Take a ride through the golden age and cutting edge of Formula One racing guided by a racing legend Lyn St. James, only the second woman to race in the Indianapolis 500 and the first woman to earn Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors, and who has a 50 year history of racing at some of the most historic race tracks in the world as well as being celebrated with many awards and recognitions.
First, Luigi Chinetti Jr.—son of the legendary Luigi Chinetti Sr., who brought Ferrari to North America and founded the North American Racing Team (NART)—will open the vault on Ferrari’s earliest days in racing. A Ferrari driver himself (5th overall at Le Mans, class winner at Daytona), designer of several unique Ferraris, and guardian of the Chinetti legacy, Luigi will share rare, never-before-seen photographs and personal stories from the formative years of F1 and endurance racing. This is a rare opportunity to hear firsthand from one of the few remaining voices connected to Enzo Ferrari’s original circle.
Also joining us is Joann Villeneuve, La Grand Dame of Canadian Motorsports, widow of Gilles and mother of Jacques, who will share with us her experiences of being the wife of the Canadian F1 racing phenom in the 70s and early 80s. Her insights of Gilles’ tumultuous feeling of betrayal by Pironi, Piccinni, and Ferrari are so unique and personal.
Then we fast-forward to the present day with Leah Penny, a sharp young Carleton University co-op student who has just spent a year inside Red Bull Racing’s European operations. Leah offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the high-tech, data-driven world of modern F1—from wind tunnel simulations to real-time race strategy algorithms. She’ll explore how the sport has evolved from wrench-turners to code-writers—and what that means for its future.
This is a unique, cross-generational dialogue between the analog romance and digital precision of motorsport. Whether you love the roar of carbureted engines or the whine of electric turbos, this event will have something for every racing fan.