In 1985, the Labatt brewery, which paid the construction of the Ile Notre-Dame automotive circuit which now bears the name of Gilles-Villeneuve, wishes to make its facilities profitable and hopes to present a second race in addition to the formula 1 Grand Prix.
It has been almost three years since Gilles Villeneuve has lost his life on Zolder’s layout in Belgium on May 8, 1982. Luckily, another Quebec driver, Bertrand Fabi de Sherbrooke produced exploits. He was recently crowned Canadian 2000 Formula champion and he is now winning races in Europe in the same category. Well supported by his mentor, Raymond David, he seems to be intended to go up in F1 soon.
Simultaneously, the FIA replaces Formula 2 with Formula 3000. It is almost the same chassis as in F2, but powered by atmospheric V8 engines with an electronically limited engine speed. Visually, an F3000 looks a lot like an F1, but it is less powerful. The F3000 thus becomes the front door of F1.
The 1985 Canada Grand Prix takes place on June 16 and August, Pierre Lecours of the Journal de Montréal wrote that a rumor began to circulate during the Trois-Rivières Grand Prix Golf Tournament with the effect that the Labatt Brasserie studied the possibility of presenting four F3000 races in Canada, including two in Quebec.
Pierre Lecours adds that floats the idea of presenting a second race on the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit in September and it would be an F3000 test. Lecours talks about two races in Western Canada, in Westwood in British Columbia and Race City in Calgary, a race at the Trois-Rivières Grand Prix and one last in Montreal.
In another article, barely a week later, Lecours quotes Roger Doré, director of promotion to the Labatt brewery, who makes it clear that the main reason for this interest in the F3000 is mainly to make installations to the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit. Labatt also wishes to ensure the future success of his F1 Grand Prix by helping Canadian hope to go up in F1.
Friction causes the project cancellation
Roger Doré de Labatt and Pierre Houde, the director general of the Canada Grand Prix, attend the F3000 race presented on the Spa-Francorchamps layout in Belgium on June 2, just before the Grand Prix of Canada. Their idea is to set up a “Team Canada” structure that would provide logistical and financial support to Canadian hopes in the F1600, F2000 and F3000 series.
Negotiations are progressing and things are changing. If we always speak of presenting four F3000 races in the country, we only mention only one in the West, one in Ontario on the Mosport Park circuit and two in Quebec: in Trois-Rivières and Montreal.
However, in mid-October, when the FIA awaits confirmation from the Labatt brewery, the project suddenly fell into the water. “The slowness of the negotiations with the parties involved, including the new tenants of the Ile Notre-Dame, the agro-food park, forced the project managers to break the talks” can be read in the Montreal Journal.
Roger Doré insists on the interventions carried out by the Montreal nautical and outdoor club. “Their very strong opposition to our various projects testifies to the enormous gap that separates our respective interests” can be read.
Can this decision to cancel a potential second race challenge the presentation of the Canada Grand Prix F1? “This is a possibility if Labatt officials cannot achieve their objectives with phase 2 [une deuxième course à Montréal] of their profitability project, ”said Pierre Houde.
The idea of holding a Formula 3000 race in Quebec reappeared in 1990. Lorne Germain of the Trois-Rivières Grand Prix then speaks of a possible F3000 race during the 1991 edition. Germain specifies that the urban circuit will have to be inspected by the FIA, and specifies that he already knows that the starting/arrival line as well as the well line will have to be modified, and that Spectators.
For all kinds of reasons, this other Formula 3000 racing project in Quebec soil has not emerged.
We would like to thank Dominic St-Jean for his precious help to document this text.
