The astonishing victory of Ayrton Senna in the 1982 Formula Ford 2000 championship at Snetterton, England, is perhaps one of the most remarkable and heartrending accounts of sporting skill and will power, tells with great dramatic flair. This fascinating story is not mere folklore; it is an account of an event as narrated by Senna himself and published in his letter to his manager, Armando Botelho describing the events of the same race.
Having started from pole position, Senna was immediately on the back foot having to deal with debris on the track due to a crash that had occurred shortly after the start. He managed to maneuver past all the obstacles when out of the blue, he found out he was not in control of the front brakes. This took him off the track dropping his position to third and making the lost ground even worse. However, Senna was quick to change his approach and drove on the remaining rear brakes to get back in the race.
Relentlessly, he overtook two of them, and took the lead once again. What’s astonishing is that he finished the race with rear brakes alone working. The moment came exactly after he crossed the line as he attempted to bring the car to a standstill.
On reaching the pit, Senna was over the moon and jubilant in celebrating his triumph. His mechanics, on the other hand, didn’t seem to believe him at first at the incredulity of the circumstances in which he won. They realized the full extent of the accomplishment only after the car’s check-up the front brake discs were found to be cold signifying they had not been necessary for use during the entire period of the race.
This historic episode not only demonstrated Senna’s great racing ability but also helped him secure his position as one of the few legends in the motorsport.
