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Epic battle at the French Grand Prix

Legendary racing car driver Gilles Villeneuve rose from humble origins in a small Quebec town to win hearts around the world in the second most popular sport on earth. A shy, slight, family man who didn't smoke or drink, he was Canada's first Grand Prix winner. His life was tragically cut short at 32 years of age, doing what he loved best. Please note that you won't find racing footage on our site; the International Automobile Federation does not licence F1 footage for use on the Internet.

Jean Pierre Jabouille takes his turbo-charged Renault to victory at the 1979 French Grand Prix, much to the delight of the home crowd. It is an amazing victory for the Frenchman, as Villeneuve leads the first 45 laps of the race in his Ferrari. When Villeneuve makes a stop to change a tire, Jabouille takes the lead. Villeneuve quickly gets back into the race but Jabouille's Renault teammate René Arnoux enters the dogfight for first, driving right on Villeneuve's tail.

With two laps to go, Arnoux slips by the Canadian, as the French crowd begins to anticipate a 1-2 Renault finish. Villeneuve, however, has something to say about that as he quickly overtakes Arnoux. For the remainder of the race, the French crowd remains spellbound as Villeneuve and Jabouille battle wheel-to-wheel. It is touch and go, but Jabouille manages to pull out the victory, while Villeneuve holds off a late challenge from Arnoux to finish second.
After leading for the first 46 laps, Villeneuve dropped back when Jean Pierre Jabouille took the lead in lap 47. The Frenchman led the rest of the way, taking the checkered flag in the 80th lap.
Jabouille beat out Villeneuve by 15 seconds, while Renault teammate René Arnoux finished third. It was Jabouille's first career F1 victory. His only other win came in 1980 at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The 1979 French Grand Prix took place 10 miles north of Dijon, France on a track running 2.004 miles in length.
Medium: Radio
Program: Sound of Sports
Broadcast Date: July 1, 1979
Guest(s): Gilles Villeneuve
Host: Rick Cluff, Fred Sgambati
Reporter: Alan Brinton
Duration: 2:07
Photo: Review Magazine

Last updated: January 24, 2012

Page consulted on August 21, 2012

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