Bertrand Godin was inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame (CMHF) on Saturday night in an official ceremony at the Glenn Gould Theater in Toronto. To highlight his track career and his off-track journey.
In 1978, when I was inspired by Gilles Villeneuve who won the Canadian Grand Prix and, in the process, traced my lifeline, I never thought I would be inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame.he said in his induction speech.
I want to thank my parents who taught me perseverance and the importance of human appreciation. It is thanks to these values that I have been able to draw my coursehe pointed out.
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Bertrand Godin recalled his modest beginnings.
I had to convince my parents that I wanted to play sports, now it’s quite the oppositehe explains, laughing.
I bought my first kart secretly, he says, then I had some success in karting, and one of my good friends told me, “Bertrand, you should go to Europe”. When I came to France, I had 200 dollars in my pocket. And in Europe, the competition is very fierce.
Thanks to his driving and his perseverance, Bertrand Godin still managed to get to the F3000 (the antechamber of F1) in Europe in 1998, after winning two Formula Atlantic victories (for the Players team), including a race in Montreal in 1997 during the Gilles-Villeneuve circuit.
That day, I was able to share with 70,000 people what I love the most in the worldhe recalled.
With no wealth in the family, he had to give up his motor racing career at the end of 1998 due to lack of budget.
When I go back to all of this today, I tell myself that we need to dream big and accept the trials that will come to us.he wanted to say.
Bertrand Godin took off his helmet in 2018 and drove for fun in Formula 1600. He also won the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in 2018.
Now 54 years old, Bertrand Godin uses his experience to help police technology students better manage road emergency situations in pursuit or intervention situations. Since 2011, he has been an emergency vehicle driving instructor at the National Police School in Nicolet.
Bertrand Godin’s induction into the Hall of Fame is the result of a selection process conducted over the past year.
Very unexpected. When I heard the news, I went grocery shopping, and I forgot half of what I needed to buy to make the evening’s recipe.Bertrand Godin ends with a loud laugh.
Source: Radio-Canada
