Gilles knew the risks, he took them many times and Zolder'82 was one too many. I remember him flying over Ronnie Peterson in the 6-wheel Tyrrell in Japan, thumbing wheels with the likes of Rene Arnoux in France - he was spectacular
Gilles was the craziest driver I've ever seen that was so talented at the same time. You can be crazy and have limited talent, but the thing with Gilles is that he was nuts but he also had an immense talent that allowed him to pull off these crazy stunts.
He was also crazy off the track. Ask anybody who was a passenger in his personal Ferrari. Not too many people wanted to get inside that car a second time. He had a little game with Pironi, when they were both Ferrari drivers. The game was to see who could go the longest on public roads at full speed without lifting the throttle.