Happy Birthday to a Legend

Had he survived the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, Ayrton Senna would have been 50 today. I followed his progress closely during his formative years racing in the UK, in FF1600, FF2000 and Formula 3. It was clear to anyone who saw him race back then that he was special, and had an intensity that few of his contemporaries had.

In the final round of the 1983 British Formula 3 championship at Thruxton, Ayrton was head to head with Martin Brundle for the title, 1 point behind the Brit who was in an Eddie Jordan Racing Ralt. It promised to be a momentous battle, so I made the 4 hour trek down to Hampshire to witness this final showdown. Senna was on pole position, alongside his arch rival. The weather was autumn chilly, and Ayrton and his engineer Dick Bennetts of West Surrey Racing (WSR) came up with a plan to ensure his Toyota engine was properly up to temperature for the all important run down to the complex on the first lap. The cold weather meant that the slow formation lap to the grid would have seen the engine and oil temperatures going out of their optimum working range, which would mean a loss of the available power of the engine at the start.

WSR fabricated some shrouds which loosely fitted into the sidepods of Ayrton’s Ralt, blocking the airflow from the radiators, and kept the engine temperatures high. As the cars exited the chicane after the warm up lap, Senna loosened his belts, and leant out, grabbing hold of the radiator shrouds, then tossed them to the side of the track where they were picked up by a waiting WSR mechanic.

As a result of this ingenious lateral thinking, Ayrton enjoyed a small but significant power advantage at the start, out-dragging Brundle, and leading into the complex. He held on to the lead until the flag, and claimed the title.  It was his last F3 race in the UK, the following year he signed for the Toleman GP team, after totally dominating the end of season Macau F3 event.

The rest is history. Feliz aniversário Ayrton.