F1 Week - Things To Do In & Around Montréal

[Slippery_When_Oiled]

With the Grand Prix du Canada just a week away, I thought our fellow Merbites (Montréalers and Visitors alike) would appreciate a thread on parties, clubs, events, activities, etc. that are happening during the days leading up to and including race day.

Let's report on places where the action is hot, hot, hot.

 

[CaptRenault]

GP weekend

Some things to do and see during the best weekend of the year in Montreal:

The fashion shows on McGill (starts Tuesday and runs to Sat.)

The Budweiser Clydesdales will be downtown on Thursday and then probably at the track Fri.-Sun.

Crescent St. festival - two blocks closed starting Thursday at noon.

BMW Pit Lane Park Thu. - Sat., located next to Bell Center.

Ferrari Club of Quebec drive-in, Peel St. Thursday night.

Girl watching anywhere and everywhere.

Guy Laliberté's Sunday night party (invitation only).

 

[agentleman27]

Sorry but no Laliberte's party this year

Guys,

This year Guy Laliberte won't be throwing a F1 party. Only a very small, intimate gathering of a hundred people at his house.

Link to LaPresse Affaires

A27

 

[CaptRenault]

...This year Guy Laliberte won't be throwing a F1 party. Only a very small, intimate gathering of a hundred people at his house...

C'est vrai...no big party on Sunday night this year, just a small gathering at Laliberté's house on Thursday night.

Guy Laliberté ne fera pas de party
La Presse
08 juin 2006

Le Grand Prix du Canada ne sera pas tout à fait le même cette année.

La Presse a appris que le fondateur du Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté, ne tiendra pas son traditionnel party de Formule 1, cette soirée privée où est convié tout le gratin québécois et international le soir du Grand Prix.

Selon nos sources, Guy Laliberté compte plutôt organiser une réception «intime» le 22 juin, soit trois jours avant la présentation de la course...

 

[CaptRenault]

Crescent St. GP festival

Here's more about the Crescent St. Grand Prix Festival:

Canadian Grand Prix Festival on Crescent
2006 Schedule

Thursday, June 22, 2006

11:45 am Opening Ceremony
12:30 pm Honda/Michelin Celebrity Pit Stop Competition
4:00 pm O fficial Weigh-In for the “Gala de Boxe du Grand Prix”
5:30 pm Honda/Michelin Media Pit Stop Competition
7:00 pm Budweiser presents Black Russian Band in concert
9:00 pm Budweiser presents Wicked Access in concert

Friday, June 23, 2006

12:30 pm Budweiser presents This Side Up in concert
6:00 pm Kärv Fall 2006 Fashion Show (In case of rain: Saturday at 6:00pm )
7:00 pm Budweiser presents Fully Completely (tribute to The Tragically Hip) in concert
9:00 pm Budweiser presents Rusty in concert

Saturday, June 24, 2006

12:30 pm Budweiser presents Meesh in concert
4:30 pm Groupe Yvon Michel and BBF Promotions & Events present “Fast & Furious” (Public boxing training and autograph signing session)
4:30 pm Budweiser presents DJ « GP » with special musical guest
7:00 pm Budweiser presents Pop Zone in concert
9:00 pm Budweiser presents Rock of Ages in concert

 

[CaptRenault]

BMW Pit Lane Park

Here's more info about the BMW Pit Lane Park:

BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park will roar into Montreal
Unique replica of Formula 1 pit lane is free to public.

WHITBY, ON, June 7 /CNW/ - BMW Canada has announced details of the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park to be located in downtown Montreal during Canadian Grand Prix week. From Thursday, June 22, through Saturday, June 24, the Pit Lane Park will offer F1 fans unprecedented free access to the
powerful, technology rich world of Formula 1 racing. Located adjacent to the
Bell Centre at Boulevard Rene Levesque and Rue Drummond, Pit Lane Park hours of operation are 12 p.m. -10 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Nowhere is more critical to the outcome of a grand prix than the pit lane
and the BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park brings all the excitement of pit
stops, race strategies and team tactics to life in an entertaining,
interactive attraction. Spanning 5,400 square meters, with a capacity of up to 1,400 visitors at a time the Pit Lane Park features authentic BMW Sauber
F1 Team pit garages and a 90-metre-long stretch of track leading to a 23-metre turning area flanked by grandstands.

The star of the show is the BMW Sauber F1.06 Formula 1 race car, offering
fans up-close access to the sound, speed and dynamics of the world's most
state-of-the-art racing machinery. Powering up throughout the day, the F1 car will alternate on-track with a Formula BMW racing car, offering visitors an
insight into the full spectrum of BMW motorsport's abilities and achievements.

As an additional highlight to the Pit Lane Park schedule in Montreal, BMW
Motorrad's renowned stunt and racing champion, Christian Pfeiffer, will be
performing a series of incredible demonstration rides aboard the new BMW F800S motorcycle.

"BMW Canada has a strong legacy of fan events surrounding the Canadian
Grand Prix as evidenced by the success of the former BMW M Night on Peel
Street", states Joe Lawrence, Director, Marketing, BMW Group Canada. "The BMW Sauber F1 Team Pit Lane Park will take that legacy to a whole new level,
allowing tens of thousands of F1 enthusiasts to experience an insider's view
of Formula 1 racing over the three day period."

Also featured at the BMW Sauber F1 Pit Lane Park will be:

- BMW race cars and technical exhibits.
- An authentic pit wall Team command centre.
- A view inside the driver's track life at the Team motorhome exhibit.
- Pit Stop Challenge where visitors can test their skills.
- Fan photo opportunity with BMW Sauber F1.06 race car.
- Formula 1 quiz.
- F1 inspired driving simulators.
- BMW Sauber F1 Team merchandise shop.
- Speaker's Corner for fans to ask questions of F1 experts and drivers.

Taking the success of the former BMW M Night fan event in Montreal as
inspiration, the BMW Sauber F1 Pit Lane Park debuted at the European Grand
Prix at the Nuerburgring this year. It has since thrilled F1 fans at the
Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, moving next to the British Grand Prix at
Silverstone. Additional sites on the 2006 Formula 1 schedule for the Pit Lane
Park include the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and the Chinese Grand Prix in
Shanghai.

Public information about Pit Lane Park is available at
www.BMW-SauberF1.com by clicking on the Paddock toolbar.

 

[CaptRenault]

F1 GP week economic impact: $75M+

Here's what the F1 Grand Prix week means to Montreal in economic terms: $75M. But the $75M doesn't include all the revenue taken in by escort agencies during the week. So let's just round it off to a cool $100M.

In the world of F1 money is no object
CanWest News Service
Sunday, June 18, 2006 MONTREAL -- Ka-ching! That's the sound you'll be hearing this week as the Formula One circus comes to town with its big spenders.

In the world of F1, money makes the world and the cars go 'round.

Tourisme Montreal estimates visitors for the Canadian Grand Prix spend $75 million at hotels, restaurants and stores. They spend so much the provincial government has allowed some stores to open on Saturday's Fete Nationale holiday the day before the race to accommodate the fans and their big wallets...

 

[CaptRenault]

Fashion shows

Here's more info about the fashion shows held on McGill Ave. during the Grand Prix week. They start Tuesday and get into high gear on Thursday. Read the info closely and you can figure out which shows feature swimwear and lingerie.

Festival Mode & Design Fashion Shows

 

[chef]

Traffic In Montreal During GP Weekend

Am I right in assuming that traffic in Montreal during GP weekend gets more tied up than usual? Is it just as bad at the end of the day after the races are over, or does it go back to normal ?

 

[Techman]

Thanks for all the info Capt. I'm taking Thursday off so I can fully enjoy the festivities and the info you've posted will be a great help. With the fashion shows it seems I will finally be able to properly try out the zoom on my new digicam.

 

[Techman]

chef, during GP weekend, the traffic on Ste-Catherine St is basically a constant jam, especially around Crescent St. I wouldn't come down with a car until Sunday. When I don't go to the race, like this year, I usually drop by the Peel Pub to watch the race on Sunday. Before anyone dumps on the place, it's usually a smaller crowd than the more popular sports bars in town and they still have their chicken wing special running on Sunday and I'm a sucker for cheap wings. This will mark my first weekend downtown since the smoking ban so I wonder how long I'll last before I just give up and go home.

 

[chef]

Techman: thanks for the info. If I drove down on any day and exited off the 720 and parked my car say at the Marriott Chateau Champlain, just off the exit, would I still experience severe congestion?

 

[Techman]

chef, I think that would be a good idea without any problems.

 

[HonestAbe]

So close I can smell the fumes...

...at long last GP week has arrived and I procured tickets this year overlooking the starting grid, my first time there.

Don't forget Bridgestone Open house at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve Thursday 9AM-1PM. You can actually walk down Pit lane and see all the goings on as the teams prepare.

Can't wait to sit out on the balcony of Stogies overlooking Crescent with a Cuban in one hand and a single malt in the other watching all the girls go by!

Walking by Queue De Chevals meat aging room and seeing those mouth watering cuts of Corn fed Prime beef dry aged to perfection, mouth watering!

Hearing the knock on my door and wondering what my newest SP acquaintance will have in store for me!!

Seeing Schumachers Ferrari screaming past the checkered flag! (Preferably in front of Alonso)

Heaven, I'm in heaven...I love Montreal!

 

[CaptRenault]

Ferrari Club

Here are some details about the Ferrari Club of Quebec drive-in (look for me, I'll be driving the red one ).

This is a fantastic event, even if you're not that into cars. Anyway, the Ferraris are not mere cars, they are works of art. To see 30+ Ferraris drive down Peel St. (and then park there) on a fine summer evening with all the hoopla of GP weekend going on all around and all the women of Montreal doing their absolute best to look beautiful and sexy...well, there's just no place in the world I'd rather be at the moment.

Ferrari Club of Quebec Peel St. Parade [click on calendar]

 

[CaptRenault]

Crescent St. festival

Here's more about the Crescent St. F1 Grand Prix festival. Because of the enormous crowds, the best time to visit is during the day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In the evening and at night, the street becomes so crowded that it might take 30 minutes or more to move the one block from Ste. Catherine to Masionneuve. But then that give you more time to ogle the girls.

Crescent Street Grand Prix of Canada Festival June 22-24th Becoming as Much of a Tradition as the Race Itself

MONTREAL, June 19 /CNW Telbec/ - There's nothing like the Crescent Street
Grand Prix of Canada Festival, sponsored by Honda Canada and presented by
Budweiser, to get people swept up in the euphoria of the annual Formula 1 race in Montreal.

While the racing action takes place on Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the
festival in its eighth year of operation, has an eclectic range of activities
- beginning at noon on Thursday and ending late Saturday evening - that will
again make Crescent Street the place to be for off-track revelry.

"This year's event will be a sensory overload with activities that are
sure to appeal to everyone," said Brian Fogt, the creator and promoter of the
event, which has increasingly become as much of a race-weekend tradition as
the Grand Prix itself. "You couldn't ask for a more ideal downtown spot than
Crescent Street to indulge in the whole atmosphere surrounding Canadian Grand Prix week."

In the newly designed Honda zone, car aficionados and the general public
alike will have the opportunity to admire the work of a pair of professional
air-brush artists, decorating a Honda S2000 sports car in a theme that
celebrates the company's rich and innovated involvement in F1. The Zone will
also feature an awesome display of unique Honda tuner and specialty cars.

Six other specialty cars will be showcased on the Casino de Montréal Pit
Lane, located between de Maisonneuve Boulevard and Sherbrooke Street. Festival visitors should also be on the lookout for Michelin tires of all shapes and sizes, including an innovative airless model and one of the world's largest
tires.

Festival activities get underway at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday with special
opening-ceremony appearances by Honda Racing F1 team drivers Jenson Button and Reubens BarWrichello. Next up is the Honda/Michelin celebrity Pit Stop competition - there's a similar event for the media at 5:30 p.m. Prior to the media competition, Crescent Street will be the site for the official weigh-in for the June 23 Budweiser WBA boxing match between Montreal's Joachin Alcine and Javier Alberto Mamani.

The first of several concerts presented by Budweiser hits the stage at
7:00 p.m. Thursday night, with Black Russian Band and a special appearance by Quebec rock star Martin Deschamps. This is followed at 9:00 p.m. by Wicked Access.

Other Budweiser concerts during the weekend feature This Side Up at
12:30 p.m. on Friday, Fully Completely, and its Tragically Hip Tribute concert
at 7:00 p.m., and Rusty, at 9:00 p.m. The Saturday schedule has Meesh and PopZone at 12:30 and 7 respectively, while Rock of Ages concludes the concertseries with a 9:00 p.m. show that is being heralded as one of finest in the festival's history.

A new feature at this year's festival is a fashion show by KDRV, at which
the clothing company will exclusively unveil its Fall 2006 collection live at
6 p.m. on Friday. A number of top models will take part in the show, including
Maxime and Dominic, of the popular French-language TV series Loft Story, as
guest models.

Along with viewing Casino Pit Lane performances by Cuban and Brazilian
dancers, trampoline artists, including 2000 Olympics bronze medalist Mathieu
Turcotte, and a sparring session by top local boxing talent, visitors can
browse through kiosks galore. The festival is also proudly endorsing the Aldo
Youth Aids campaign. The public will have the chance to purchase the Aldo
Youth Aids dog tags on Crescent Street throughout the weekend.

"We are delighted that, over the years, Crescent Street has become the
hub of downtown activities in conjunction with the Canadian Grand Prix," said
Bernard Ragueneau, president of the Crescent Street Merchants Association.
"With its wonderful diversity of bars, restaurants and retail stores, this
part of the city has much to offer, and the Festival provides us with another
opportunity to showcase this to the local public and visitors alike."

 

[CaptRenault]

Exotic cars on Peel St.

Here's more from today's Gazette about the exotic cars that will be on display this weekend on Peel St.

Revving up for Grand Prix weekend
Merchants happily awaiting fast-spending crowd
The Gazette
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Grand Prix week is bigger than Christmas, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day for downtown restaurateurs, merchants and hotel owners - and the owner of a Peel St. bar is positively euphoric about this year's festivities coinciding with the St. Jean Baptiste Day holiday...

...As in past years, Peel St. between de Maisonneuve Blvd. and St. Catherine St. will be blocked to vehicular traffic Thursday to Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. to allow for a feast of high-powered, high-priced dream cars...

...On Thursday, Montrealers can ogle 40 Ferraris. Lamborghinis are on the menu Friday. More Ferraris are featured on Saturday, with the North American Ferrari Club bringing in more than 35 cars from Canada and the United States.

Sunday is given over to the Quebec Porsche Club, with 60 vintage and spanking-new cars to drool over...

Racing Fun Begins in the Streets

Peel St. parade of cars

Thursday: 40 Ferraris arrive under police escort at 5:30 p.m. and will be on display till midnight.

Friday: Lamborghinis are on display from 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday: North America Ferrari Club, with vintage and new cars, 5:30 p.m. to midnight.

Sunday: Quebec Porsche Club, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

[CaptRenault]

Célébrités and Célibataires

Many célébrités, such as Madonna, will be in town during GP week...and many célibataires, such as yours truly, will also be in town.

Tickets ... who needs tickets?
Madonna brings added madness to Grand Prix. Ferrari's Schumacher could be the ultimate prize for bell centre suite-holders looking to impress
The Gazette
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

With Renault's Fernando Alonso running away with the 2006 Formula One world driver's championship, let's look beyond Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, to another Montreal sports venue, for a much better race this week.

It will be a sprint among Bell Centre suite-holders, each and every one trying to bag themselves an F1 driver for one or both of Madonna's concerts tomorrow and Thursday...

Stars come out at Grand Prix
No shortage of celebrities when the f1 circus comes to town none left a better impression with event's GM than letterman, who was the nicest, signing autographs and presenting trophy
The Gazette
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The Grand Prix of Canada features things fast and beautiful, sleek of line, strong of scent, temperamental and outrageously expensive to maintain, all funded by men who spend fortunes, often in vain, trying to keep them purring. And then you look beyond these so-called paddock babes and see the fancy race cars on the track.

There is no sporting event - not the Olympic Games, not the World Cup of soccer - which attracts as many glamourous people, and those who sadly think they are, as Formula One racing...

...Montreal has squired its share of celebs through the F1 paddock over the years. The list includes actors Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Paul Newman, Sylvester Stallone and Jim Carrey; the late Beatle George Harrison and singer Sheryl Crow; supermodel Naomi Campbell (a former squeeze of Renault boss Flavio Briatore); TV star David Letterman; any number of NHL stars and lesser lights; and many Quebec vedettes...

 

[CaptRenault]

JV back in town

Another interesting event this week involves hometown favorite Jacques Villeneuve. JV has had a very up and down career as a driver, combining fantastic success early in his career (Indy 500 winner in 95 and F1 World champion in 97) with bitter disappoinment in the years since he left the Williams team. But JV is a survivor and a race car driver and his career seems to have been revitalized now that he is with BMW-Sauber. Whether that relationship will continue beyond this year though, is still in doubt. But it's nice to see that he has bounced back somewhat.

JV recently married his (pregnant) Parisienne girlfriend, Johanna Martinez and he seems to be more mellow and happy these days. His other big news is that he is releasing a song this week that he recorded for an upcoming album. You can hear the song on his myspace.com site:

Myspace Music Jacques Villeneuve

I must admit, it's kind of a catchy tune. I wouldn't give up my driving career if I were JV, but it's a fine effort for an amateur (undoubtedly with help from some professional music people).

Here's more about JV:

Jacques Villeneuve is starting a family, working on music and is relaxed

Canadian Press
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
MONTREAL (CP) - Jacques Villeneuve - husband, pop singer, race car driver - has not looked so calm and relaxed in years.

It may be because the Iberville, Que., native was recently married to 21-year-old Parisienne Johanna Martinez, who is expecting their first child. Or that he used the off-season to indulge a secret passion by making a CD of his musical compositions, which the 35-year-old labels as folk-rock.

But most likely, it is that after grinding his teeth at the back of the grid in substandard cars for seven years, the 1997 world champion is finally on a team that is on an upswing, Sauber BMW.

And he arrived for his "home" race, the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, confident that although winning would take a miracle, he could at least compete for points at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the track named after his late father...

 

[CaptRenault]

More on JV

More from today's Gazette about the mellowing of Jacques Villeneuve:

'I have achieved my life goal'
Villeneuve says his auto racing career has been better than most whatever the future holds, the man who won the 1997 championship in dramatic fashion says no one can take away that accomplishment
The Gazette
Published: Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Jacques Villeneuve sat in a corner of his team's sprawling motor home, finally able to relax after giving a series of interviews in three languages. Almost two hours had passed since the end of qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Villeneuve - showered and dressed in street clothes - chased down the last bites of cake with sips of bottled water. He gazed up at a television showing the final stages of a support race in the streets of Monte Carlo.

"Did you see that? Good move," he told his visitor, putting aside for a moment the question he'd been asked about his 10 seasons in Formula One.

"Extreme satisfaction," Villeneuve replied, finally. "Of course, there's been much frustration. But the thing that has been the best part is the extreme satisfaction of being able to drive the fastest car you can imagine. To have been part of this, all these years, you can't beat that."

For Villeneuve, 10 seasons - spread over 11 years - have passed with lightning quickness. It seems like only yesterday that he arrived at the circuit named after his late father to race in the Grand Prix of Canada for the first time.

It was June 16, 1996, the eighth race in his rookie season with Williams-Renault. He'd already won one - at the European Grand Prix in late April.

Now, at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, after qualifying second, he finished in that spot behind teammate Damon Hill.

As it turned out, it was the closest the native of Iberville would come to winning his home grand prix. A decade later, he's running out of chances to win here, or anywhere.

At age 35 - nine years removed from winning the drivers' championship - Villeneuve arrives a different person in many ways. For starters, he's married now, having wed Parisian Johanna Martinez not once but twice in six days following the Monaco Grand Prix in civil and religious ceremonies in Switzerland and France.

Villeneuve got a special wedding present from his team for the British Grand Prix on June 11, when they affixed the message "Just Married" on the rear wing of his BMW-Sauber race car.

Delighted with his new status as a married man, and with the couple expecting a child in the fall, he said: "It is great. It feels like an accomplishment. I am very happy."

"Jacques is enjoying a kind of resurgence," said Gerald Donaldson, the veteran F1 television analyst, journalist and author who has followed every step of Villeneuve's career. "What kind of future will he have? I don't know. But right now he's doing well.

"Remember, BMW didn't want Jacques - they inherited him. But he's matured. He's become a team player perhaps because of maturity, perhaps of the need to stay in F1. It could be a bit of both. Whatever it is, he's doing the right things. He's also never been more content in his personal life than he is now. It is a fascinating story - the Jacques Villeneuve story. It's nice to see him with the chance to restore the measure of respectability that he might have lost."

For all intents, Villeneuve's 10 seasons have been an F1 career in reverse. It began with a bang, much like Tiger Woods's "Hello world!" introduction to professional golf, also in 1996. But unlike Woods's career, Villeneuve's has spiraled down ever since...