Thieves speed off with bronze statue of Formula One racing legend Gilles Villeneuve
A small Quebec town northeast of Montreal is racing to find a stolen bronze statue of revered Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, as locals fear it will get melted down for cash.
Each year, tourists and racing enthusiasts travel to Berthierville, Que., a town of fewer than 5,000 people, to visit the Gilles Villeneuve Museum — located on a street also named after the famous driver — and pose for a photo with the five-foot-three-inch tall statue that stood atop a podium.
But now the podium is empty, except for a pair of bronze feet.
“There was nothing left but Gilles’ bronze boots cut at the ankles,” Alain Bellehumeur, general manager of the Gilles Villeneuve Museum, said in an interview Friday.
He thinks the statue was sawed off between Wednesday night and Thursday, adding that it would have taken at least two people and a truck to remove the statue and drive off with it.
“It takes special equipment to cut bronze. It must be a saw that cut through the legs,” Bellehumeur said.
The statue was created in 1984 as a tribute to Villeneuve, who participated in 67 Formula One races from 1977 to 1982, winning six before he died in a crash while qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at the age of 32.
In 1994 the statue was placed outside the museum in the town where he grew up, about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The museum displays trophies, racing gear and other items that belonged to Villeneuve, whose son Jacques won the F1 title in 1997.
Bellehumeur said he spent Wednesday night at a Montreal fundraiser for the museum and was shocked to discover what remained of the statue when he returned the next day. He said the statue, which cost $25,000 to build in 1984, has become an important part of the community's cultural heritage.
The Town of Berthierville denounced the theft, saying on Facebook, “this criminal act not only damages our heritage, but also deprives our community and motorsports enthusiasts of a strong symbol of our history.”
Quebec provincial police Sgt. Éloïse Cossette said officers are looking for witnesses and checking whether nearby surveillance cameras captured footage of the theft, adding that it is “highly probable” whoever took it will try to melt the statue down to sell the metal.
Jules Lasalle, the man who sculpted the statue, is the artist behind other bronze representations of famous Quebec athletes, including Canadiens star Maurice Richard, who is immortalized in the metal outside a Montreal arena that bares his name. As well, Lasalle crafted the statue of another Canadiens legend, Jean Béliveau, which is located at an arena on Montreal's South Shore.
Whoever stole the statue won't get a big payday, Lasalle said in an interview Friday, noting that the value of the metal isn't particularly high. But it has a tremendous value for the people of Berthierville, he said.
“It's a big disappointment, especially for people in Berthierville," he said.
"I hope we will be able to find the sculpture in one piece."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than half of human trafficking incidents in Canada remain unsolved
More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday.
Human remains found in Markham, Ont. in 1980 belonged to prison escapee: police
More than 44 years after human remains were found in a rural area of Markham, Ont., police are revealing that the deceased was an inmate who had escaped prison just a month before his body was found.
WATCH 'It's mind-boggling': Drought reveals U.S. town submerged in the 1940s
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
Manitoba RCMP identify infant human remains, asking public for help with investigation
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Auto theft probe leads to arrest of 59 suspects, recovery of more than 300 stolen vehicles: Toronto police
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
'I couldn't stay home': Canadian with no prior military training joins Ukrainian forces
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adam Oake, a Canadian with no prior military training, sold all of his Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia to buy a plane ticket.
Meet Decoy Ohtani, perhaps the most valuable pet of the World Series
The Dodgers' most valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, dog of Shohei, has become a fixture of Dodgers — and dog — fandom.
Those typing monkeys will never produce Shakespeare's works, mathematicians say
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
Children's doctors reporting unusual increase in walking pneumonia cases in Canada
Children's hospitals across the country are seeing an unusual increase in the number of serious and more complicated cases of walking pneumonia affecting much younger patients, according to medical experts.