Full Throttle

When last heard from former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve was preparing for his first NASCAR Canadian Tire Series start at Autodrome St. Eustache.

Defending series champion Scott Steckly won that event ahead of DJ Kennington, John Gaunt and very far ahead of Villeneuve as he crashed out on the first lap.

Starting the race on the inside lane left him with no where to go as cars stacked up in front. The crew tried to make repairs but to no avail. He finished 22nd, and last.

Apparently chastened by yet another oval track failure this week he returned to his roots - road racing - but with a stock car flair.

This weekend found Jacques in Brazil competing in the NEXTEL Cup Brazilian Stock Car Series. His results have a familiar ring to them.

Juan Manuel Silva, driving a Mercedes-Benz has won the event held Sunday at Interlagos in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve was punted out of the race on lap 18.

Jacques Villeneuve retired on lap 18 and was classified as finishing in 27th place.

“It has been a frustrating weekend with a long series of problems,” Villeneuve told Auto123.com.

“During Friday’s practice, the car suffered from electrical problems and the steering column was seizing. I completed just 4 laps. On Saturday morning, I did 4 laps and the engine exploded. During the first qualifying session, a tire blew up, ruining my run. Finally, I only had 4 laps to set a time during the second and last qualifying session,” he said.

“There was a qualifying race this morning (Sunday). The track was slightly wet but I decided to start on slicks. I started 13th and finished 9th in just six laps. Then, it was the final race. It was pretty hectic out there. I got bumped several times during the opening lap. I was in 15th place at mid-race.”

“Unfortunately, my engine had no power whatsoever at high revs. I had to brake extremely late to stay with the pack. Finally, one guy bumped me hard from behind, and that forced me to retire. Until then it was a lot of fun,” Villeneuve concluded.

Better luck next time Jacques, there’s always Montreal and a Brawn Racing Toyota Camry ride to look forward to.

Not to mention placing hat-in-hand again and searching the EU for something.