Motorsport: From golden days to dark ones for Villeneuve

By BOB PEARCE

Amid the celebrations of Ralf Schumacher's stunning win in the San Marino Grand Prix, there was a poignant reminder of how good things once were for Jacques Villeneuve.

The French Canadian was the last winner of a grand prix for Williams at the Nurburgring in 1997. Since then he has grown much richer from the tobacco money behind the BAR team, but on the track there has been growing frustration.

At Imola at the weekend, he climbed as high as sixth before retiring with mechanical problems. In fact, his only finish all year was seventh in Brazil, but even there his less-feted team-mate Olivier Panis finished three spots in front of him.

And still hanging over the team are repercussions from Villeneuve's crash at Melbourne, which resulted in the death of a race marshal.

It was all so different when Villeneuve burst on to the Formula One scene at Melbourne in 1996. Fresh from winning the Indycar title, he qualified his Williams on pole in his debut and led for much of the race before allowing team-mate Damon Hill to pass in the final stages.

Villeneuve apparently had an oil-pump problem, but many believe the team dictated the result to enhance Hill's world championship chances.

The next year Villeneuve made his own charge to the championship and the refreshingly plain-speaking son of a Formula One legend seemed set for a glittering career. He had come as a breath of fresh air, with his multi-hued hair and dalliance with singer Danii Minogue.

But after 11 victories, the winning came to a halt and the controversial switch to the BAR team set up by his manager, Craig Pollock, has produced only rare hints of a return to glory, despite acquiring Honda power.

Maybe with Williams breaking the McLaren-Ferrari duopoly, Villeneuve will get the chance to add some flair to a podium dominated by dour Germans, Finns and Scots.

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Possum Bourne's victory in the Race to the Sky international hillclimb at Cardrona near Queenstown was a triumph for his team of mechanics.

Bourne charged up the 15km twisting gravel road in 8m 37s, 11s quicker than his nearest rival, expatriate Kiwi Rod Millen.

The defending champion, Monster Tajima, was third in 8m 36s, with Swede Per Eklund 9s further adrift.

Bourne's Subaru Impreza world rally car, built up in only four weeks by his Pukekohe team, produced 500hp, considerably more powerful than any he had driven before.

"Last year the best speed we could get was 180 km/h," he said. "Today I was over-revving it in sixth gear. That's about 220 km/h."

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Actor Jason Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh in the television series Beverly Hills 90210, has a new job as commentator for ABC on the Indy Racing League's single-seater series.

It's a job he is well qualified for, and not because he used to cruise Beverly Hills in a 1965 Mustang convertible. Six years ago he finished third in the SCCA Pro Rally Circuit before moving on to the IMSA sports car championship.

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As the repercussions of Dale Earnhardt's death at Daytona in February continue to rumble across the world of Nascar, one group is trying desperately to crown his successor.

Souvenir merchandisers reckon the Intimidator accounted for up to a quarter of the $US1 billion in Nascar merchandise sold last year.

The money will still be around, but who will the fans favour?

Kevin Harvick, who took over Earnhardt's car, is hardly a contender yet. Dale Earnhardt jun seems more likely.

Whoever it is, Nascar will continue its giddy rise in popularity among Americans. In 1975 a total of 1,286,000 people attended 31 races, an average of 41,484. Last season, 6,500,000 watched 34 races, an average attendance of 190,000.

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Peugeot, whose fortunes in the world rally championship are looking up after Didier Auriol's victory in Catalunya, have confirmed three cars for the Rally of New Zealand in September.

The potential points scorers will be Auriol and defending world champion Marcus Gronholm, who won here last year.

The third man will be another Finn, Harri Rovanpera, who previously drove in New Zealand for the Spanish Seat team.

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Foot-and-mouth disease has already affected European motorsport, with several British rallies cancelled and a number of countries warning of further restrictions if the plague persists. Spain discouraged British supporters from the world championship and Austria has said that if the disease spreads there the Austrian GP will be in danger.