Villeneuve statue stolen, Lauda helmet found

Nov.12 (GMM) Jacques Villeneuve admitted to losing sleep after a life-size bronze statue of his iconic father, Formula 1 legend Gilles Villeneuve, was stolen.

Days ago, operators of the Gilles Villeneuve Museum in Ferrari legend Gilles’ hometown of Berthierville, in Quebec, were stunned to discover the statue – which had stood there for three decades – mysteriously missing.

“I’m stunned,” 1997 world champion Jacques said. “When I heard about it, I could hardly sleep. Such soulless beings do not deserve to be called human.

“My father represented Canada all over the world, and there are not many such people. It is shameful that there are idiots who are capable of such an act. They have no heart and nothing in their heads.”

Gilles died in a horror F1 crash at Zolder in 1982. Two years later, artist Jules Lasalle created the bronze statue.

He told the Calgary Herald: “This is a huge disappointment. I hope we find the statue in one piece. The value of the metal is not that high, but for the people of Berthierville, the value is very high.”

In a social media post, the town of Berthierville – offering a $12,000 reward for information about the theft – said the crime “robs our community and motorsport enthusiasts around the world of a powerful symbol”.

In happier news, the famously charred and partly melted helmet that Niki Lauda was wearing when he crashed at the Nurburgring in 1976 has been found.

The helmet went missing in 1988, after its then owner Gino Amisano – founder of the helmet’s brand AGV – loaned it to the Milan Motor Show.

It has now re-emerged at a Bonhams charity auction in Miami, according to the Italian magazine Autosprint, with a starting price of $60,000.

Lauda’s damaged and legendary AGV X1 ‘Air System’ helmet is now on display at the Dainese Archivio di Vicenza in Italy, and can be seen free of charge.