It was all too easy to wonder if having just the one car out on track was going to leave Goodwood a little naked. Once Bruno Senna had a lap under his belt on Saturday at the Members’ Meeting, any doubts were quickly snuffed out. No, they were shattered, by the ear-splitting howl of the V12-engined McLaren MP4-6 on full song.
Gallery: Ayrton Senna's incredible McLaren pushed at Goodwood
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What better way to pay tribute to Ayrton Senna than to have the car in which he secured his last Formula 1 World Championship, driven in genuine anger by his nephew, free of the shackles of a safety car? The 3.5-litre V12 screamer is a rare enough sight. That it was out on our track getting exercised properly? Well, we may never see its like again. What a beautiful car it is too – so recognisable in those Marlboro colours, its arachnid-like wishbones sprawling out to bulbous rubbers, suspending a slender be-snorkelled composite form.
As Sunday came around, clearer skies and an eye in for the drive meant Bruno could really open the taps and the 78th Members’ Meeting stood in awe. The mega McLaren filled our grounds with the echos of 1991 – the last V12, the last manual, to secure an F1 title. One of the all-time great cars, driven to championship glory by one of the all-time great drivers.
Photography by Joe Harding, Jordan Butters and Tom Shaxson.
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