Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

The Pit Hairpin on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Location	Montreal, Québec, Canada
Time zone	GMT -5
Capacity	100,000
Owner	Ville de Montréal
Opened	1978
Former names	Île Notre-Dame Circuit (1978-1982)
Major events	FIA Formula One Canadian Grand Prix NASCAR Nationwide Series NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Length	4.361 km (2.71 mi)
Turns	13
Race lap record	1:13.622 ( Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari, 2004)

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a famous race track in Montreal, Québec, Canada. It's where exciting car races happen, like the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix. Other big races, such as the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, also take place here.

The Canadian Grand Prix was held at this circuit for 30 years. In 2009, the race was removed from the Formula One schedule. But good news! On November 27, 2009, officials made a new deal. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will host the Canadian Grand Prix again from 2010 to 2014.

What is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?
Comparing Lap Times
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

What is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve?

This race track is on Île Notre-Dame. This is an island made by people in the St. Lawrence River. The track was first called the Île Notre-Dame Circuit. It was renamed in 1982 to honor Gilles Villeneuve. He was a famous Canadian Formula One driver who sadly passed away. Gilles Villeneuve is also the father of another well-known driver, Jacques Villeneuve.

The Wall of Champions

The track has barriers very close to the racing line. Even experienced drivers can crash into them. A famous part is a wall at the end of the last turn, called a chicane. This wall has "Bienvenue au Québec" (Welcome to Quebec) painted on it. People call it the "Mur du Québec" or "Quebec Wall".

Bienvenue au Québec slogan on the Wall of Champions

In 1999, three Formula One World Champions crashed into this wall. They were Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, and Jacques Villeneuve. Another driver, Ricardo Zonta, also hit it. Because so many champions crashed there, it earned the nickname "The Wall Of Champions". Other famous drivers like Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, and Juan Pablo Montoya have also crashed into it.

In 2005, the curbs leading to the final chicane were made taller. This made the turn even harder for drivers to see and navigate.

NASCAR Races at the Circuit

In 2006, a deal was made to bring new races to the track. The Champ Car race was replaced with races from the Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Series and NASCAR's Nationwide Series. This was a big moment because it was NASCAR's first race in Canada. On August 4, 2007, Kevin Harvick won the first Nationwide Series race at this circuit.

The NASCAR races led to changes at the track. The pit lanes were made bigger. This was needed because NASCAR pit lanes must hold at least 43 cars.

Visiting the Circuit

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is part of Parc Jean-Drapeau. When there are no races, the track is open to everyone! You can walk, run, bike, or rollerblade on it. During the Grand Prix, the island is very noisy. But most of the year, it's a quiet place. It's on an island in the middle of a river, full of green trees and animals.

Comparing Lap Times

The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve hosts different types of car races. This means we can compare how fast different cars and drivers are on the same track.

In 2002, Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya set a fast lap time of 1 minute, 12.836 seconds. A few weeks later, a Champ Car driver, Cristiano Da Matta, set a lap time of 1 minute, 18.959 seconds.

In 2006, the last year both Champ Car and F1 raced here, Fernando Alonso (F1) had a lap time of 1 minute, 14.942 seconds. Sébastien Bourdais (Champ Car) had a lap time of 1 minute, 20.005 seconds.

In 2007, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Patrick Carpentier set a lap time of 1 minute, 42.086 seconds. The fastest lap for the Rolex Sports Car Series was 1 minute, 33.199 seconds, set by Scott Pruett in 2008.