Late 1977. Dave Taylor Jersey . Roger Peart receives a call from the president of the Fédération Automobile Québécoise. Its the Labatt beer company, the then-title sponsor of the Canadian Grand Prix held annually at Mosport near Toronto. They want to know if Montreal can host a Formula One race. "Great question," says Peart, who then asks for a little time for reflection — 30 minutes to be precise. "I first thought of Île Notre-Dame. Then, I looked at a route that would start and end at the Olympic Stadium, but that would have been devilishly complicated to implement. I even looked at [building a track at] Laval." "We didnt have to go far down those roads," says Peart. "The first idea was always going to be the best." After 30 minutes, he phoned his interlocutor back to tell him yes, Montreal could accommodate a full-fledged Formula One Grand Prix, and that the best venue was Île Notre-Dame – a man-made island built to host Expo 67 a decade earlier – if for no other reason than its excellent access to public transit. The timing was perfect. Montreals then-Mayor Jean Drapeau had just announced that the artificial island would be devoted to sporting events, while the neighbouring nature-made Île Sainte-Hélène would host cultural-type events. By April 1978, Montreals city council had accepted the idea of a racetrack — "on the express condition that it cost the taxpayers nothing," recalls Peart. Peart, an engineer, is well-known in the world of international racing. Over the past five decades, he has not only competed as a driver (largely in amateur races) but has monitored and inspected racing circuits all over the world. Now 80-years-old, Peart is still president of the Canadian National Sports Authority (ASN Canada), and the only sports commissioner in the country recognized by the Fédération Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), Formula Ones governing body. Unsurprisingly, it was Peart who was given the mandate to design the Île Notre-Dame track, which would need to meet Formula Ones rigid standards. The Briton, who was then living in Montreal (he now calls Ontario home), still remembers the moment he went to first inspect what would become Canadas most famed racetrack. Mother Nature had dropped a major snowfall on top of the island, forcing him to develop the initial drafts without even being able to inspect the actual ground he was surveying. "I remember those days at my cottage in Saint-Sauveur in the Laurentians; when skiing conditions were poor, I drew up plans, plans and plans again." The challenge was more than he expected. "First, I had to ignore the old pavilions of the Expo 67 scheduled for demolition. Then I had to deal with some elements – the lake and park in the center, the river on one side, the Olympic basin on the other – that were obviously there to stay." "There wasnt much space and I had to fit a circuit in there, with rights and turns." Despite the challenges, the track, by and large, remains almost the same as Peart originally designed it. The buildings to the east of the island, where the boathouse was situated and where the hairpin turn is still today, were originally used as the pits. One weekend a year, the boats would then give way to the F1 cars — "It was an economical solution," recalls Peart. Because of the impracticality of this arrangement, new pits have subsequently been built in their current location, to the west, just before the Senna turn. This is the most significant change in the circuits 36-year history, a testimony to the excellence of Pearts original design. "Everything Was Going Too Fast!" The construction of the circuit that would later bear the name of Gilles Villeneuve was executed in record time. "It was a crazy time," says Peart. "Everything was going too fast!" After a winter spent developing the best possible layout, the British engineer travelled to Europe to attain approval for the plans by the FIA. By May 1978, after a meeting in Monaco, approval was granted and the construction began shortly thereafter, in July 1978. The first F1 race was held barely three months later. A Fairy Tale for All Sunday, October 8, 1978. The first of 35 Grand Prix of Canada races to be held on the new Circuit Île-Notre-Dame – its been held there every year since 78, except in 1987 during a sponsorship dispute between Labatt and Molson, and in 2009 when event funding became an issue – unfolds like a fairy. Its a fairy tale for Peart, who, serving as the race director, gets to hear firsthand from racers like Jackie Stewart that "his circuit" is "a little paradise in the middle of a great river." Its also a fairy tale for the Quebec public. In a race seemingly scripted by the gods of motor racing, Quebecs own Gilles Villeneuve takes the inaugural checkered flag in his Ferrari to the delight of more than 72,000 excited spectators. Its Villeneuves first win in 19 races, and he receives his much-deserved trophy from Prime Minister Pierre-Elliot Trudeau. For Ferrari, it is the companys first success in eight years. The track would be renamed in 1982 to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in honour of its first champion after Villeneuve tragically died in a crash during qualifying for the 1982 Belgian Grand Prix 36 Years Later: Peart Still Hasnt Missed a Race A technical track - Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve requires full concentration at all times and leaves little room for error. It is a circuit of long fast rights, interrupted by tight corners where, even today, the tires, brakes, engines and transmissions are strained to their limits. However, "unlike so many other F1 racetracks, Montreal has several opportunities for overtaking," says Peart. "That means the races are always exciting." Peart has not missed a Canadian Grand Prix since 1978. He watches every race from the control tower, as one of the three sports commissioners delegated by the FIA. This year will be the first exception as Peart has delegated his position to another steward — hell still be there, just with a different view. And if you happen upon him and ask if, after all these years, he would change anything about his original design? Hell tell you that, to this day, throughout the world, he has never seen a track as perfect. Encounter With A Young Gilles Villeneuve Early 1970s. Peart is, at the time, chief instructor at the Fédération Automobile du Québec, when as he recalls, "a quiet little man from Berthierville comes to see me." "He wanted to drive race cars. I asked him about his experience, and he replied that he was racing, of all things, snowmobiles. "As our summer events were all finished, I suggested he rent [some time at] Sanair [Super Speedway], bring along a car and we would see what kind of automobile racer he would make." "The day he showed up with his brothers Mustang, I had to leave for a business appointment. But I asked a fellow instructor to work with him and give me a report. Later in the day, the instructor called me, excitedly saying, Hey, boss, we may have something here!" "Each and every lap, the young Gilles Villeneuve was faster than his instructor. Obviously, we gave him his racing license." "I remember that to thank me, he wanted to give me a five-dollar tip." 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Throughout the course of the tournament, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara and many more will supply tricks of the trade, so make sure you stick with Sky Sports to watch them...Seam bowling demoThe ball is disappearing around the park and youre about to start a new over? How do you get your side back in the game? Broad and Anderson discuss the importance of reading the wicket and adapting to conditions before deciding what to bowl - and then backing your skill and achieving the all-too important elements of disguise and surprise! Also, find out a top tip from Broady about how he keeps his front arm straight! Click here to watch the video. Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara takes to the World T20 Zone to examine how Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Kane Williamson score from risk-free, highly-technic Kumars batting clinicWhen Kumar Sangakkara - a man with 12,400 Test, 14,324 ODI and 1,382 T20I runs respectively - talks batting, you listen. 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Kevin Pietersen steps into the Zone to explain how Englands batsmen can improve against spin by learning from Indias batsmen The helicopter shotMS Dhoni is the originator of the helicopter shot, with Afghanistan opener Mohammad Shahzad a keen player of it, too, but do Anderson and Shane Warne have it in their armoury? The Burnley Lara and the Australia legend go up against the Sky Sports bowling machine to find out... Click here to watch the video.Power-hitting demoEd Joyce and Michael Atherton examine how senior players have had to adapt to muscling the ball over the ropes, both mentally and physically, as T20 cricket has become more prominent. Ed then demonstrates how a baseball stance helped him hit sixes, while Athers wonders whether playing other sports has helped Englands Jos Buttler bat so dynamically. Click here to watch the video. Ed Joyce and Mike Atherton discusses the importance of power hitting in T20 cricket The orthodox and reverse sweepJoyce explains how batsmen must keep their head dead straight, while his former Ireland colleague, Kyle McCallan, reveals how he would look to bowl against a sweeper - keep the ball straight, cramp the batsman for room and, if you can, try to generate some bounce. Kyle Clifford Kings Jersey. McCallan also looks at how DRS has helped spinners against sweeping batsmen. Click here to watch the video.Bowling and fielding with a wet ballEnglands bowlers struggled with the dew factor in Mumbai as West Indies supremo Chris Gayle bashed them to all parts while scoring a 47-ball ton, so how do you cope with a wet ball? Former Australia all-rounder Marcus North explains how drying the seam, rather than the whole ball, and why altering your bowling grip can be key, while Matt Prior assesses how fielders and batsmen are impacted. Click here to watch the video. Matt Prior and Marcus North discuss the best way to deal with a wet ball during a T20 game Batting like Boom BoomShahid Afridi cracked 49 from just 19 balls during Pakistans win over Bangladesh, leading Prior to look at how the veterans movement at the crease helped him find boundaries off the seamers - and how his static stance allowed him to smack the spinners. Click here to watch the video.Bowling in the first sixEngland Womens Kate Cross explains how she approaches bowling in the first six overs of an international T20 match, and why it is particularly challenging in the womens game. Kate ran us through the specific drills she likes to practice in order to perfect her yorkers or bouncers, and how to best adjust your delivery should the batsmans movement be pre-meditated. Click here to watch the video. Englands Kate Cross explains how she approaches bowling in the first six overs of an international T20 match Sky Sports is the only place you can watch all 35 games in 27 days of the 2016 ICC World T20. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: ICC World T20 fixtures ICC World T20 squads WATCH: Best of 2014 World T20 Pick your Ultimate World T20 XI ' ' '