The Montreal circuit is named after Canada's most famous racing son, Gilles Villeneuve, who tragically lost his life in a practice crash at Zolder. It was the rise of the French Canadian star (who signed for Ferrari in 1978) which created the impetus for a new circuit in Quebec, and a move away from the Mosport Park circuit which had staged the Canadian GP until then. Building a completely new facility was deemed too expensive & too long a project, so it was decided to solve the problem by linking up the roads on the Ile Notre Dame to form a race track. The island had been built in 1967 between the St. Lawrence River and the St. Lawrence Seaway (a ship canal) and provides a superb setting for a racing circuit. The first F1 race at the new Montreal circuit took place in 1978, Villeneuve inheriting his maiden GP victory when Jarier's Lotus retired, sending the 73,000 fans into uproar. Alan Jones won for Williams the following year and the year after that, he went one better, taking both race and championship. The 1981 race was run in a downpour, Jacques Laffite winning for Ligier thanks to his Michelin wet tyres and the Matra V12 engine. Villeneuve kept the crowds entertained, taking third place with an uncompetitive Ferrari after a series of incidents. The 1995 race marked the only career victory for the combative French Sicilian Jean Alesi, in his Ferrari. Speaking with reporters afterwards, he revealed that he was so overcome with emotion when leading the last few laps that he started to cry, and could barely see the track ahead! Villeneuve's son Jacques was the source of excitement for the 1996 race as he signed for Williams, but he was beaten on the day by team mate Damon Hill.