When stars die young, they inevitably become trapped in the popular consciousness in a state of eternal youth, embodying romanticised notions of heroic nobility and sacrifice.
For motor racing fans, Gilles Villeneuve’s spectacular and aggressive style came to represent the epitome of what a racing driver should be. His death at the age of 32, during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix at Zolder, crystallised the myth of the tragically fallen hero. The background to the accident of rancour behind the scenes with team-mate Didier Pironi remains a controversial topic to this day.
The truth of the man behind
