Jump to content

litp.jpg

Lotus in the Peak
28th - 30th June 2024
  • Welcome to Midlands Lotus Owners Club (MLOC)

    Register now to gain access to all of our features. Once registered and logged in, you will be able to contribute to this site by submitting your own content or replying to existing content. You'll be able to customize your profile, receive reputation points as a reward for submitting content, while also communicating with other members via your own private inbox, plus much more!

    This message will be removed once you have signed in.

Mark H
Mark H

Senna Sempre: Lotus Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Ayrton Senna’s First Formula 1 Win

  • Legendary Brazilian racer took his maiden F1 win in Lotus 97T on 21 April 1985
  • Pouring rain at Estoril circuit, yet still took the chequered flag and fastest lap
  • Lotus marks the anniversary with exclusive podcast interview with Senna’s mechanic Chris Dinnage on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and ShoutEngine.
  • “His concentration levels were unparalleled – I’ve never met anyone like him,” says Dinnage
  • Rare Senna images from a private collection, plus new US LOT blog at media.lotuscars.com

(Hethel, UK – 21 April 2020) – It was 35 years ago today, in monsoon conditions, that a determined young Brazilian raced to his first Formula 1 victory and cemented his name in motorsport folklore.

It was Sunday 21 April and the 1985 Portuguese Grand Prix. Behind the wheel of a Lotus 97T was Ayrton Senna, just turned 25 years old. With the car at the absolute limit of its grip, he delivered a masterclass in wet-weather driving for the hardy Estoril crowd and powered to the chequered flag. Such was his dominance he lapped the entire field up to second place, finishing over a minute ahead of his nearest competitor.

In just his second race for Lotus, Senna took the first of 41 career F1 victories – six for Lotus – and a legend was born. The performance stunned his rivals and lay down a marker that would see him go on to become a global sporting icon and a national hero in his native Brazil. Despite his tragic death in 1994, he remains a racing legend. Sempre Senna (Senna Forever).

Today, Lotus is marking the occasion with an exclusive new podcast, a series of rarely seen classic archive images of Senna and his 97T race car from a private collection, and a new blog revealing insights into Senna the man and his time racing for Lotus.

The podcast – part of the recently launched US LOT Sessions – features an all-new and exclusive interview with Chris Dinnage, Senna’s chief mechanic in 1985 and today the Team Manager at Classic Team Lotus.

Describing the raw emotion of the weekend and the Lotus that catapulted Senna to stardom, Dinnage says: “Ayrton hadn’t tested the car in the wet – that was the first time he’d driven in those conditions. Estoril was when he really hit the scene, because people sat up and thought ‘hang on, he’s lapped almost everybody’ and we knew we had something pretty special.”

Dinnage adds it was this which made the difference between Ayrton and other drivers, explaining: “Ayrton had the same raw pace as everyone else, but he was only using 50% of his capacity as a human to drive the car at full speed, leaving him the other 50% to be really aware of everything that was going on around him. His concentration levels were unparalleled – I’ve never met anyone else like him.”

You can listen to podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and ShoutEngine. The US LOT Blog is hosted on the Lotus media site www.media.lotuscars.com.

Reigning in the rain: Senna at Estoril

Rain, as ever, is the great leveler for on-track performance. It requires sensitive driver inputs, instinctive car control and a sympathetic approach to the mechanical set-up. One weekend in Estoril revealed Senna could excel in all.

It was also the setting for Senna’s first-ever F1 pole position, and he went on to claim another 15 for Lotus. His record of 65 F1 pole positions is eclipsed only by Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.

In the race, Senna got off the line well and led a Lotus 1-2 after the first lap. With a clear road ahead, he began to pull away from team-mate Elio de Angelis and the chasing pack. The race was one of bravery and attrition; conditions worsened and, in an era before safety cars, pit-to-car radio or yellow flags, cars were pulling off the track or hitting the barriers.

Senna remained calm and composed in his Lotus and, after two hours of brutal racing, crossed the line first. Just nine cars were classified as finishing.

He later commented: “It was a hard, tactical race, corner by corner, lap by lap, because conditions were changing all the time. The car was sliding everywhere – it was very hard to keep the car under control. Once I had all four wheels on the grass, totally out of control, but the car came back on the circuit. People later said that my win in the wet at Donington in ’93 was my greatest performance – no way! I had traction control!”

The Lotus 97T chassis was the first in F1 to use bargeboards that were placed between the front wheels and sidepods. This aided airflow around the side of the car and is a concept that still exists in motorsport to this day. The car took eight poles and three wins that season with Senna and de Angelis at the wheel.

Today, the actual Lotus 97T in which Senna won at Estoril is owned and maintained by Classic Team Lotus. Like Lotus, it is based in Hethel, Norfolk, and uses a team of expert and knowledgeable designers, engineers and mechanics – including Chris Dinnage – to preserve classic Lotus F1 cars for their owners. Classic Team Lotus is also the owner of the archive images showing Senna and his 97T.

Clive Chapman, Managing Director of Classic Team Lotus and son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman, said: “For Team Lotus, Ayrton joining was a vital piece in the jigsaw, as the team faced the challenge of F1 without my father. Ayrton’s technical abilities, driving skills, hard work and motivational powers all proved to be more vital ingredients to the Team Lotus mix, which led to success almost immediately.”

USLOT Sessions-podcast.jpg

Ayrton Senna  Lotus 97T Credit_Classic Team Lotus.jpg

The Estoril GP Podium 1985 (L-R) Michele Alboreto, Ayrton Senna, Patrick Tambay Credit_Classic Team Lotus.jpg

Ayrton Senna winning the Estoril GP 1985 Credit_Classic Team Lotus.jpg

Ayrton Senna racing in the Estoril GP 1985 Credit_Classic Team Lotus.jpg

User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.



Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Servicing.....self or garage? Which are you?

    So, I did a Forum 'service' and 'servicing' search, but couldn't find much about the topic specifically. So thought Id kick one off instead. Servicing. Self or Garage? Lotus are renowned for the servicing required. Lots of specialists out there, and it does come at a premium. But... Changing things like oil, filters, brake/clutch fluids etc, are pretty much the same on a Lotus as on most other combustion engines. The Lotus Service Guides have the full list of things to cover too,

    Dave-hp
    Dave-hp
    Technical Talk 19

    Sporting Bears 🐻

    Hi, is anyone a member of sporting bears, I am thinking of joining but just wanted to see if anyone knows if you require any change in insurance policy?   Thanks.   Luke

    Luke Seagrave
    Luke Seagrave
    General Talk 5

    S1 Type 49 Elise Refresh

    And so the winter refresh of my S1 Elise started today. Hoping to take front clam of tomorrow. However of the 4 lower bolts that hold the lower rear to the chassis, 2 are spinning and 2 won't budge despite copious amounts of penetrative oil over the last few months. The Eagle eyed will spot my Dremel tool which I'm not looking forward to using to remove 4 bolt heads that have limited access. Currently on my list are replacing the driving lights brackets, shot blast and paint the tow post, n

    Badger02
    Badger02
    Technical Talk 182

    S2 driver side indicator fail

    Hello all, just out curiosity has anybody else experienced either one of there front side indicators taking flight mid drive ? I was driving back from Whitchurch yesterday and mine decided to do exactly that.  haven’t hit any pot holes, nor had I previously loosened it off around the seals etc…. Just very bizarre as I’ve never had a car like this where bits and pieces just fly off lol.  also when getting a replacement as I have now ordered are there any ‘upgrades’ you can do to prevent this

    Mik127
    Mik127
    Technical Talk 2

    Handbrake covers....whats yours look like?

    Ok, so my 2006 S2 has no handbrake cover. Looks like that's how most come out of the factory. Gear shift has the standard perforated leather. Im looking at the option of getting a HB cover, preferably to match the gear leaver cover, looking to keep it as OEM as possible.  What have other owners done with their handbrakes? Aftermarket to match? Or a set to swap out for a new look? Nearly all I have seen go over the top and outside. Any neat ones that tuck inside the HB slot? Show u

    Dave-hp
    Dave-hp
    General Talk
  • MLOC classifieds

  • MLOC garage

  • Member Statistics

    4,211
    Total Members
    1,800
    Most Online
    Craig O
    Newest Member
    Craig O
    Joined
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Terms of Use