Gilles Villeneuve museum to shut temporarily amid lawsuit by late driver’s family

MONTREAL — The museum named in honour of Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve is temporarily shutting down amid a legal battle with the late driver’s family over his memorabilia.

The museum’s general manger, Alain Bellehumeur, accused the Villeneuve family of squandering the Formula One driver’s heritage in a statement announcing the closure of the museum in Berthierville, Que., about 70 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

On Thursday, the driver’s widow and two adult children — including former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve — announced they were taking legal action to recover memorabilia from the museum, citing concerns over the institution’s ability to safeguard the racing star’s legacy.

Melanie Villeneuve told The Canadian Press the theft late last year of a large bronze statue of her father from outside the Gilles Villeneuve museum was the “point of no return” that cemented the family’s loss of confidence in the institution.

The museum and its lawyers say they offered to keep the memorabilia during the legal proceedings, but that was refused by the family.

Quebec-born Gilles Villeneuve participated in 67 Formula One races from 1977 to 1982, winning six. He died at age 32 in a crash during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982.