The Life of Senna by Rubython Tom

Author:Rubython, Tom [Rubython, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780956989352
Publisher: The Myrtle Press
Published: 2012-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

The Best Lap Ever Driven

Senna’s finest two minutes

Although much else in the field of superlatives in Formula One is constantly in dispute, the question of the greatest lap in history is not in doubt. It happened one miserable Sunday in the English Midlands. As Sunday 11th April 1993 dawned, rain was teeming down in desolate Leicestershire.

At 6am or thereabouts, Ayrton Senna rose from his bed and looked out of the window to survey the countryside from his suite in the opulent Stapleford Park Hotel in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. Stapleford Park was a haven, created by an unlikely founder, American pizza restaurant entrepreneur Bob Payton. But it had no appeal that Sunday morning for Ayrton Senna. He was focused on how to get out to the Donington Park racetrack, where the European Grand Prix was being held that day.

At once he decided to drive to the track and not risk using TAG’s helicopter, just in case it couldn’t land at Donington.

Not only was it raining but there was a deep mist hanging over the countryside. The fog was so bad Senna wondered whether the race would even take place. The rules require that a medical helicopter needs to be able to fly before a race can begin, but despite the poor weather, flights were not disrupted into and out of the track.

The Donington Park circuit sits right alongside East Midlands airport. Senna had toyed with the idea of commuting right into Donington from Faro airport near his home in Portugal. He was glad he hadn’t taken this option. His HS125 jet was sitting on the East Midlands tarmac ready to fly to Portugal and new girlfriend Adriane. He wished she was here with him, but he knew that she would be bored in greyest middle England with nothing to do.

The night before he’d had dinner with Ron Dennis, Mansour Ojjeh, pop singer Mike Rutherford of Mike and the Mechanics, plus Mario and Michael Andretti and communications magnate and IndyCar team owner Bruce McCaw. It had been a good night. He liked the company and Ron and Mansour, despite occasional strains, adored him. Ayrton Senna was accompanied for this race by his friend Galvao Bueno, a commentator for the Brazilian television station TV Globo. As ever, TV Globo was covering virtually every last detail of Senna’s life.

Bueno was in another hotel and Senna would meet him at the track. His thoughts went back to Bueno and he gave him a quick call to make sure he was up. Bueno and another TV Globo man, Reginaldo Leme, had been very important to Senna’s career. Bueno had come to the fore after Senna had fallen out with Leme, just as the driver had fallen out with many people as he became more successful. Senna regretted it but it was the way of the world. His friends and helpers from the early days expected everything to be the same when he became world champion – and it wasn’t. Bueno was a newer friend and he understood the pressures.

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