At 70, he “keeps himself young” on a racing circuit and his foot on the floor

For a few days, The newspaper will present to you the portraits of former glories of their sport who remain as passionate as ever, even if they have now reached the milestone in 70 or even 80 years.

At an age when many drivers prefer to play it safe behind the wheel, a true 70-year-old racing fan continues to “keep himself young” on a racing circuit where he still savors every pass against drivers in their prime.

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“I’m the best-seated spectator of the race,” exclaimed Jean D’Amours, seated in the backyard of his residence in Quebec City, glancing at his car, which had come out of its trailer when the Log.

Older than Uncle Jacques Villeneuve, this motor racing enthusiast since childhood is one of the oldest drivers in Quebec. For comparison, the holder of the title of oldest driver to have taken part in a race of one of the three main NASCAR series in the United States, Morgan Shepherd, was 77 years old at the time of the race.

And the talkative retiree does everything without being supported by a team. He does almost everything himself. At the wheel of his car number 54, Mr. D’Amours participates in the Sportsman Unitool series, a series of stock-car type car races, with a few races per season. He prepares his car in his garage and receives help from a brother and a nephew during the races.

“To not be old”

“Why am I still running? Bin, not to be old! To keep me young”, he says before escaping a laugh.

According to Mr. D’Amours, nothing equals the euphoria of a departure. Even if he is not a regular on the podium, his pleasure, he finds it when he manages to “finish a race well” without difficulty and above all “without sending the tank into the wall”, he underlines, in another burst of laughter. “I don’t have the same motivations as young riders. And it’s perfect like that.”

Earlier this month, he reached the milestone of 100 career runs after taking 14^e position at the Autodrome de Montmagny. He had promised himself to stop after reaching this plateau, but to listen to him speak, one should not be surprised to see him rolling “on the gas at the bottom” on another circuit.

“It’s adrenaline. When a race starts. That still turns me on, ”says the one who has to face much younger pilots, often in their twenties and thirties.

Still able

With the years that have passed, Mr. D’Amours still has lively reflexes and good cognitive faculties. His doctor has still not forbidden him to slip behind the wheel despite pulmonary fibrosis.

But throughout the interview, the pilot admits that the job is “increasingly demanding”. “Sometimes it’s hot in the tank,” he said. He remembers a race, where the start was slow to be given while a scorching heat reigned on the circuit. He got out of his vehicle “to get some air” and cool off while the race started. “I had said to them, ‘Are you going to start it, the race? I was too hot. I couldn’t take it anymore, ”recalls the man who then asked that we wait for him to leave.

The day is approaching when Mr. D’Amours will have to part with his car, but whoever will turn his back on the thrills has his work cut out for him. “I would like to try dirt running. Why not?” he concludes.