ports satisfy an elemental urge to prove who is the fastest, the strongest, the most agile. In striving for victory, athletes sacrifice comfort, and sometimes even safety, but only in very few sports does achieving success actually involve risking one's life. That is part of the appeal of automobile racing. The spectators at a Formula One grand prix or Indy Car race know that the drivers hurtling down the course at hundreds of kilometres per hour literally hold their lives in the hands that grip the steering wheel. To win means to take the greatest risks, to push the car that much closer to breakdown, and to dare competitors to keep up.

In his short life, Gilles Villeneuve won the admiration of the racing world for his exuberant style, and today his son, Jacques, has once again brought the family name to the top of the list of the world's great drivers.

Gilles Villeneuve of Berthierville, Québec began his racing career in a very Canadian manner - by racing snowmobiles. He won the North American snowmobile racing championship in 1971, the Québec title in 1972, and the Canadian crown in 1973. He invested his winnings into automobile racing. Starting in Formula Ford, he won the 1973 Québec crown, then advanced to Formula Atlantic (FA) racing. A broken leg in his Mosport, Ontario debut temporarily delayed his progress, but by 1975 he ranked 5th overall in the FA standings, and the next year he won 9 of 10 races, dominating Canadian and American FA competition.

Gilles Villeneuve's continued success in 1977 confirmed his status as one of the finest young drivers in the world, and won him an invitation to join the great Ferrari team on the world Formula One circuit. Driving the legendary car before a home crowd inspired Villeneuve to his first grand prix triumph in the 1978 Canadian Grand Prix in Montréal.

Over the next few years, Gilles Villeneuve thrilled crowds with his daring powerslides and also impressed them with his sportsmanship. Perhaps his greatest victory came when he won the crown jewel of the sport, the Monaco Grand Prix, in 1981. As one fan remarked, "He drove a Formula One Ferrari in a style in which race cars are meant to be driven! And his fans loved him for that." He was named Canada's Sportsman of the Year and became a Member of the Order of Canada.

Then, in the high-speed qualifying race for the Belgian Grand Prix in May 1982, Villeneuve collided with another car at 250 kilometres per hour. Gilles Villeneuve was dead at the age of 32.

Jacques Villeneuve was only 11 years old when his father died, but he already knew that he wanted to drive. In 1986 he began training in Canada, then moved to Monte Carlo - where the Villeneuve family had lived during Gilles' career - to begin competitive racing. The expectations of his great name put pressures on young Jacques, but he progressed steadily through Touring Cars, Formula Three, and Formula Atlantic racing. He won Rookie of the Year honours in Formula Atlantic in 1993.

In the next lap of his career, Jacques Villeneuve burst into prominence in Indy cars. In 1994 he finished second in the Indiannapolis 500, and was the PPG Rookie of the Year. In 1995, he stunned the racing world by winning the Indy 500 after coming back from a 2-lap (5 mile) penalty. He continued to amaze fans with victory after victory during the 1995 season, finishing as the PPG Champion, the youngest man and first Canadian to do so. He also won that year's Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian Athlete of the Year.

Jacques Villeneuve then followed his father's tracks into Formula One racing. It took him only two years to rise to the top. In his second season, 1997, Jacques Villeneuve's many victories, close finishes, and consistent competitiveness made him the Formula One World Champion and, once again, the Canadian Male Athlete of the Year.

Rather than eclipsing his father's memory, Jacques Villeneuve's success is preserving the memory of his legendary father's great career. Together, father and son are creating a Canadian legacy in international racing.

utomobile racing has only recently gained popular attention in Canada. Gilles Villeneuve awakened interest in the sport for many, and the glamour of Jacques Villeneuve's success continues to attract public notice. The spread of Indy Car racing to major events in Toronto and Vancouver ensures that fans will follow the careers of such outstanding Canadian drivers as Scott Goodyear and Paul Tracy.

Before automobiles crowded the roads, however, bicycling was not only a popular recreation, but a competitive sport in Canada. The late 19th Century was a "golden age" for bicycling, when both men and women adopted the vehicle for transportation and fun. In fact, the bicycle is credited as one of the factors in the emancipation struggle of women, who found new freedom from conventional dress and other restrictions in the independence that cycling offered.

The bicycle mania led to competitive matches. The Dunlop road race in Toronto was an annual event from 1894 until 1926. Montréal hosted the world championships in 1899. Canadian cyclists made names for themselves in competition. At the turn of the century, Burns Pierce and the Butler brothers, Tom and Nat, all from Nova Scotia, had successful careers in the tough U.S. racing circuit. The sport could be dangerous, though. Both Archie McEachern of Ontario and Newfoundland's Urban McDonald were killed in separate board track accidents.

During the 1920s and 30s, William "Torchy" Peden of Victoria became a star in the incredibly popular 6-day bicycle races. The gangly redhead's record total of 38 wins lasted until 1965. In the 30s Pierre Gachon of Montréal also became the first Canadian to compete in the Tour de France.

But the rise of the automobile overshadowed bicycling as transportation, recreation, and competition in North America until the 1970s. Then, increased awareness of the environment and interest in physical fitness made cycling appealing once more. Jocelyn Lovell, whose accomplishments in the late 60s and 70s brought attention to bicycle racing, deserves credit for inspiring competitors like Karen Strong, Sylvia Burka, Gord Singleton, Steve Bauer, Curt Harnett, and Alex Stieda to succeed in international competition.

Today, cycling is not just for kids. Track and road racing are popular, and so is off-road riding. A whole new generation of bicycle design has taken the urge for speed and thrills into the back country on mountain bikes.

No treatment of racing in Canada would be complete without some mention of horse racing. Canadians have an historical love for horse racing, whether it is the harness racing that began as a rural sport then blossomed in the cities, or thoroughbred racing on the flat track. The Queen's Plate, first run in 1860, is the oldest uninterrupted stakes race on the continent, fifteen years older than the Kentucky Derby.

No mention of Canadian horse racing would be complete without a nod to Northern Dancer, winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Queen's Plate and the greatest stud horse in history. Many of the best thoroughbreds in the world trace their lineage to him. By the time of the great thoroughbred's death, 467 of his 635 registered foals had won races, and 150 had won stakes races. That is certainly the kind of statistic that no other sport can match!