve won the 1995 CART Championship, the 1995 Indianapolis 500 and the 1997 Formula One World Championship, making him only the third driver after Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi to achieve such a feat. To date, no other Canadian has won the Indianapolis 500 or the F1 Drivers' title.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Villeneuve

Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve (né le 9 avril 1971 à Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu au Québec, Canada) est un pilote automobile canadien, actuellement commentateur sur Canal+. En Formule 1, de 1996 à 2006 (166 départs), il a été sacré champion du monde en 1997 et a remporté onze victoires, dont quatre dès sa première saison, toutes sur Williams-Renault. Il compte également à son palmarès les 500 Miles d'Indianapolis et le championnat CART en 1995.

Jacques est le fils de Gilles Villeneuve, pilote de Formule 1 décédé lors des qualifications du Grand Prix de Belgique 1982. Son oncle Jacques Villeneuve a également connu une honorable carrière en Amérique du Nord au début des années 1980.

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