The Goodwood Road Racing Club is to mark the 40th anniversary of three-time Formula One Champion Ayrton Senna’s first Grand Prix victory at the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix.
His nephew, Bruno Senna, will drive the car in which Senna achieved that feat, a Lotus 97T, in two events. The first will be at the UK’s Goodwood circuit as part of the 82nd Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport on April 12-13.
In what is set to be a touching tribute to Senna’s life and legendary racing career, Classic Team Lotus will run the Lotus 97T in its iconic John Player Special livery which has previously taken to the Festival of Speed hill climb on a number of occasions.
Classic Team Lotus will then take the Lotus 97T to Estoril, Portugal where Bruno will get behind the wheel on April 21, marking the exact anniversary of Ayrton’s historic 1985 victory.
At the age of 25, Senna’s first race win was indicative of his incredible skill, particularly in wet conditions, with a decisive victory from pole position at Estoril. In torrential rain he lapped every other car except second-placed Michele Alboreto and the performance was considered one of the best of Senna’s career.
Having impressed during his debut F1 year for the lowly Toleman team in 1984, Lotus was a step up for the Brazilian. He qualified fourth on debut for the team at his home Brazilian Grand Prix but retired with mechanical failure to his Renault-engined Lotus after running third for most of the race.
Two weeks later, the Brazilian had his day by winning the rain-hit Portuguese race and establishing himself as the sport’s hottest new talent. By lapping established stars such as Alain Prost, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet, Senna demonstrated the wet-weather skill that would become a standout feature of his career.
Senna’s win was his first of two in the 1985 Formula One season and the first of what would be 41 Formula One Grand Prix victories. Reliability was the Lotus team’s undoing in 1985 as Senna failed to finish nine of the 16 races he entered, but he still finished fourth in the drivers’ championship and helped Lotus to secure third in the constructors’ title behind McLaren and Ferrari.
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