While we’ve lost the Toronto Grand Prix for 2008, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t some great racing to be had in Ontario this year. Just up the road from downtown Toronto, at Canada’s home of motorsport, is the annual VARAC Vintage Racing Festival. The focus for 2008 is on the thundering Can Am cars and what better place to experience these beasts than at Mosport.

Owners of these incredible cars are well aware that some of the most historic Can Am battles took place at Mosport and are always happy to bring their monsters back to the track. We’re still 4 months away and the entry list is already impressive.
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Thanks to the Axis of Oversteer, we finally know where Jacques Villeneuve the younger got his golden locks!

It seems that JV accidentally partook of some new age urine therapy when he drank Filipe Massa’s wee!

Didn’t they teach young Jacques never to leave his drink alone?

In a pre race interview, Monsieur Villeneuve said he would fall back right from the start and stay out of everyone’s way. “I’m not here to win a race, or to ruin anyone’s chase hopes, I’m here to get experience.” He did just that. Started at the back, drove around the middle of the pack and kept his nose very clean. He was nowhere near The Big One and finished a well thought out 21st. Nice job JV.

Another summer has come and almost gone, so I thought it might be fun to have a look back and see what we were talking about last summer.

Just like this summer, there were car shows. The big one of course was our visit to Autofest at GM Canada headquarters in Oshawa.

Paul Tracy was doing his best Francophone wrestler impression.

Jim Toumaris visited the Woodward Ave Dream Cruise and hooked us up with some great pictures.

Speaking of GM, it was announced that the new Camaro is going to be built in Oshawa.

Those racer types were pretty erratic last August, with Jacques Villeneuve spouting off again and the Unser boys Dads behaving like rednecks.

For 2007, Woodward was last weekend and Autofest is coming up and hopefully we’ll have some images from both.

Andretti. Villeneuve. Rosberg.

These are just some of the families where the Formula 1 bug bites more than one generation. Perhaps we are about to see the scion of yet another famous name move up the ranks. Freddie Hunt, son of the late James Hunt has decided, like so many others to begin his racing career in the British Formula Ford series. Both his World Champion father and his not so famous uncle began their driving careers in Formula Ford, so it’s a good place for a sentimental teenager to start off. Now let’s just hope that he doesn’t become Hunt The Shunt version 2.0

Ford press release after the break
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Peugeot announced this morning that it would be taking one of the new Peugeot 908 HDi cars to Paul Ricard for the official Le Mans test on March 25,26. It’s interesting to note that 1 car and six of seven drivers will be coming along for the session. The entire team, save one driver are making the trip.
That one driver would be none other than superstar Jacques Villenueve. Is this a legit absence, or is JV already not playing well with others? One thing is certain though, he could use a shave and a haircut! Images from a previous test session at Le Castellet show his new look that could be called French Canadian Farmer Chic.

More photos and Peugeot press release after the break
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Poor JV. He’s spent 10 years in Formula 1 and doesn’t feel he should have to be compared to some fast young lion, so he took his ball and went home.

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Never one to hold his tounge, Jacques Villeneuve has revealed his opinion on Michael Schumacher. In an interview for the upcoming issue of F1 Racing, Villeneuve has essentially said that Schumi is a deceptive, no personality dirtbag that the world will forget about when he’s gone. JV actually goes so far as to compare Mikey to the late, great Ayrton.

On the Ayrton topic, you have to give JV credit. Senna was up front about it when he planned to stuff someone. Mikey plays dumb, thinking the whole world doesn’t get it. What get’s me is where does JV get off thinking the world is going to remember him? Sure, he has more personality that Schumacher, but in some cases that may not be a good thing. Jacques has pissed off a lot of people, not only in the sport, but more importantly the fans. In reality, how many people outside Quebec will remember his name for anything other than his father’s son? The world has definately forgotten about the Uncle Jaques. Maybe they can race snowmobiles together!
read the full story at Pitpass

The stunning mugshot above is from autoplus

So a few more things and then The Garage feed reader will be reset.

Jensen Button won his first Formula 1 race, an eventful affair in Hungary. It’s been a long time coming. Meanwhile, Villeneuve’s F1 career seems to be nearing it’s end.

Norris Macdonald at The Star has some interesting comments about Jacques options.

Sarah Fisher is getting another shot at IRL. Maybe she can take some of the spotlight away from that also ran Danica.

Nissan is invading the Anime world with starring roles in the Ghost in the Shell series

Autoblog speaks with James Glickenhaus about his stunning new one off Ferrari P4/5

Maybe best of all, the BBC has offered up Top Gear downloads for free on their own site!

There is so much more that I can’t possibly read or post it all. We are cleaning up now & tomorrow’s news will be all new.

Keith over at Formula 1 Fanatic has posted a multi part series of the top 100 Formula 1 videos. I just lit up my office with the sounds of a 1979 Renault, driven at Montreal by Rene Arnoux. That was back when the F1 jockey’s were real drivers. The car sounds angry and the shifts deliberate, none of this autoshift nonsense we have today!

Other highlights include Senna punching Irvine, Emerson’s first F1 win at Watkin’s Glen in 1970 and the beginning of the Senna/Prost war.

They are only up to number 71 so far, so it will be interesting to see where some of the all time faves end up. My bet is on the Villeneuve vs Arnoux battle to be #1.