TOP FIVE
ONE-OFF GRAND PRIX CIRCUITS
MOTORSPORT
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 55
MOT
ORSPORTIMAGESb e l ie v e s it ’s t he b e s t s olut ion
for modern sports car racing.
“BoP is a necessary evil
nowadays,” he says. “If it
allows more manufacturers
to enter, I’m all for it. But how
t he y m a n a ge it i s muc h mor e
important than allowing it.
I don’t envy who will have
that job.”
At 36, Jarvis has already
enjoyed a long professional
career, first in single-seaters
and latterly in sports cars.
But he could have another
10 years in him before
retirement is beckoning –
plenty of time to achieve
t h at ov e r a l l L e Ma n s w i n.
“I ’m v e r y aw a r e of my
age, but I don’t feel my age,”
s ay s Ja r v i s. “I fe e l l i k e I ’m
driving better than ever, and
with age comes experience.
I’m so fortunate to still be
doing what I love.
“Those were tough times
ba c k i n 2 016 w he n A ud i
pu l le d out. To b e fou r y e a r s
down the line with works
drives and competing for
outright victories both in
IMSA and the GT World
C h a l le n ge i n Eu r op e i s a n
incredible position to be in.”
Talk about an example
of how l i fe go e s on a f t e r a
crushing blow. “I wouldn’t
say it’s a reinvention,
because I’m still doing
what I did at Audi, but it’s
e a s y t o d r op of f t he m ap,”
says Jarvis. “Now I don’t
see why I can’t be doing
this for many more years.”
VETS OUT OF PRACTICE
Among the rash of sim races
t h at h av e e x plo de d on l i ne i n
recent weeks, the one that
really caught my eye was a
‘veterans race’, starring some
familiar names that you
wouldn’t exactly associate
with computer games.
Tw o -t i me For mu l a 1
world champion Emerson
Fittipaldi (73), was among
the old-timers who logged on
for the Legends Trophy, part
of T he R a c e ’s A l l-St a r Bat t le.
And the other novelty?
It was a virtual one-make
race for one of the most
evocative Formula 1 cars in
history: Gordon Murray’s
1975 Brabham BT44B.
Three-time Indianapolis
500 winner Dario Franchitti
(46) claimed the win after
front-row starters JuanPablo Montoya (44) and
Emanuele Pirro (58) made
contact at the first corner.
Work s A ston Ma r t in GTE
driver Darren Turner, still
very much active in real
racing at 45 and the owner
of a sim-racing business,
chased Franchitti hard. But
the Scot’s purple Brabham
(not quite as classy as the
original Martini livery)
just had the legs to win.
Fittipaldi was the last of
t he 1 3 f i n i she r s , a l s o a mon g
them David Brabham (54),
Jan Magnussen (46) and Gil
de Ferran (52). Looks like this
gaming craze has given the
old boys a new lease of life.
Jarvis was all
set for a dual-campaign season
Senna proved himself
to b e th e ra i n m a ste r
yet again at Donington
ON 11 APRIL 1993, Donington
Park hosted the European
Grand Prix. While the
Leicestershire venue had
hosted pre-war grands prix,
this was the only time a
Formula 1 World Championship
event would be held there.
It was pretty memorable, too.
Here’s our pick of the five best
one-off F1 venues.
5 Le Mans, France
Sadly, the 1967 French Grand
Prix didn’t take place on the
full course used for the 24
Hours of Le Mans but the
dull, 2.753-mile permanent
Bugatti Circuit. Jack Brabham
led home his Brabham
team-mate, Denny Hulme.
4 Avus, Germany
This bonkers 5.157-mile circuit
consisted of a long stretch of
autobahn near Berlin with a
hairpin at one end and banked
turn at the other. Uniquely,
the 1959 German Grand Prix
at the venue comprised two
30-lap heats. With their results
combined, Tony Brooks led a
Ferrari 1-2-3, marking the first
time a manufacturer had ever
swept a grand prix podium.3 Fa i r Pa rk , Texa s , US
An uninspired street circuit in
Dallas, but this 1984 one-off
was memorable due to the
extreme July heat of Texas
that caused the track surface
to break up and nearly led
to the event’s cancellation.
Keke Rosberg won a race of
attrition in his Williams-Honda,
having been wise enough to
wear a water-cooled skullcap.
2 Sebring, Florida, US
The airfield-derived track used
for the 12 Hours sports car
race hosted a thrilling season
finale in December 1959. Then
22, Bruce McLaren became
the youngest-ever race winner
(a record that stood for more
than 40 years). Jack Brabham
ran out of fuel on the final lap,
pushing his car over the line to
take fourth and the first of his
three titles. Notably, of the 10
c i r c u i t s th a t h ave h o ste d a s o l e
championship race, three did so
in 1959, the others being Avus
and Monsanto in Portugal.
1 Donington Park, UK
In an underpowered McLaren-
Ford, Ayrton Senna lined up
fourth on the grid. In pouring
rain he slipped to fifth at the
first turn – and was leading by
the end of lap one. In one of
the great Brazilian’s greatest
drives, he would lap the entire
field bar runner-up Damon Hill.
JAMES ATTWOOD1
2
3
4
Front-runners Pirro^5
and Montoya shared a
first corner ’mare