Damp Squib

Sir,

Thank you for your 100 Greatest Drives, but was this an early April Fool?

How on earth can anybody rate Serma’s 1993 European GP as almost the drive of the century. He drove a car with traction control; what was so special in overtaking cars, in the rain, which were sliding around and braking 50 yards earlier for a corner?

Mansell’s British GP in 1987 at five is an assault on all real racers. He just managed to beat the guy in the other top can So what? As for Senna at Monaco in ’84 at 14, and Bellof at the same race at only 27, this is ridiculous, too. Senna’s race for second was, indeed, a fine performance. But Stefan started last and, after one third of the scheduled distance, lay third when the race was stopped.

Some of the really great drives are not included in your doubtful ranking: how about Alain Prost’s victory at Kyalami in 1982? He led, had a tyre failure, lost a full lap, regained the entire lap and took the lead again in the final stages. Or how about Vic Elford in the 1968 Targa Florio? Or Niki Lauda’s victory in the 1985 Dutch Grand Prix? Or Ronnie Peterson at Dijon in 1974?

I am, Yours etc, Enrich Nebenmeyer, Vienna, Austria