Jacques Villeneuve Starts Own Driver Racing School

Former Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has initiated plans to start his own racing driver school back in Montreal. The Canadian ace is determined to find new racing talents within the North American continent, to which he can pass on his passion for motor racing and long-life experience in motorsports.

“My goal is to transmit my passion for racing and to increase the quality of experience for all the racing fans from around the world, whether they are beginners or experienced professionals,” said the former Williams & BMW Sauber driver, as reported by the GMM news agency.

The 1997 Formula One champion announced that the project – named “The Jacques Villeneuve Academy” – is to be launched following a common effort with ICAR, in Montreal.

Villeneuve, who himself graduated the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School in Mont Tremblant, Quebec in his early racing years, won the F1 championship 12 years ago, following a breathtaking battle with Ferrari's Michael Schumacher. Having left the series mid-way through the 2006 season, the Canadian driver decided to take on a new racing challenge in North America's NASCAR Series.

After a few races in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2007, Villeneuve was on his way to making his full-time Sprint Cup campaign in 2008 (with Bill Davis Racing). The loss of sponsorship money last year, however, led to him being dropped by the aforementioned team only a few races into the season.

Villeneuve is currently focused on winning the Le Mans 24 Hours race in order to become the second racer in history to clinch the Triple Crown of Motorsports (after previously winning the F1 title and the Indianapolis 500 race).